$10,000 per gallon of ink? OPEC, EAT YOUR HEART OUT!

In my last report I predicted that just about every digital imaging product available was going to continue to drop in price over the next year—except for ink jet inks! I expect them to rise even higher based on the following observations: First: During this holiday shopping run up not a single flyer from a multitude of competitive stores mentioned a sale on inkjet ink supplies. This despite the fact that hundreds of other items were marked down for the holidays. Come to think of it, I’ve never heard of a sale on name brand printer inks, even online--have you?

Second: The election is over. (Ok, I threw that one in as a humorous attempt to point out how gas prices went down rapidly in the months leading to the November election. Ever since the election they have been climbing in the other direction. If you think that’s a coincidence, then I’ve got some third party inks to sell you.)
Third: Demand for ink may be outpacing supply. According to my sources, the demand for color inks isn’t close to hitting its peak, but the raw materials for a variety of inks (especially long lasting pigment types) are in short supply. And we can blame the same country that helped raise gas prices: mainland China. Do you have any idea how much the Chinese love photography and are getting into the home printing craze? Ask HP, the company that’s selling the most printers in China and just happens to be rolling in the dim sum.
In addition to a price rise, could China’s increased demand cause an ink shortage? Perhaps, and that might be what it takes before consumers become aware of just how ridiculously high the price of ink jet inks for their printer have become. For example: HP recently broke the $10,000 per gallon mark with some of its color inks and I didn’t hear anyone complain—despite it being for a popular consumer line of photo printers. Currently, HP’s Magenta ink for its Photosmart 8200 series sells for $9.99 at most stores along with the required Y, Lc, Lm, B, and C inks at the same price. However, HP only puts 3.5ml in the M cartridge, 4ml in the C, 5.5ml in the Lc and Lm, and 6ml in the Y. Do the math and the Magenta ink is $2.85/ml (compared to $1.15/ml for all colors in Canon’s Chromalife #8 ink set and $1/ml for its #6 inks). Ok, HP’s inks may produce prints that last longer than Canon’s, but there are 3,785 ml in a gallon, making the final price for magenta ink an astronomical $10,788/gal!
If ink jet inks continue to climb in price or if there’s a shortage, at least I and most consumers have a viable and affordable alternative in the form of minilab and online print services (where the price per print is already much lower than from a home printer.) But for now, those of us who are addicted to making prints that technically blow away minilab and online quality, plus last five to ten times longer on display, will still be willing to pay our dealers the going rate. After all, we can quit any time we want to, can’t we?

Comments

[John Kurtz]

At $10,788/gal, I am very happy I use MIS inks at $264.00/gal.

I am also happy my Landcruiser dose not run on HP inks, whew!

Cheers,
Johnny

[Phil Pool]

It's just like anything. Supply and demand. 3rd party inks I believe will eventually put an end to the ink suppliers greed.

As a businessman, if my product could only be bought by me, I'd charge whatever I want.......

[Darrin]

I gave up on the ink jet game long ago and bought a laser printer. While the cost per page isn't *that* much less, the quality is much better. Ink jet output is pretty crappy and you can get photos printed at a photo store for less than maintaining your own printer.

[Jeff Foster]

Those prices are outrageous.

"It's just like anything. Supply and demand. 3rd party inks I believe will eventually put an end to the ink suppliers greed."

The problem is that, thanks to the DMCA, someone like HP can simply put a little bit of encryption on their cartridges (for no apparent benefit to the consumer) and then anyone who "breaks" the encryption to refill inks or sell 3rd party cartridges can be sued out of existence.

- and third party inks have yet to make a dent in ink pricing as far as i can tell. (not to mention ca void warranties, etc.)

[Andrew Dunning]

Staples (in Canada, at least) sometimes has sales on HP inks, albeit not across the board. If you watch the prices there, they actually fluctuate relatively often. Each of their tags has a date showing it was printed; it's rarely more than a few months old.

[John Redmond]

A better solution than 3rd party inks is DON'T PRINT! See http://keystoneisit.blogspot.com/2006/12/friends-dont-let-friends-print.html

[Robert D. Jewell]

Where has John Redmond been...visiting Rip Van Winkle? The "paperless office" was hailed as the future and now resides with the Dodo.

[Chuck Kuhn]

Epson on line has sales now and then on All their inks. Subscribe to their link. Staples, and other store give you $3.00 off if you bring in your old cartridge. No limit.