Everyone knows most printer manufacturers make their money out of consumables. This is especially true for inkjet technology. It`s no secret, but it`s a rude shock anyway to discover, first, that it`s out of ink again, and then to have to pay improbably high prices to replace cartridges.
Let`s take a quick look at what this could cost: Incredible Connection`s catalogue states that a Canon one-colour inkjet cartridge will set you back slightly less than R200. A cartridge with all three colours can cost about R500, and a black one around there as well, give or take R100. (There is quite a lot of variation between prices and this is not meant to be an accurate or exhaustive price list.)
If the total laser toner market is worth R120 million a month (an advised guesstimate), the remanufactured laser market locally could be worth about R20 million a month.
Carel Alberts, Technology Editor, ITWeb
Laser toner cartridges are a lot more expensive, but then they don`t run out of toner as much as their inkjet counterparts. Companies with high-volume printing environments and a bit of cash to spare know this, and stick mostly with laser, but consumers are better off, price-wise, using inkjet technology.
It`s just, I can hear them say, that it`s probably better to buy a whole new printer every time the ink runs out. And of course, laser toner also gets used up, and short of buying a whole new departmental or workgroup laser or inkjet, consumers and businesses have long ago figured out they can use remanufactured cartridges to keep their printing costs down. Inkjet printers, another quick look on Incredible tells me, still cost less than R1 000 in some cases.
But is reman safe?
For a lot less (savings of between 20% and 50% are reported), you can, instead, buy a remanufactured cartridge of either technology. Your reasons for doing so would include price, environmental issues (recycling or reuse), skills transfer (local involvement in a notoriously expensive industry focusing solely on importation), and the list goes on.
But should you use remanufactured cartridges? Don`t the things sometimes explode or leak, resulting in loss of warranty? Yes, they sometimes do, and it is quite likely to happen if you don`t use a reputable supplier. There are at least three different flavours of remanufacturing (simple re-filling, refurbishing or total remanufacturing) with the difference being the extent of replacement of components. An ethical operator uses quality components (probably imported) from suppliers who ensure interoperability with major vendor printers, and replace components as needed.
Some critics of reman suggest it is possible only once, and then with variable results. But the truth is that if you keep replacing faulty components and remanufacture under quality supervision with good components, remanufacturing can go on as long as the casing holds.
If the total laser toner market is worth R120 million a month (an advised guesstimate), the remanufactured laser market locally could be worth about R20 million a month. That means a lot of people trust remanufactured cartridges.
How Static sinned
Which brings us to a much more aggressive tactic that printer-makers have resorted to, to protect their consumable sales, as well as the recent spat between Lexmark and Static Control (resolved in Lexmark`s favour when it was granted a preliminary injunction against Static). The facts of the hearing centred on Lexmark`s printers refusing to interoperate with cheaper, generic cartridges because of "secret handshake" technology that allows its printers to recognise only Lexmark-branded cartridges.
Static Control`s sin was that it circumvented this chip, making it possible to use generics with its printers. It was asked to stop doing so in a preliminary ruling, something which, Static says, could greatly threaten the remanufacturing industry and hurt consumers. (It then made plans to keep selling its circumventing technology, while satisfying the court`s dictates and counter-sued with an anti-trust claim, but this is beyond the scope of this column.)
Since the Lexmark cases are complex and may be resolved either way, let me, in closing, concentrate on the fundamental issue at hand - customer choice. I, along with the rest of the industry, will watch with interest how this battle between copyright protection and the quest for greater interoperability is resolved, but for the moment one should test vendors` assertion that quality and warranty issues have led them to actively discourage customers from using generics, and in some cases, incorporating technology that makes sure we toe the line.
If a customer knows that his printer warranty may be lost or in some way affected when a cartridge bursts or leaks ink, but chooses to go the cheaper route anyway, surely this is the customer`s problem?
Customers will always make a decision based on balancing quality assurance and price. Vendors, by forcing them to use only their own products, take away this choice. It`s never a great feeling.
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