Oh man, we’ve got some trouble. Actually, most everyone (in the printer ink world) could see it coming. It was only a matter of time before someone decided that Staples 2007 decision to stop selling remanfuactured cartridges was a violation of an antitrust law and bring a lawsuit.

An individual named Ranjit Bedi filed the lawsuit yesterday against both Staples and Hewlett Packard. He claimed that both companies had broken antitrust laws when they jointly formed the deal that would elminate remanufactured inkjet cartridges from Staples offerings.

The lawsuit claims that the two companies reached “an illegal agreement between competitors to stop competing” when HP paid Staples (what HP calls) market development funds to stop selling non-HP-brand inkjet printer cartridges. These cartridges are better known as compatible cartridges or remanufactured cartridges.

Additionally the lawsuit claims that HP paid Staples $100 million (WOW!) to stop selling these cartridges. How this figure of $100 million was derived is unknown. We have heard rumors of a figure that was much higher. But those are just rumors, so we’ll leave it at that. Here is where it gets dicey for Staples and HP, and extremely profitable for the lawyers involved. The suit is seeking class action status based on that fact that the agreement violates the Sherman Act and Clayton Act. These acts phohibit noncompetitive behavior.

Our take . . . Staples made a decision that limited a customer’s decision to choose. Not so good when the customer has so many other options when it comes to purchasing their printer cartridges.

Neither Staples or HP have commented yet. But you can. Let Pacific Ink know what you think of Staples decision to stop selling non-HP-brand cartridges.

We’ve got something new to add to the “printer ink is more expensive than” list. Now it is more expensive than gasoline.

According to a story in the Lakeland Ledger (Florida) a gallon of manufacturer brand ink is more expensive than a gallon of gasoline. IF you were to buy a gallon of manufacturer brand ink (ink made by HP, Dell, Epson, Lexmark, Canon, etc) it would cost you somewhere between $3,000 and $5,000. What’s a gallon of gas going for today, somewhere between $3.00 and $3.50? Quite a difference. This puts printer ink right up there as one of the most expensive liquids in the world.

Another comparision . . . Imaging driving up to a gas pump and paying $13 for a teaspoon of gas - that’s what you pay for a teaspoon of printer ink.

Let Pacific Ink know what you think about the high cost of printer ink.

With the gift giving season getting close to full swing, let’s take a look at CNET’s Top 5 most popular inkjet printers.

#5 - Canon Pixma MX700
Priced between $144 and $225, the Canon Pixma MX700 offers fast print and copy speeds; great print and scan quality; ADF; two paper sources; a preview LCD screen; memory card slots and a PictBridge port. The bottom line, according to CNET: “The Canon Pixma MX700 is a great choice for small offices with a wide variety of print tasks. This inkjet multifunction beats out the competition with a winning combination of features and performance.” (Find out more)

This printer uses the CLI-8 series of black and color cartridges.

#4 - HP Officejet Pro L7680 All-in-One
Priced between $313 and $405, this HP OfficeJet printer offers digital filing; a built-in ADF, a duplexer, and media card slots; excellent print quality; fast-enough print speeds for small workgroups; low print costs. The bottom line: “With its wealth of office-oriented features, fast prints, and great print quality, the HP Officejet Pro L7680 is a very compelling all-in-one for small businesses or work groups. We wholeheartedly recommend it.” (Find out more)

This printer uses the HP 88 black and color cartridges.

#3 - Canon Pixma MP830
Priced between $170 and $340, the second Canon printer on the list is inexpensive for multifunction printer standards and includes a fax machine, an ADF, a duplexer, and a media card reader. CNET’s bottom line: “The Canon Pixma MP830 is a good option for a single home or office user who doesn’t need high-quality graphics prints. If you need better graphics handling or networking, check out the HP OfficeJet 7410.” (Find out more)

This printer uses the CLI-8 series of black and color cartridges.

#2 - Canon Pixma MP530
Priced between $149 and $218, The MP530 offers excellent print quality and affordable ink cartridges. But, be warned it is not network ready and does not have any media card slots. CNET’s final verdict on this printer: ” The Canon Pixma MP530 is a nearly ideal all-in-one for a small office. It just lacks networking and media card slots.” (Find out more)

This printer uses the CLI-8 series of black and color cartridges.

#1 - HP Photosmart A826
The Photosmart A826 is the “fun printer” of the season. It has a very unique design and is a little more expensive that one might think for a photo printer. It is priced between $186 and $2559. It quickly produces high-quality photos; offers lots of fun (there’s that word again) features such as clip art and captions; per-print costs are in line with other snapshot printers’ costs; touch screen is easy to use and great for displaying slide shows; menus are logically organized. What is CNET’s bottom line on this printer? ” The HP Photosmart A826 snapshot printer offers an attractive design, is easy and fun to use, and works better without a PC than any other snapshot printer we’ve reviewed thanks to its huge touch screen, but we wonder who will spend $250 for a dedicated photo printer.”(Find out more)

This printer uses the HP 110 (Q8700AN) 120 sheet photo value pack. It contains one tri-color (cyan, magenta, yellow) ink cartridge and 120 sheets of 4″x6″ photo paper.