I suppose companies hook consumers by keeping prices low for printers to be competitive on the market. They know they can get their benefits when the buyer has to replenish their cartridge! I saw cheap printers for $ 50 in store. These printers required ink refills that cost $ 35! They have attracted customers to purchase the low cost of the printer, but have made their profit as consumers need to ink refills. Do not cell phone companies do the same thing? They give out free phones, but the strength of their clients to sign a contract for monthly service that can take years. If you try to break your contract mobile phone before date of late May, you must pay a significant penalty for the cell phone company to ensure that they can capitalize on every single cell phone hands free, they are out! Printer research significant costs billions of dollars to companies Let’s be fair. HP Printer Ink does not cost much to do, and key players are spending millions of dollars annually on research. The task of developing inks that work with computer printers today’s complex demands Ph.D. chemists and years of research. In addition, studies have shown that the ink mark generally work better than generic copies. There is no point in using cheap ink if you trace on paper and drying in the cartridge.