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Guest

My first printer was a STAR dot-matrix printer.

At the time, I was publishing a multi-page newsletter.
I can remember loading a box of fan-fold paper,
starting the print, and going out to lunch.

The printer would churn out page after page of flawless text,
all using a roll of typewriter ribbon !
( when printing got "light", you turned the ribbon over )

Tho modern InkJets are great,
I wonder if the manufacturers have a "death wish".

EPSON used to have ONE main printer ( the MX80 )
Now they have dozens in their product line,
and it seems they market a new model every week .... WHY ?

Why is there a need for 30 or 40 ink cartridges ?
Surely, the manufacturer could standardize the
cartridge for their whole printer line....

????
<rj>
 
My first printer was a STAR dot-matrix printer.

At the time, I was publishing a multi-page newsletter.
I can remember loading a box of fan-fold paper,
starting the print, and going out to lunch.

The printer would churn out page after page of flawless text,
all using a roll of typewriter ribbon !
( when printing got "light", you turned the ribbon over )

Tho modern InkJets are great,
I wonder if the manufacturers have a "death wish".

EPSON used to have ONE main printer ( the MX80 )
Now they have dozens in their product line,
and it seems they market a new model every week .... WHY ?

Why is there a need for 30 or 40 ink cartridges ?
Surely, the manufacturer could standardize the
cartridge for their whole printer line....

????
<rj>
Click to expand...

My theory is a mix of genuine development/improvement, and income streams.

There's no doubt that the C80 has gone a long way since it's passed
through the C82 - C88 variations over the years but it's less obvious
how things improved between the C86 and C88 (D88 here in the UK) despite
their assertion about improved ink quality, etc...

I also suspect that they do this because they know there are quite a few
people who want the "new" product and are quite happy to toss their old
one in favour of a clean looking version. As a result they're less
likely to complain about things like service life issues (waste ink
pads, etc..)...

Finally there's the whole aftermarket competition issue which Epson are
losing significant profit to... The recent change in pricing levels
between the C86 and D88 cartridges is a very telling indicator IMHO..
with prices dropping quite significantly on their D88 carts compared to
the earlier ones. I doubt very much that the ink or technology has been
made that much cheaper so they're obviously trying not to scare people
off as much as they were with their 75% of the printer cost to replace
the cartridges approach of the past.

Changing the cartridges also allows them to change the chips and the
software/firmware used to read them to further marginalise or cause
aftermarket chipped carts to fail.

Hard to say which is the more pressing reason behind the newer and newer
models but it's just my theory...

Cheers
 
Tho modern InkJets are great,
I wonder if the manufacturers have a "death wish".

EPSON used to have ONE main printer ( the MX80 )
Now they have dozens in their product line,
and it seems they market a new model every week .... WHY ?

Why is there a need for 30 or 40 ink cartridges ?
Surely, the manufacturer could standardize the
cartridge for their whole printer line....
Click to expand...

I have to wonder if we will come full circle. I had the Epson 9 pin printer
and later upgraded to the 24 pin for the better quality.

Seems as though inkjets have advanced in technology (features?)
exponentially while the price has come down. My HP500C was $299 but the
550C was a hundred bucks more and took two cartridges. Had I bought that
instead of hte 500C, I'd probably still be using it.

Along came digital cameras and scanners so instead of printing banners and
posters, we graduated to printing photos. so we demanded better quality.
Printer makers answered by making photo cartridges with more colors.

I can see the older cartridges being phased out as demand drops but I would
think you are right that there should be some leveling off of the types of
cartridges we have. Retailer may demand it as they are giving up too much
shelf space to ink. When I was in Staples a few weeks ago I was astounded
by hte number of different types needed by every manufacturer. So, while I
was there, I bought a new printer. I now have two computes , three printers,
and all take different cartridges. At work for seven networked computers we
have two HP lasers (different carts) four inkjets (two Epson do take the
same, but one is Canon the other HP) and a plotter. PITA to keep them all
supplied.
 
I believe the ideas are these (in part)

1) target as many niches in the marketplace from low end to high (so
many printer models are offered)

2) Sell as much ink as possible (since that's where the profit margin
is). This means to keep ahead of the 3rd party cartridge manufacturers
you want to have a monopoly on a cartridge as long as necessary, so
redesign with each printer. Make refilling itself as difficult as
possible, and the process of refilling as confusing as possible. So
introduce parts that will not hold up well to refilling.

3) Force people to toss any unused ink cartridges they have acquired, so
when they discard their printer those cartridges will not fit in the
next one in line.

Art
 
My first printer was a STAR dot-matrix printer.
At the time, I was publishing a multi-page newsletter.
I can remember loading a box of fan-fold paper,
starting the print, and going out to lunch.
Click to expand...
The printer would churn out page after page of flawless text,
all using a roll of typewriter ribbon !
Click to expand...

My first printer was the NX-1000 also by Star Micronics. I could print
off multi-page documents while at lunch, and come back and the fanfold
jammed and I got one line of black text. I'll agree that dot matrix
was for the most part cheaper, but for letter quality you had to go
with either daisy wheel or themeral ribbon. Those suckers were
typicaly only good for 360,000 characters or so, which is actually
unpar with inkjets. And while you "could" flip the ribbon in some
models, and you could print above and beyond the normal life
expentancy, for really good documents you had to change the ribbons
every 1/4 box, 1/2 box, or full box. One could cheat and take even
light dot matrix output and go to a cheap photocopy place and crack off
many copies with the contrast turned up just right.

But fabric ribbons, dirt cheap.... carbon ribbons on par with the cost
of inkjets.
Why is there a need for 30 or 40 ink cartridges ?
Surely, the manufacturer could standardize the
cartridge for their whole printer line....
Click to expand...

Typewriters were just as bad. You could spend lots of money for a nice
model that took a standard ribbon, or you could spend a few hundrand
for one which took a pastic ribbon cartridge with no option for a
fabric ribbon.
 
Edwin said:
I have to wonder if we will come full circle. I had the Epson 9 pin printer
and later upgraded to the 24 pin for the better quality.

Seems as though inkjets have advanced in technology (features?)
exponentially while the price has come down. My HP500C was $299 but the
550C was a hundred bucks more and took two cartridges. Had I bought that
instead of hte 500C, I'd probably still be using it.

Along came digital cameras and scanners so instead of printing banners and
posters, we graduated to printing photos. so we demanded better quality.
Printer makers answered by making photo cartridges with more colors.

I can see the older cartridges being phased out as demand drops but I would
think you are right that there should be some leveling off of the types of
cartridges we have. Retailer may demand it as they are giving up too much
shelf space to ink. When I was in Staples a few weeks ago I was astounded
by hte number of different types needed by every manufacturer. So, while I
was there, I bought a new printer. I now have two computes , three printers,
and all take different cartridges. At work for seven networked computers we
have two HP lasers (different carts) four inkjets (two Epson do take the
same, but one is Canon the other HP) and a plotter. PITA to keep them all
supplied.
Click to expand...
I doubt there will be any "leveling out." There
certainly has been none in the auto industry.
Look at all the different mufflers, oil filter,
air filters, gas filters, etc. Heck, Ford at
least, can't even seem to use three bolts that are
the same size with the same head just to attach
the thermostat housing. It is incredible.
 
George said:
I doubt there will be any "leveling out." There certainly has been
none in the auto industry. Look at all the different mufflers, oil
filter, air filters, gas filters, etc. Heck, Ford at least, can't
even seem to use three bolts that are the same size with the same head
just to attach the thermostat housing. It is incredible.
Click to expand...

YEAH AND THAT IS WHY 30,000 PEOPLE ARE LOSING THEIR JOBS
 
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