HP Printer Ink Is Even More Expensive than You Might Think

It comes as no surprise that printer ink is expensive. Printer manufacturers operate on the classic razor-and-blade business model: sell printers at low prices to lock customers into purchasing expensive proprietary ink cartridges. For instance, an HP OfficeJet Pro printer may cost under $200, but the recurring cost of replacing ink can quickly surpass the printer’s price within a year or two of moderate use.

But how crazy expensive is the ink really? When my HP OfficeJet 9015e recently ran out of black ink, I decided to figure it out.

The going price for a single black HP 962 XL cartridge on Amazon was $54. And since HP tightly controls the pricing for its cartridges, I wasn’t going to find a discount anywhere else. Upon arrival, I weighed my empty cartridge (50g) and the new one (102g) to determine that there was about 52g of ink inside. With some quick math, that worked out to $29.44 per ounce or a whopping $471.04 per pound.

Had I opted for the $37 HP 962 regular cartridge, which has half the ink of the XL, my price would have been $40.22 per ounce or $643.58 per pound.

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Let’s put that in perspective against some of the finest luxury items. My HP ink is 10x as expensive as an excellent steak, 3x as much as some of the world’s finest scotch, and almost the same price as a fashionable French perfume. HP only begins to look reasonable when compared with top-shelf caviar and pure gold.

HP’s pricing approach would be more acceptable if we at least had the option of choosing to purchase third-party ink cartridges, which are often significantly cheaper than HP-branded options. However, through firmware updates and software "security" measures, HP printers detect and disable non-HP cartridges. HP justifies these measures by claiming they protect users from malicious code that could be loaded onto modified chips. However, I find these arguments to be specious. And many other experts agree – the security risk is purely theoretical, would be difficult to execute, and could be prevented in ways other than locking down customer printer cartridges.

Perhaps Right-to-Repair laws and other regulatory efforts will force HP to back away from this approach. Until that happens, there are a few things you can do to reduce your printer ink costs, so you have more of your hard-earned money available for scotch and caviar.

1. Choose a Printer with Refillable Ink Tanks: Instead of relying on cartridges, consider printers that use refillable ink tanks. These printers often have a higher upfront cost but can dramatically reduce the cost of ink over time.
2. Print Smarter: Reduce unnecessary printing and use draft modes whenever possible. Digital documentation can also help cut down on paper and ink usage.
3. Consider Subscription Services: HP offers services like Instant Ink, which may be a cost-effective solution for high-volume users. However, it’s worth reading the fine print and comparing it to alternatives before committing.

[Image credit: Techlicious/Midjourney]

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