by 
The Curious Bag
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One of the continuing costs of owning a computer is maintaining your printer. You have probably noticed that printer ink can be quite expensive, both in terms of dollars per ounce, and compared to the cost of the printer. This is not by accident.
Marketing Strategies
The cost of ink is largely based on a marketing strategy where the profit comes from selling replaceable components of a device. This strategy was pioneered by the founder of the Gillette razor manufacturer.
Razors and Blades
Mr. Gillette's idea was to basically give away the razors and make money by selling disposable razors for them. This was successful because sharpening your own razor could be tedious and dangerous.
Printers and Ink
By the same token, printer manufacturers sell printers at very low cost and make their money back over time by selling you more printer ink.
Security Tags
To ensure continued sales of official cartridges, a printer manufacturer may put security tags on their cartridges so that the printer will not recognize a cheaper generic cartridge.
Refilling Ink
In theory, you could simply put more ink in a cartridge, and some stores such as Staples and Walgreens offer ink refilling machines. However, certain cartridges may be designed to prevent refills.
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