Re: Zone Alarm Pro demanding more money.

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

From: Mike (mike.hall.mail_at_sympatico.ca)
Date: 06/01/04 

Date: Tue, 1 Jun 2004 09:17:47 -0400

An element of common sense has to be applied to 'consumables'.. "My printer
uses a bunch of glossy paper and ink every time that I use it".. the answer
is simple.. don't print every picture that you take on the digital camera,
or better still, don't print any pictures at all.. nobody is forcing us to
print 3000 pages per month, forcing us to make a bunch of unecessary short
journeys in our cars at 15mpg per trip, or forcing us to use 3 million btu's
of gas in our stove every billing period.. all of that is 'personal'
choice..

Re. the subscriptions issue, we have a choice too.. we either pay a small
charge at some point in the future for continued effort by somebody else
taking the time and expense to help protect us, or we dump the service and
go pay full price for somebody else's.. the original poster wants everything
for free or at minimal cost, but we all have to live.. maybe he should work
for 5c per hour or less so that the product or service that he produces can
be distibuted for free too..

"*Vanguard*" <reply-to-newsgroup@to-email.use-Reply.obey-signature.invalid>
wrote in message news:uW%23MMs5REHA.1036@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> Mike said in news:jTGuc.80608$tb4.3145963@news20.bellglobal.com:
> <snip>
> > Why is the printer ink issue a rip off?.. modern printers are way
> > more ink efficient than ever they used to be.. one would have to
> > assume that you do not have a barbeque because it would require a
> > continual supply of gas.. what kind of rip off is that?
>
> Actually the phrase "ink delivery system" (meaning the money is the
> consumables and the printers were sold at near delivered cost or for
> marginal markup) was something I heard from HP tech buddies. The money
> wasn't in the printer. It was in the consumables. Obviously how much
> you print affects how much you spend on consumables (but with ink jet
> printers the cartridges will dry out and plug after long non-use so you
> end up buying more, anyway). While $250 to $400 sounds like a lot for
> laser printer, the money is in selling you the $100 toner cartridges.
> With the much smaller capacity of ink jet cartridges, and costing $30
> apiece, it doesn't take long to swamp the cost of the low-end printer.
>
> Yes, we consumers aren't dumb and many (but not all) realize the revenue
> is mainly garnered from the consumables (and a smart consumer checks
> those costs before buying). But apparently consumers aren't always so
> savvy in applying the same common sense regarding software
> subscriptions - mostly because subscriptions are not seen as a
> "consumable" but rather later recognized as an arbitrary expiration
> based loosely on support costs and, in many cases, to subsidize
> development costs although those should be covered by the sales of the
> product itself.
>
>

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Are HP breaking any anti-competition laws or regulations?
    ... You obviously have no idea whatsoever how ink is made. ... Companies like HP will go for the least cost option, ... consumables which often cost more than the machine itself to replace ... cycle than inkjet type machines its generally accepted that business ...
    (uk.legal)
  • Re: Are HP breaking any anti-competition laws or regulations?
    ... Ink is a consumable, just like fuel, oil, tyres, plugs, brakes. ... Companies like HP will go for the least cost option, ... consumables which often cost more than the machine itself to replace ... chosen for the consumer market. ...
    (uk.legal)
  • Re: Are HP breaking any anti-competition laws or regulations?
    ... You obviously have no idea whatsoever how ink is made. ... Companies like HP will go for the least cost option, ... consumables which often cost more than the machine itself to replace ... cycle than inkjet type machines its generally accepted that business will ...
    (uk.legal)
  • Re: Are HP breaking any anti-competition laws or regulations?
    ... You obviously have no idea whatsoever how ink is made. ... Companies like HP will go for the least cost option, ... consumables which often cost more than the machine itself to replace ... chosen for the consumer market. ...
    (uk.legal)
  • Re: Printer Ink Shock!
    ... Her point, which you don't seem to get, is that if the cost of printer versus ink was made more obvious, people might be both better educated and make better choices, and be outraged and force change. ... However, believe me, manufacturers know exactly how much these average out to and therefore average cost per "page". ... I fully understand sarcasm, and I also understand miscues in a debate. ...
    (comp.periphs.printers)