Printer Ink: Not Just Expensive, but a Blatant Scam?

Are you really sure how much ink you’re buying?

By Rick Richardson
Technology This Week

Those incredibly cheap entry-level printers you find when sorting your options by “price lowest” can be very alluring if you’re in the market for a new inkjet printer. However, don’t assume it shows you’re getting a good deal.

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Just as a drug dealer can offer a cheap initial “sample” to get you hooked before raising the price on all subsequent transactions, printer manufacturers use a similar business strategy. They can easily make up any loss from the printer’s discounted sale by offering its ink cartridges for exorbitantly high prices. The printer firms then keep you on the hook for paying these outrageous ink rates for the duration of the printer, which is a very lucrative revenue stream for them.

Let’s take a closer look …

Posted on September 26, 2023

Rick Richardson

About the Author

Rick Richardson, CPA.CITP, CGMA, is the CEO and founder of Richardson Media & Technologies and editor and publisher of Technology This Week, regularly featured at CPA Trendlines under special arrangement.

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Technology This Week provides an easy to read digest of the technology that tax and accounting practitioners need to know to better serve their clients. Professionals rely on Richardson to tell them in a timely and informative manner what’s new in technology and how it will impact their business and personal lives. Subscribers also have access to the entire library of prior issues with an easy-to-use search.

With all of the news sources available today, it's next to impossible to keep up with what's new in the world of technology. Technology This Week is a 20-minute read designed for an average reader rather than the technologist. Richardson had a 28-year career in technology with Ernst & Young, the last twelve years of which he served as National Director of Technology. He has been named to the "Technology 100" – the annual honors list of the 100 key achievers in technology in America. He has also been honored by the American Institute of CPAs with two lifetime achievement awards for his contributions to the profession in the field of technology. In 2012, Rick was inducted into the Accounting Hall of Fame by CPA Practice Advisor Magazine. He has also been named to the 100 most influential individuals in the accounting profession in America by Accounting Today magazine. He is a sought-after speaker around the world, providing his annual forecast of future technology trends to thousands of business executives, professionals, community leaders, educators, and students.

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