Brother Can You Spare A Dime?
I have a cheap laser printer. A Brother HL-2132. Cost, brand new, $37.94. The toner unit that ships with it prints 1200 pages. A replacement toner cartridge, that prints 1500 pages, costs $59.95. So, my cost per copy is :

37.94/1200 - 3.1 cents per copy

If I replace the toner:

59.95/1500 - 3.9 cents per copy.

So, every time I run out of toner I just buy a new printer. This also saves me having to buy a replacement drum as, if I replaced that when it failed, it would cost me $129.95.

There's something very, very wrong with this pricing model.

Edit: I buggered up on how many sheets the original toner prints. It's 700 not 1200 and totally bugger up my maths. It means my printing costs are 5.42 cents per copy and not 3.1. I'm right about the drum though.


Cheers

P.S. Anyone want a free printer? Just needs toner
( Legless Mister Stabby - shanks for the memory, Wed 29 Feb 2012, 23:57, 7 replies)

I also bought a cheap laser printer the other day.
They seem to be applying the same pricing model to them as they do to inkjets now.

Not really idiocy - there are always a few customers who will just say "fuck it" and buy the toner.

When mine runs out, I'm going to figure out how to hack it and refill the cartridge... :)
(Flap Burger hasn't really got a burger made of flaps, Thu 1 Mar 2012, 0:00, closed)

The
previous Brother printer I had had a great hack. When the low toner light comes on you simply put a bit of tape over a hole on the toner unit. It just kept going and going. Easily another 1000 pages. Sadly, you can't do it with these new ones
( Legless Mister Stabby - shanks for the memory, Thu 1 Mar 2012, 0:02, closed)

or
when the low toner light comes on you simply put a bit of tape over the light. Problem solved.
( Pig Bodine., Thu 1 Mar 2012, 10:27, closed)

Sadly
this is the way of the world.
( P-MONKE We're all fucked, Thu 1 Mar 2012, 8:10, closed)

It's barely worth the trouble
Most of them have killer chips, which basically stop the toner cartridge from working when it's empty.

You have to replace that as well, I worked out refilling costs about 2/3 the cost of a new one, and is messy.

Cheapos aren't good either. Last week I ordered a non-OEM one for my Samsung colour laser printer, it arrived with half the toner on the outside of the cartridge, so went straight back to Amazon.

[edit] If you feel brave, Google 'killer chip [your printer model]' and look at the youtube videos. Quite often some mad Russian has worked out how permanently disable the print count function, so you can just top up the cartridges with cheapo toner indefinitely.

Normally requires soldering wires onto chips, so it's not for everyone. Obviously kills any warranty too.
(username failed moderation, Thu 1 Mar 2012, 8:16, closed)

This doesn't actually work most of the time.
When you buy a new printer, the toner cartridges (or the ink cartridges) are not anywhere near the 80% that you're quoting - not that I'm disputing what you say, but for most other makes/models it's about 25%.

Using the same calc, it'd be maybe 37.94/400, nearer 10 cents per copy.

These guys aren't *that* dumb, although their habit of putting killer chips on otherwise re-usable toner cartridges to force you to replace them every time does make me want to spit.
(username failed moderation, Thu 1 Mar 2012, 8:23, closed)

Not HP, I think
I've had a couple of HP inkjet printers recently, and both came with standard (ie full) colour and black cartridges. In both cases the printers cost less than even Tesco cartridges. Two different models, by the way.
(ubergeekian, Thu 1 Mar 2012, 9:36, closed)

Must have changed then
because HP were, to my knowledge, the inventors of the practice.

If it's cheaper to buy a new printer than it is to buy new toner cartridge, the whole cost of manufacturing printers is a loss for the company making them. Makes no sense at all.

It's actually a really good troll. Post this on a lot of forums, and assuming they haven't seen it before you will create a shit storm of nerdery.
(username failed moderation, Thu 1 Mar 2012, 9:56, closed)

He's Right, I'm Wrong

Just checked the box sitting on my desk. The toner the printer ships with is only 700 pages not 1200.
( Legless Mister Stabby - shanks for the memory, Thu 1 Mar 2012, 10:07, closed)

Little note
The toner that Brother printers come with contain less toner then the standard toner you can buy. Crafty barstwards.
( Crap Little Monkey Deathstar, so good they built it twice, Thu 1 Mar 2012, 8:36, closed)

I think the OP may have noticed that.
I'm not sure why, though. Perhaps it's the way he wrote The toner unit that ships with it prints 1200 pages. A replacement toner cartridge, that prints 1500 pages...
(ubergeekian, Thu 1 Mar 2012, 9:37, closed)

Hook a brother up!

(TheManWithThePlan cussed your mum on, Thu 1 Mar 2012, 8:59, closed)

I don't like
the toner your voice.
(username failed moderation, Thu 1 Mar 2012, 9:04, closed)

But it's right there
in black and white.
(Misery McUglywife an attention seeking sociopathic fuckstain., Thu 1 Mar 2012, 9:12, closed)

Don't be
a dpishit
(username failed moderation, Thu 1 Mar 2012, 9:20, closed)

what happned to you man
you usbed to be cool
(TheManWithThePlan cussed your mum on, Thu 1 Mar 2012, 9:30, closed)

I got a
chip on my shoulder.
(username failed moderation, Thu 1 Mar 2012, 9:33, closed)

I kern see how that would be annoying

(gordonjcp, Thu 1 Mar 2012, 9:33, closed)

There's no
justification for comments like that.
(username failed moderation, Thu 1 Mar 2012, 9:41, closed)

Compromise
New official colour cart for my HP printer: anything up to £49 (WTF?)
Cheapo cart: £6 but didn't work (twice)
Refilled official cart: £12

Since I can't be bothered with refilling / killchipping, refilled (or "remanufactured") seems to be the best compromise.
(moon monkey is busy making memories worth repressing, Thu 1 Mar 2012, 10:17, closed)

So long as the quality is OK
I'd agree.

I've been looking for reliable remanufactured cartridges for mine (Originals are £35 each, x 4), but so far the only one I tried arrived in a plastic bag full of leaked toner. That was £16, but if I can find one that arrives intact, I'll be happy.
(username failed moderation, Thu 1 Mar 2012, 10:40, closed)