News: Canon CLI-221, PGI-220 Chip Resetters Available Soon

CLI-221 and PGI-220 Chip Resetters Soon?

After getting word that compatible cartridges with pre-reset chip for Canon inkjet printers Pixma iP3600, iP4600, MP620, MP980, and MX860, we think it is safe to assume that chip resetters will be available in the next 2-3 months.  Resetters for the current Canon line of cartridges (CLI-8 pictured, PGI-5) can be had for as little as twenty bucks, and they are readily available.

Refillers Rejoyce:

CLI-221, and PGI-220Bk cartridges are available now as chip-less replacement cartridges (requires disabling of the Canon ink monitor forever, and a simple chip swap from the cartridge being replaced), however if you run out of ink completely there is a chance that the print head can be damaged.  Canon print heads are not as hearty as the Epson printers IOHO.  So if you choose to go this route, please watch your ink levels and change cartridges often.

Refillers, help is on the way.

Update – December 21st, 2009:

Not as easy as it seemed…

http://freedomtoprint.com/2009/12/22/news-still-no-cli-221-pgi-220-chip-reset/

News: Canon CLI-221, PGI-220 Compatibles? Yes!

Canon CLI-221, PGI-220 Compatible Update:

Check out the Continuous Inking System Here! No More Cartridges!

Just got word today that CLI-221 and PGI-220 compatible inkjet cartridges (that will include a cloned chip) will be available in about 3 weeks.  They are “on the boat” from China.  This is excellent news as Canon has seen fit to reduce the size of their new inkjet cartridges, and added a new chip.  It has been quickly cracked, however no word on a $30.00-$20.00 personal use resetter.

An Entire Solution:

CLI-221, and PGI-220 compatible cartridges without chip are currently available, however they require the end user to swap the Canon cartridge chip onto the new cartridge as well as turn off the Canon ink monitor software permanently (cannot be turned back on, that we are aware of).  It is always nice to see aftermarket inks available within 3-4 months of Canon releasing a new printer series.

Ok, So How Much?

Owners of the Canon Pixma iP3600, iP4600, MP620, MP980, and MX860 series inkjet printers should be able to get compatible cartridges that work with the Canon ink monitor software in the $6.00 to $8.00 range, with prices expected to decline in the near future as production matches demand.  Very good news indeed.

Fortunately we have an answer to our previous speculation, just click the link below.

https://inkdaddy.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/news-canon-cli-220-pgi-221bk-chip-reset-not-possible/

News: HP Wins, You Lose. HP 02, HP 14 Generics Killed

HP 2, Consumers 0:

For purchasers of HP cartridge series 02, and 14 this can’t be good news for you. Ninestar Imaging (makers of the G&G brand of inkjet cartridge) has been successfully sued and have settled with  printer maker Hewlett Packard over “intellectual property” rights.  Ninestar has agreed to stop making  the HP 02 series inkjet cartridge which works in a bevy of photosmart series of printers, as well as the HP 14 series of inkjet cartridges that work with a variety of officejet printers.

HP 02, HP 14 From Ninestar.

HP C5010AN Color

HP C8771WN Cyan

But it’s just an ink tank?

This case basically clears the way for HP to prevent manufacturers overseas from making copies of their ink tanks.  The two cartridges in question are both just ink containers without any relevant technology to the printing process other than the fact that they hold ink.  There is no special technology  in these cartridges that makes the printer print any better.  They are molded plastic ink containers with a chip on them which tells the print monitor software on your PC/Mac that the cartridge needs to be changed.  The chip is also there to prevent easy refilling by consumers.

These compatibles were never a giant seller like the HP 45 black cartridge (HP 02, HP 14 are used in about 40 different HP printers), however consumers were purchasing them.  Our guess is that Hewlett Packard will release “new” printers that use these cartridge sets.

Press release here:

http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2009/090324b.html

Others reporting:

http://www.rechargermag.com/articles/71397/

HP part numbers affected:

HP 02 series consists of 6 individual ink tanks:

• C8721WN – Black
• C8771WN – Cyan
• C8772WN – Magenta
• C8773WN – Yellow
• C8774WN – Photo Cyan
• C8775WN – Photo Magenta

The HP 14 series consists of 2 cartridges; black/color

• C5010AN – Color
• C5011AN – Black

Kodak: No duh…Printer Ink Is Expensive?

Hey Kodak, No Duh…

All the more reason we evangelize 3rd party, aftermarket, remanufactured, compatible inkjet cartridges as well as continuous inking systems.  We also understand that this is paid for marketing literature.  Others call it spam.  We were promised coupons.  No eMail coupons yet in 2 years of messages.  You tricked us, Kodak. Yet, we continue to hope.

But wait there is more…

We tried to review a Kodak printer we paid retail price for. It was DOA out of the box. Compatible cartridges are available for the Kodak printers, but we found the printer design clunky and uninspired, so, while compatible cartridges are available, that criterion alone is not enough to recommend the printer.  Companies like Epson, Canon, Lexmark, and HP have been making printers for decades and they are light years  ahead of Kodak on design, functionality and print quality.  Keep trying Kodak.  Who would have guessed in the 80s that camera film would start to disappear in less than 15 years.

Kodak also provides a link to calculate your costs savings if you use a competing inkjet printer. *Warning* heavy on the flash animation.

As has been profiled here, ink prices are in the thousands of dollars per gallon. Which is why a gallon of ink is worth more than 4oz of GOLD!

Calculate your “savings” now.

News: Epson T069 Can’t Be Refilled?

Can new Epson cartridges be refilled?

Example cartridge used is the T069 series yellow and magenta, however Epson’s current line of cartridges (T088, T069, T068, T077, T078, T098, T099) are all very similar in both shape and size, and getting inside the cartridge involves the same steps.

Step 1: Removing the cover

First part is to get the cover off.  There are 5 self locking tabs around he top of the cartridge. We used a thin blade, but it was still very difficult to get these tabs dislodged.  The bottom of the cartridge consists of three very simple to release tabs.  Start at the bottom to get better leverage.

There are 5 clips and 3 tabs that must be released to remove the outer cover of the Epson T069, T068, T077, T088, T098, T099 series inkjet cartridges.

Cover removed.

Cover removed from the T069 series ink cartridge.

Step 2: Removing Black Tape

Once you get the cover off, Epson has seen fit to put a piece of black tape over the very thin layer of clear plastic that holds the ink in the cartridge.  If you rip the underside clear membrane while trying to remove the black tape, the cartridge will not be refillable.

The black tape prevents easy refilling, unless you know where to poke.

Now removing the black tape is a very hard thing to do.  We had a heck of a time getting it off and punctured several cartridges in our attempt to remove the stubborn black tape. Be careful and go slow.  It took us 5 tries and a heat gun to get the pesky black tape off the cartridge without puncturing the clear plastic underneath which is holding the ink in the cartridge.

It was much harder to get the black tape off. This is for illustration only.

As the caption implies this is not the way the black tape came off.  We started pulling back the black tape from the edges, heated with heat gun and just sent very slow pulling he black tape up slowly.  It took us about 5 minutes to get the tape off after practicing on 4 destroyed cartridges.  The black plastic is not really tape, rather it is glued onto the cartridge along the internal chamber walls.

Finally, we can see the inside, and the protective coating which keeps the ink in the cartridge.

Step 3: Where to fill

Remember  to refill both ink chambers.  Both ink chambers (one on top left, and one on right) must contain ink at all times.  There is a sensor in the egress hole of the cartridge that will short out the chip on the outside of the cartridge if the chamber on the right runs dry.

Epson's clever two chip designed inkjet cartridge.

The cartridge above is the T088 series.  Notice all the airspace? If you want to know more about the double chip configuration of these cartridges, please click here:

https://inkdaddy.wordpress.com/2009/03/17/news-epson-says-hack-this-t069t068-refill-prevention/

And there you go.  If you can figure out how to reset the chip on the end of the cartridge you can reinsert the cartridge as is, or you can put the cover back on and pop into your printer.  As far as the black tape goes, we can see no justification for it being there.  It adds nothing to the cartridge, and was not present on cartridges from as little as a year ago.  It is there to foil refilling plain and simple.

Review: T068120 Epson Inkjet Cartridge

Epson T068 Series Inkjet Cartridges:

The Epson T068 series of inkjet cartridges consists of the following 4 cartridges:

• T068120 – Black
• T068220 – Cyan
• T068320 – Magenta
• T068420 – Yellow

These so called high capacity ink cartridges contain around 14ml-16ml of ink.   In contrast, the older T060 series cartridges had/have 22ml of ink.  The cartridge is not shrinking per se, rather the amount of ink in the cartridge varies.

Inside the T068120 cartridge:

Typically the T068 cartridge series is not included with most of Epson’s currently shipping 4-color inkjet printers.  Consumers will most likely purchase them to replace the T069 series cartridges that were included with the printer.  They contain between 14-15ml of ink (about three times as much ink as the T088 series). Epson has filled this cartridge to-the-top with ink.

Inside the T068120 Black Epson brand inkjet cartridge.

The T068 series cartridges are compatible with the following Epson Stylus and Workforce printers:

• Epson Stylus CX5000, CX6000, CX7000, CX8400, CX9400, CX9475, NX100, NX300, and the Epson Stylus NX400
• Epson Workforce 30, 40, 500, and the Epson Workforce 600

Compatible cartridges are not available in very good supply as indicated by the high prices.  Epson is changing the firmware on the cartridge chip with each new release of a printer. If you can find T069/T068 compatible cartridges, make sure there is a return policy as the import ban on Epson compatible inkjet cartridges has been in effect for over a year, and they will most certainly not work with newer printers which have included firmware changes.

Click below to see the T068120 compared side-by-side to the lower ink volume T069, and T088 cartridges.

https://inkdaddy.wordpress.com/2009/03/16/review-epson-t068-t069-t088-split-open/

Shop around for T069 deals:

2 T069 cartridges have more ink than a single T068 cartridge. When you see 2 T069 cartridges the same price as a single T068 cartridge, get the former.

You have to be careful when buying this cartridge.  At $16.99 for a color T068 that works out to be $.99 per ml.  With the T069 series you are paying $1.18 per mil of ink if you purchase from Epson direct at $12.99 per cartridge. If you can get 2 color T068 cartridges for $16.99 or less ($8.49 each), this is a better deal at $.77 per ml of ink.  Treat the T068 and T069 black cartridges the same. Epson now makes us do math when purchasing inkjet cartridges.  Welcome to the new economy.

News: Costco Now Refilling HP, Lexmark, And Dell Ink Cartridges

Costco 1-Hour Refill Service:

Costco is now refilling HP, Lexmark, and DELL inkjet cartridges at their stores around the country. We are not sure if this is chain wide, or only in certain areas. This flyer price list comes to us from San Diego, CA. You can click the image to enlarge.

What ink cartridges they will refill:

• Hewlett Packard cartridge series – 15, 17, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 41, 45, 54, 56, 57, 58, 60, 60XL, 74, 74XL, 75, 75XL, 78, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 901
• Lexmark cartridge series – 1, 2, 3, 16, 17, 19, 20, 26, 27, 32, 33, 34, 35, 60, 70, 80 ,82, 83, 88
• Dell -all kinds, click image below.

What ink cartridges they DO NOT refill:

• Epson
• Canon
• Brother

Looks like they will refill Hewlett Packard inkjet cartridges, Lexmark inkjet cartridges, as well as Dell inkjet cartridges. Unfortunately Costco does not offer refill services for Epson, Canon, or Brother cartridges, however compatibles, continuous ink systems (CIS), and refill options are available for these inkjet printers. No word on how the quality is. They are also pimping a website with information about refilling, http://www.inkjet411.com/.

You can now find even more information on Costco’s web site: http://costcoinkjetrefill.com/

Related, Staples drops recycle trade in rebate to $2.00.

Costco is now offering wait to fill inkjet refills. Click the image to enlarge.

Deal or No Deal? Epson Artisan 800 $179.99 A/R

So is this a deal or not?

Epson Artisan 800 Inkjet Printer $179.99.

Newegg.com offers the Epson Artisan 800 Inkjet printer for $249.99.  There is a $70.00 mail in rebate (pdf) available as well that chops the net price to $179.99.  Add to this the free ground shipping, and this seems like a pretty good deal for an extremely feature rich 6-color inkjet printer from Epson.

Purchased directly from Epson.com the Artisan 800 will run you $299. After a quick check of Shopper.com you can score one for $229 plus tax from Best Buy.  This seems to be a great printer.  It has it all.

Epson Artisan 800 Inkjet Printer At The Epson Store.

Features:

(Epson left nothing out on this one)

6-Color photo printer, auto document feeder, copier, scanner, media readers, wireless and/or Ethernet networking, touch panel digital buttons, 3.5 inch LCD for computer free operation.  Will print to CD/DVDs and will also do 2 sided printing.  Comes with a 2-Year warranty, two individual paper trays, and a built-in fax.  This thing has it ALL!

Note: If you do not require the fax, or the auto sheet feeder, you might also consider the Epson Artisan 700.  It is the exact same printer/printhead as the Artisan 800  less the auto document feeder, and less the fax.

The Ultimate Epson Printer.

The catch is, ink cartridges will cost you a fortune.  Cartridges for this printer come in two different ink volumes: the T098 series contain about 13ml of ink, and the T099 series contain about 9ml of ink.

T098 Full Set Inks = $97.04:

13ml ink capacity in the T098 series.

That equates to $4958.35 per gallon for Epson ink.

$17.09

$15.99

$15.99

$15.99

$15.99

$15.99

What makes this even more confusing is that Epson also offers a line of half filled cartridges for 2/3 the price:

T099 Full Set Inks $69.29:

9ml ink capacity with half the cartridge unused airspace.

$17.09*

$10.44

$10.44

$10.44

$10.44

$10.44

At the time of this article, *there is no black T099 series cartridge, so bundle price includes the T098120 black ink cartridge.  The T099 series cartridge actually offers a lower cost per ml of ink, however the do run out quickly.

No 3rd party cartridges available:

With Epson’s recent victories in preventing the importation of compatible or cloned inkjet cartridges, buying OEM ink for this sucker will get old very quickly.  The large volume vs. small volume ink cartridges are yet another way for Epson to confuse customers and maximize inkjet cartridge revenue.  It is a great printer indeed, however we are not sure it will see much use after you have to shell out $10.00-$17.00 for each ink cartridge.

Third party cartridges will not be available in the near future, so for this reason alone we do not recomend this printer.  If you just must have it Epson left no feature out on this printer and it is a good deal. We expect that 3rd party ink options will most likely be availble in the next 9-12 months.  For a more economical alternative, check out the Canon MP460 we tool a look at last week.

No Deal: HP Offers To Buy Us Off?

We just got our weekly HP eMail spam message about their over priced ink.  Surprised to see them giving away a 4GB flash drive with the purchase of 2 or more laser/ink cartridges.  Maybe it’s to make you feel better about paying $80.00 for 2 ink cartridges.

So is this a deal? Yeah, right…

A 4GB USB flash drive, while useful, is worth about $10.00:

http://dealnews.com/memory/prices/USB-Pen-Drives/37/4GB.html

Maybe less on eBay.

If Hewlett Packard would quit making printers with three different cartridge options (small, medium, large), we still would not buy from them direct.  You can stick it Hewlett Packard.

News: Epson Says Hack This! T069/T068 Refill Prevention

More Bad News For Epson Refillers/Remanufacturers:

(see update at bottom) We cracked open some cartridges yesterday and have more bad news for refillers/remanufacturers. There is an easily findable internal Cartridge World document floating around on the web that corroborates our findings.  It appears the rumors are true, and Epson has deployed a second chip embedded inside the cartridge,  behind the outer chip in another effort to make the cartridge un-refillable.

Epson double chip cartridge makes refilling almost impossible.

Hidden Chip Inside Cartridge:

In addition to the chip on the end of the cartridge that monitors your ink usage, there is a second chip embedded inside the cartridge that is not user resettable.  While the chip on the outside of the cartridge can easily be reset, the internal chip cannot be reset and communicates with the outside chip.  If this internal chip becomes dry “due to ink depletion” the main chip on the outside of the cartridge is written to as permanently empty and the cartridge becomes forever useless.

Clever Design:

Close-up of the internal ink sensor chip on the T068/T069/T088 cartridges.

Epson has cleverly incorporated this second chip into the cartridge, and we doubt most people even know of its existence.  What the chip does is not exactly clear.  However, you can tell from the cracked open cartridge picture below that the Epson ink cartridge has two distinct ink channels or chambers that meet at the internal chip (which is placed right above the egress hole where the ink hole is).   When compatibles (copies) from China were available for the T068/T069 and T078/T077 series inkjet cartridges, it was simply a copy of the Epson cartridge shape, sans the internal chip.  Now that no more compatibles (copies) are making it into the US we are not sure how to get around this one.

2nd Chip Complicates Remanufacturing or Refilling:

Epson ink monitor chip on all currently shipping Epson inkjet printers.

In a pre-litigation world, some 3rd party company would have developed copies of the chips and made them available to remanufacturers, and refillers. This second chip is a new development (the second chip was not present in the last pre-lawsuit set of cartridges from Epson T048/T060/T044) and it takes time for the aftermarket to catch up. Combine that with Epson’s recent victories in preventing the importation of compatible cartridges (exact copies), and we have a cartridge shortage on our hands. To exacerbate the problem, Epson has recently released a new cartridge series (T098/T099) along with some new printers, and you can expect more new cartridges in the very near feature as Epson tries to get way ahead of the aftermarket competition.

Lots Of R&D Money To Design Un-Hackable Cartridge:

We must say, it is a very clever design.  Makes most cartridges impossible to refill.

Also mentioned in the Cartridge World internal document is the requirement of refilling the cartridge before the “low ink” warning comes on.  How one is supposed to know when a cartridge is 1/4 full  we have no idea.  The document goes on to say that if refilling is not done when the cartridge is at least 25% full, the chip embedded in the cartridge will write to the outside chip that it is – empty – rendering the outside chip un-resetable.  Maybe it cuts off the flow?  Who knows, but this would explain what the two distinct ink chambers are for.  All we know is there are no remanufactured T068/T069 series cartridges currently available (if you live outside the USA, the import ban obviously does not effect you).

Are There Still Compatibles Out There?

There were some compatibles available right before the import ban (so we know it is easy to make a copy), however Epson was changing the outer chip design every month or so, therefore the compatibles that were available did not always work properly.  Before the importers from China could work it out, the cartridges were cut off.  There may still be some of these cartridges out there, but they are getting old.  Import ban was effective October of 2007.

Epson's clever two chip designed inkjet cartridge.

We assume that this dual chip design is also incorporated into the T078/T077 series, T098/T099, as well as other newly shipping Epson cartridges. Epson has brought a sledgehammer to the aftermarket fight, and it will take some time for 3rd party cartridge remanufacturers to catch up.  So to review, this is what Epson includes as “refilling-deterrents”:

1. Chip on outside of cartridge (ink monitor) – must be reset
2. 2nd chip inside the cartridge – ?
3. Black tape over the clear plastic covering to prevent one from seeing the inside of the cartridge

In the mean time, find those cheap cartridges wherever you can, and stay tuned for updates.

If you would like to see the Cartridge World internal document, it is still available in PDF form here:

http://www.box.net/shared/8bc7e95gid

Review: Epson T068, T069, T088 Compared And Split Open

Epson’s version of Confuse-A-Cat:

The T068, T069, and T088 Epson series inkjet cartridges compared.

This article is intended to present you with basic information about various Epson inkjet cartridges you may need for your specific printer. In this article, we will look at the T068, T069, T088 series inks.  They all look like the same cartridge, but hidden underneath are different ink volumes that can save you money.

When Epson releases new printers, they usually do so in bunches, and in those bunches Epson likes to use the same ink cartridge series. The T068, T069, and even the T088 (to some extent) series inkjet cartridges, all work in the same printer bunch.  That bunch includes:

the Epson Stylus CX4400, CX4450, CX5000, CX6000, CX7000F, CX7400, CX7450, CX8400, CX9400Fax, CX9475Fax, NX100, NX300, NX400, C120, WorkForce 500, WorkForce 600, WorkForce 30, and WorkForce 40 inkjet printers.

These cartridges all share the same physical shape, but carry varying amounts of ink.

You may have seen a sticker similar to this inside your Epson printer.

Your Cartridge Choices:

What?  Did not know you had choices?

T068120 Epson black inkjet cartridge "high capacity"

T068 series cartridges 11ml ink:

Price: $15-$20 per cartridge.

The T068120 ink cartridge is what Epson refers to as the “heavy user” cartridge, or high capacity.  This T068120 does contain more ink than it’s sister cartridges like the T069/T088 series.  However, Epson says you will get 50% more prints with this cartridge vs. the less full T069120 black cartridge. Nowhere does Epson mention the amount of ink their cartridges contain, which makes it harder to compare the cartridges that are offered.  We wanted to know exactly how much in was present, so we sucked it out with a syringe.  11ml of ink folks, that’s it.  That works out to $1.81 per ml, or $6850.85 a gallon. or The T068 cartridge series comes in black T068120, cyan T068220, magenta T068320, yellow T068420.

T068120 will work in the following printers: C120 MUST use 2 of these cartridges,  Stylus CX5000, CX6000, CX7000F, CX8400, CX9400Fax, CX9475Fax, NX300, NX400, WorkForce 500, WorkForce 600, WorkForce 30, WorkForce 40 inkjet printers.

Epson T069120 Black Inkjet Cartridge 9ml

The T069 series cartridges 7ml ink:

Price: $10-$12 per cartridge

The T069120 ink cartridge is what Epson ships you with the printer (in most cases).  Epson refers to it as the “moderate use” inkjet cartridge.  You may have seen this as an option on the sticker inside the printer that tells you what cartridges to use in your printer.  It is important to note that if you can find these cartridges for half what the T068 series cartridges cost, buy two (2) of these and you get more ink for your money.  Comes in black T069120, cyan T069220, magenta T069320, and yellow T069420.

T069 series will work in the following printers: Epson Stylus CX5000, CX6000, CX7000F, CX8400, CX9400Fax, CX9475Fax, NX300, NX400, C120**, WorkForce 500, WorkForce 600, WorkForce 30, WorkForce 40 inkjet printers. ** C120 CANNOT use the T069120 black.  Can use the color T069 series.

T088420 yellow inkjet cartridge 5ml ink.

The T088 series cartridges 3ml ink:

Price: $8-$13 per cartridge

The T088 series of cartridges are a joke.  They are the same shape and size as the above mentioned cartridges, but they contain a measly 3ml of ink.  If you own a printer that uses these cartridges exclusively, get rid of it (CX4400, CX4450).  If you don’t have to purchase these cartridges, don’t.

Designed for the low end consumer models Epson Stylus CX4400, CX4450**, CX7400, CX7450**. ** Sold exclusively through big box retail.

The image below was obtained by (1) cracking open the cartridge case, (2) removing the black tape that covered the viewable clear plastic coating.  This procedure turned out to be very difficult; it took us several tries.  These cartridges do not use a sponge to distribute the ink.  Rather, Epson uses a multi-chambered system that sends ink to the nozzle from two different chambers, and as you will notice not all the chambers contain ink.  This makes refilling almost impossible, and not very desirable.  Notice all the air-space you also pay for with the cartridge.

T088320 Cracked Open Ink Cartridge:

T088 Series ink cartridges. There is a ton of empty space in this T088 series cartridge.  This cartridge is a joke!  Look at all the empty space you are paying for!  This cartridge registered as empty on the Epson print monitor.

T088320 magenta ink cartridge, tons of air in this cartridge.

T069420 Cracked Open Ink Cartridge:

Again, rough to get the black tape off so we could take pictures of the inside of the Epson ink cartridge.  Notice all the air-space.  This cartridge could hold more ink in that large empty chamber right?  This cartridge had a very small amount of ink left.

T69420 yellow ink cartridge, lots of air in this cartridge.

T068120 Cracked Open Ink Cartridge:

Only the T068 series puts ink in every available space, with the exception of one, but that space is not filled on any of the cartridges.  This cartridge was about half full of ink when we cracked it open.

T068120 black inkjet cartridge. All full of ink.

So as you can see, it pays to know the ink volume of each cartridge that is available for your printer. If you are looking for a cartridge you can refill, these are not them. Very hard to get into, and resetting the internal chip is impossible. So the next time you go buy cartridges, make sure you know what you are getting.  As you can see, the cartridges are all the same physical size, Epson just monkeys with the ink levels.

More about these cartridges here:

https://inkdaddy.wordpress.com/2009/03/17/news-epson-says-hack-this-t069t068-refill-prevention/

News: Brother Set For 2nd Price Increase On Ink. Blames “global conditions.”

Apparently Brother does not make enough money off it’s over priced ink cartridges like its new LC65 black cartridge ($29.99).  Thirty-Bucks for an ink cartridge?!?   Since they can’t make it work at $29.99, they are jacking up prices:

“In September [2008], we informed you that we will increase our prices on selected consumable SKUs effective January 1, 2009. Now we must inform you that the prices for the remaining SKUs, with the exception of M and TZ Ptouch tapes, will be raised by 5% effective April 1, 2009.  Just to be clear, items shceduled to be increased in January will not be increased again in April.  The new price list will be effective April, 1 2009.

We tried our best to hold off on the price increases and delayed wherever we could, but due to global conditions, we can no longer avoid the inevitable.  We hope you understand the necessity to increase the remainder of the consumables that were not included in the January announcement.

Thank you for your continued support.

Best Regards,
Brian Vincent
Sr. Vice President – Sales
Brother International Corporation”

---

Seriously, “we tried our best?”  How about you “try your best” to make better printers and lower the ink prices to reasonable levels.  What an utter joke.  At least you can still get Brother compatible inks, otherwise we would never recommend these printers.

Filed under cry me a river.

News: Lexmark To Jack Up Ink And Toner Prices

Just got this from Lexmark, seems the economy is tough all over:

“Administrative Information
In response to challenging global economic
conditions, Lexmark will announce a general
supplies price increase of approximately 6.4 percent.
This increase will be effective on April 1, 2009, and
will apply to both MSRP and reseller prices.

Complete pricing information for all supplies products
affected by today’s announcement is attached. Part
numbers that are unchanged by today’s action are not
listed in this announcement.

Lexmark reserves the right to limit quantities ordered by
a reseller prior to April 1, 2009. For reseller orders
placed prior to the scheduled price change date and
accepted by Lexmark, the reseller must take delivery
prior to April 10, 2009. Supplies that ship after that date
will be invoiced at the new price.

The Supplies Price Book (Blue Book) will be updated to
reflect the new pricing. This book contains all supplies
part numbers marketed by Lexmark and consolidates
the information contained in all Supplies Product
Announcement letters published since the book was last
published including both new and withdrawn supplies
products. The book will be available by the end of
February from your Lexmark Supplies Account
Representative or from the Lexmark Supplies Dealer
Center (1-888-539-1551).

If any additional information is required, please contact
your Lexmark Supplies Account Executive.

Trademarks
All trademarks are the properties of their respective
owners. “

New Brother Inkjet Cartridge Series LC61/LC65HY

New Cartridges From Brother LC61 & LC65:

Brother has quietly released a new cartridge series along with new printers that have also been released.  I did not see a press release on the new cartridge release. Like HP, Canon, Epson, and Lexmark, Brother has finally followed the industry lead in offering the same cartridge but one half full, and the other all the way full.

The two cartridges that are in question are here, the LC61 Black, and the LC65HY Black:

Brother LC61 Black Cartridge Rated At 450 pages $23.49

Brother High Yield Black Cartridge LC65HY 900 Pages $29.99

They look the same don’t they.

It is now official, all the major printer manufacturers have multiple versions of their cartridges with one having half the ink of the larger capacity cartridge.  The actual physical cartridges are the same size.  As you can expect the higher volume cartridge will set you back $29.99 and is rated at 900 pages ($41.99 for a 2-Pack on Amazon).  The lower volume LC61 ink cartridge series is rated at 450 pages and will run you $23.49.  Seems like a no brainier to get the larger cartridge, but is it the best deal?

We can find no information regarding the amount of ink in each cartridge, but we will update this post once we find out.

Compatibility:

Currently the larger LC65 series will only work with the…

• Brother MFC-5890DN – Currently around $200.00.
• Brother MFC-6490CW – Currently around $280.00.

You can also use the smaller ink volume LC61 series in the above printers.

The LC61 series will work with the following Brother inkjet printers:

• MFC  290c, 385c, 490cw, 790cw, 5490cn, 5890DN, 6490CW
• DCP- 165c, 585CW

Compatibles are now available from several online retailers starting at $3.99 per cartridge.  Please do not pay $29.99 for a single ink cartridge.  That is crazy.

Dell Hates You: free printer = $60.00 for ink…

Dell 720 Inkjet Printer

Just looked up some Dell inkjet cartridges for a friend, and boy are they expensive.  I can remember when Dell shipped free printers with almost any computer purchase (like a bundle).

How do you like that “free” Dell printer now?

Take our advice, and toss it in the trash after you mangle it so it cannot be used by another unsuspecting consumer.

Cartridges for the Dell 720 Inkjet Printer:

Color & Black cartridge for your Dell 720 $59.00

Most Dell inkjet printers, (and laser for that matter), are made by Lexmark for Dell.  This cartridge is the same shape/size as the Lexmark 18C0032/18L0042 series cartridges.

Oh, and you can only order from Dell!!  Great business model for them, not so good for you.  Take our advice, toss this printer and with the $59.00 buy a new printer which includes ink!

Remanufactured cartridges are expensive and have a failure rate of around 5-9% due to the fact that Lexmark/Dell design this cartridge to fail as to prevent refilling.  You can expect to pay $14-$22 for a remanufactured black or color cartridge.