Xerox, Konica-Minolta, and Canon: Ink and its Alternatives
Owning a printer can be a chore if you do not have the right model to fit your needs. If you own an all-in-one machine, but only use it for basic printing, then you have invested in a high-maintenance machine that you never fully utilize. On the other hand, owning an inexpensive printer may mean that you are paying through the nose for your ink cartridges, which benefits the companies who make the printer by cutting into your profits.
To figure out if you have the right machine for your needs you should consider what your normal printing habits are: consider the volume you print in a month, whether you require photo-quality images, the length of time you will have the printer running at any given point, and how much of your work must be done in color. Once you have written these out you will be ready to look at the different methods of printing (and companies) in order to choose the one that fits your needs the best.
Whether it is Xerox, Konica-Minolta or Canon, ink cartridges are where printing companies make the most money. It is so profitable that they are able to subsidize the costs of their machines with the profits from consumables in order to make sure anyone can own one of their printers. Thus, you should only invest in an inkjet printer if you plan on printing small jobs that require a lot of detail, as you will end up spending a great deal more money on replacement cartridges if you end up printing in large quantities than you would with laser printers.
You may think that it is a bad decision to invest in a laser printer, because the toner cartridges cost more than liquid ink cartridges. If they printed the same amount of pages per cartridge you would be absolutely correct; however, toner cartridges are able to print 4 to 6 times as many pages as a standard inkjet cartridge, which makes them far more cost-effective. The Magicolor 2300 toner printer, for example, can print thousands of pages per cartridge, making it ideal for small businesses or anyone who is going to be printing large jobs consistently.
Solid ink does not compare well with the other two methods of printing because it operates on an entirely different model. Xerox printer ink sticks are inexpensive, which makes them seem like the best solution for anyone who is going to be printing in volume, but the machines are several times more expensive than their equivalent inkjet or laser printers. This means that you will have to weigh your expected usage with the printer’s lifespan to see if you will save more money by investing in an expensive machine or expensive refills.
