An open community 
of Macintosh users,
for Macintosh users.

FineTunedMac Dashboard widget now available! Download Here

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Excellent Source for Printer Ink
#58294 03/12/21 06:47 PM
OP Offline

Joined: Oct 2020
Please excuse me if this is not the right forum, but it seemed to be the best. Also, this post is for folks in the US. I have a Canon MX890 Printer, have had it for a number of years, and it works quite well. As expected, it does run out of printer ink. It has 5 tanks, and I usually buy the "entire" package containing all 5 tanks from Costco. But recently I needed to replace one of the tanks, and I had one. It was my last one of that color (Black), but I still have quite a few of the other tanks. Well, after some searching, I found this excellent site:

https://www.bluedogink.com/?utm_source=mail_from_03/12/2021&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=akent35@comcast.net&utm_campaign=TODAY%27S%20DEALS%20INSIDE%20%3E%20Don%27t%20Miss%20These!%20#2

Besides the prices for individual tanks being cheaper than Staples, Office Depot, Amazon, etc., as one can see by looking at the bottom of that link, they have warehouses in many US cities. I am close to the one in Seattle, and when I ordered a two pack of a black cartridge, and a colored one, shipping & Handling was only $4.95 (I could have added more with no change in that), and not sure why, but I was not charged sales tax! Also, I ordered them last Friday afternoon, and they arrived on Monday.

Last edited by MartyByrde; 03/13/21 06:24 PM.
Re: Excellent Source for Printer Ink
MartyByrde #58298 03/12/21 09:18 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
Online
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
…and they are factory ink cartridges to boot 👍 Good find👌

I long ago came to the conclusion that although third party ink cartridges cost less, they are too often more expensive in the long run.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Excellent Source for Printer Ink
joemikeb #58301 03/12/21 09:33 PM
OP Offline

Joined: Oct 2020
Originally Posted by joemikeb
…and they are factory ink cartridges to boot 👍 Good find👌

I long ago came to the conclusion that although third party ink cartridges cost less, they are too often more expensive in the long run.

Yes, factory ink cartridges. I did once try a third party "brand" when I had an Epson Printer, but they caused issues with that printer, and I had to get a new one (printer was somewhat old anyway, and due to be replaced).

In actuality, after I ordered them last Friday, originally UPS said they would be delivered on Saturday, but something happened "within UPS" which led to them being delivered on Monday. Still, good prices, and a warehouse not too far from where I live. Plus no sales tax!

Re: Excellent Source for Printer Ink
MartyByrde #58320 03/14/21 06:19 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
No sales tax?

That may change if/when the government gets wind of it.

Re: Excellent Source for Printer Ink
MG2009 #58323 03/14/21 08:13 PM
OP Offline

Joined: Oct 2020
Originally Posted by MG2009
No sales tax?

That may change if/when the government gets wind of it.

I was kind of surprised, as 1) have ordered items before on line (quite a few through Amazon), with sales tax being assessed, and 2) that company has a warehouse in Seattle, WA, which has a sales tax. Don't know if they just forget, or it's normal policy. But hey, I'll take it!

Last edited by MartyByrde; 03/14/21 08:14 PM.
Re: Excellent Source for Printer Ink
joemikeb #58329 03/14/21 08:54 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
Originally Posted by joemikeb
I long ago came to the conclusion that although third party ink cartridges cost less, they are too often more expensive in the long run.
I'm on the other side of that argument. After 8 years of third party ink cartridges with my last printer I finally bumped into an issue that was resolved by running through one set of OEM cartridges. In my newer printer (same make, about a year old) I am using XXXL cartridges because the same amount and style of printing seems to need more ink (a deliberate design matter, I am sure). The difference in cost between the OEM and very good third party cartridges is $108.00 per set ($90 versus $198). The printer, brand new, was only $113.00.

Does my ink produce the colour reciprocity for photos that a trained-eye customer like Jon would require? Probably not....but for the stuff I do and the few photos I print, my results are more than satisfactory to my eye. And, if $108.00 is saved every time I change a set of cartridges, after a few years I will have kept a lot of money in my pocket rather than applying it to the manufacturer's bottom line.

Last edited by ryck; 03/14/21 09:01 PM.

ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2020), 3.8 GHz 8 Core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 2667 MHz DDR4
OS Ventura 13.6.3
Canon Pixma TR 8520 Printer
Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner c/w VueScan software
TM on 1TB LaCie USB-C
Re: Excellent Source for Printer Ink
ryck #58331 03/15/21 03:30 AM
OP Offline

Joined: Oct 2020
Originally Posted by ryck
Originally Posted by joemikeb
I long ago came to the conclusion that although third party ink cartridges cost less, they are too often more expensive in the long run.
I'm on the other side of that argument. After 8 years of third party ink cartridges with my last printer I finally bumped into an issue that was resolved by running through one set of OEM cartridges. In my newer printer (same make, about a year old) I am using XXXL cartridges because the same amount and style of printing seems to need more ink (a deliberate design matter, I am sure). The difference in cost between the OEM and very good third party cartridges is $108.00 per set ($90 versus $198). The printer, brand new, was only $113.00.

Does my ink produce the colour reciprocity for photos that a trained-eye customer like Jon would require? Probably not....but for the stuff I do and the few photos I print, my results are more than satisfactory to my eye. And, if $108.00 is saved every time I change a set of cartridges, after a few years I will have kept a lot of money in my pocket rather than applying it to the manufacturer's bottom line.

That is a HUGE difference. In my case, though, the frequency when I need to replace a cartridge or two is very low, as I don't do that much printing. That, along with the prior experience I had with third party printer cartridges, leads me to purchase OEM ones. But if I did as much printing as you seem to, and go through cartridges very frequently, I possibly would re-consider using third party ones.

Re: Excellent Source for Printer Ink
ryck #58333 03/15/21 02:23 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
Online
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Originally Posted by ryck
The difference in cost between the OEM and very good third party cartridges is $108.00 per set ($90 versus $198). The printer, brand new, was only $113.00.
It has long been generally accepted that printers are sold at or below the cost to manufacture and distribute them. Any profit is in the ink or toner.

Last edited by joemikeb; 03/15/21 02:26 PM. Reason: typo

If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Excellent Source for Printer Ink
MartyByrde #58334 03/15/21 03:07 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
Originally Posted by MartyByrde
But if I did as much printing as you seem to, and go through cartridges very frequently, I possibly would re-consider using third party ones.
I don't do any more printing than the average person, so I assume you thought I print a lot because I changed to the XXL cartridges. That is not the case. I changed to XXL because I noticed that the new printer was consuming ink much more quickly than the prior printer (same make) and I just didn't want to change cartridges more frequently.


ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2020), 3.8 GHz 8 Core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 2667 MHz DDR4
OS Ventura 13.6.3
Canon Pixma TR 8520 Printer
Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner c/w VueScan software
TM on 1TB LaCie USB-C
Re: Excellent Source for Printer Ink
joemikeb #58335 03/15/21 03:10 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
Originally Posted by joemikeb
It has long been generally accepted that printers are sold at or below the cost to manufacture and distribute them. Any profit is in the ink or toner.
I agree...it's old news that the printer companies applied the "razor blade principle" to ink sales. However, I believe the printer manufacturers have gone far beyond the razor blade makers in squeezing money our of their customers.


ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2020), 3.8 GHz 8 Core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 2667 MHz DDR4
OS Ventura 13.6.3
Canon Pixma TR 8520 Printer
Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner c/w VueScan software
TM on 1TB LaCie USB-C
Re: Excellent Source for Printer Ink
ryck #58336 03/15/21 03:20 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
Originally Posted by ryck
I don't do any more printing than the average person, so I assume you thought I print a lot because I changed to the XXL cartridges. That is not the case. I changed to XXL because I noticed that the new printer was consuming ink much more quickly than the prior printer (same make) and I just didn't want to change cartridges more frequently.
The trick is to do as little printing as I do, so the starter cartridge lasts the life of the printer. tongue


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Excellent Source for Printer Ink
ryck #58337 03/15/21 05:54 PM
OP Offline

Joined: Oct 2020
Originally Posted by ryck
Originally Posted by MartyByrde
But if I did as much printing as you seem to, and go through cartridges very frequently, I possibly would re-consider using third party ones.
I don't do any more printing than the average person, so I assume you thought I print a lot because I changed to the XXL cartridges. That is not the case. I changed to XXL because I noticed that the new printer was consuming ink much more quickly than the prior printer (same make) and I just didn't want to change cartridges more frequently.

My mistake. And yes, the cost for the printer is WELL below what one spends for cartridges. For my printer, if I needed to change all 5 of them at once, it would only cost me $65 for the package from Costco. But as I said, I have actually built up an inventory of cartridges, and for a while, will just need an individual one here and there.

At least my printer does not seem to be "gobbling up" any of the cartridges. Hopefully the printer will continue to last quite a while longer.

Re: Excellent Source for Printer Ink
artie505 #58342 03/15/21 06:32 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
Online
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Originally Posted by artie505
The trick is to do as little printing as I do, so the starter cartridge lasts the life of the printer. tongue
My neighbor recently bought a new off-brand printer at a bargain price and the starter-cartridge ran dry half way through the first page of print.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Excellent Source for Printer Ink
joemikeb #58343 03/15/21 06:43 PM
OP Offline

Joined: Oct 2020
Originally Posted by joemikeb
Originally Posted by artie505
The trick is to do as little printing as I do, so the starter cartridge lasts the life of the printer. tongue
My neighbor recently bought a new off-brand printer at a bargain price and the starter-cartridge ran dry half way through the first page of print.

As the old saying goes, "You get what you pay for".

Last edited by MartyByrde; 03/15/21 08:50 PM.
Re: Excellent Source for Printer Ink
joemikeb #58350 03/15/21 11:26 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
Originally Posted by joemikeb
Originally Posted by artie505
The trick is to do as little printing as I do, so the starter cartridge lasts the life of the printer. tongue
My neighbor recently bought a new off-brand printer at a bargain price and the starter-cartridge ran dry half way through the first page of print.
I bought my Canon imageCLASS LBP6000 Compact Laser Printer in June 2013, and the starter cartridge has still got around 100 pages worth of printing left in it.

It leaves not intolerable (for my purposes, anyhow) smudges across the page when I print, but that's on me for not having done proper maintenance all along.

The printer has been discontinued, so Canon isn't the least bit likely to update the driver beyond Big Sur, and I"ll have to buy a new printer when the next version of macOS is released, but I"ll have gotten more than my money's worth out of it.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire

Moderated by  alternaut, cyn 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.4
(Release build 20200307)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.4.33 Page Time: 0.038s Queries: 44 (0.029s) Memory: 0.6508 MB (Peak: 0.7691 MB) Data Comp: Zlib Server Time: 2024-03-28 20:55:12 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS