When I bought my HP Business Inkjet 1200 four years ago, I used to do a lot of printing. Today? Not so much. Actually, I hardly print at all anymore although I don’t think I can go completely printer-less.

The 1200 is quite a workhorse of a printer and while the cartridges were made for high volume printing, they are also quite expensive. The black cartridge alone is nearly $45.

To replace all four tanks runs nearly $120 plus tax. I don’t want to even think about how many printers I could have bought with the money I’ve spent on just the ink. With this printer, when one tank runs out, you can’t print at all until you replace that tank.

Well, today, that little yellow light started flashing for the blue tank… Yes, it is now completely out, which means the printer is dead in the water unless I replace the cartridge.

So, now I’m at a crossroad. Do I spend $30 for just the blue tank? OR, do I buy a new deskjet for $40, which takes much less expensive cartridges.

Oh, did I mention, the cartridges for the new printer are not refillable?

Oh! one more thing, the printer does not come with a black cartridge.

Oh yea, you also have to buy the USB cable to connect the printer to your computer.

What a minute! Now, I know it’s been four years since I’ve purchased a printer, but what the heck is going on here? It used to be the printer would come with all you needed right in the box… printer, starter ink packs and the cable.

Today? It’s a nickel & dime purchase.

Imagine walking into your car dealer, you pick out a car, and the salesman says, “Yes, you can buy this car, but it only comes with three tires, the fourth is an additional $200… oh, and yea, if you want the steering wheel, that’s extra, too”

That’s about what this is like with printer purchases these days and then at the checkout, they try to get me to buy an extended warranty for $30..

Um… thanks for the offer, but no thanks. The printer is only $40, the last thing I’m going to do is spending another $30 on a piece of plastic.

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