I don’t do much printing at home – the last time I can remember using my at-home inkjet printer was maybe two years ago. So, this past week, when I needed to do some fast printing – it was a no go. Drat!! No ink, dried up ink, plugged print nozzles – dumb move; should have followed through on the recommended – print a test page, or run the cleaning cycle occasionally.
Still, no big deal – a quick trip to Wal-Mart (doing my bit to support the Chinese economy), hand over $60+ for replacement cartridges, and I’d be back in business. That was the plan. A plan that soon underwent a major reversal. Walked into Wal-Mart for inkjet cartridges – walked out with a Laser printer.
But, not just any old Laser printer. A $38 Samsung ML-1670 laser printer (Toner cartridge included), capable of pushing out up to 17 pages a minute. Now I know that the cost of technology is a one way street – generally a downhill curve, but a Laser printer costing less than replacement cartridges for my 4 year old HP 4-in-1, had me considering that I had stepped into an alternative universe.
Once I’d gotten over the reverse “sticker shock”, I couldn’t help but compare this experience with the purchase of my first Laser printer back in 1992.
Flashback: 1992
Purchase – HP LaserJet 4
Cost – $1,800 approximately – $2,761 in today’s dollars (The Inflation Calculator)
Output – eight pages per minute
Resolution – 600 DPI
RAM – 2 MB
Weight – 37 lbs.
Interface – Serial and Parallel
Toner replacement – $200+
Features – it printed (very well, actually).
The present:
Purchase – Samsung ML-1670 laser printer
Cost – $38 (Wal-Mart Canada)
Output – 16 pages per minute for A4 paper, seventeen pages per minute for letter-sized.
Resolution – 1200 DPI
RAM – 8 MB
Weight – Featherweight (8.8 lbs.)
Interface – USB 2
Toner replacement – $48
Features –
Anyweb Print – Lets you grab image sections of any web page and arrange them onto a clipboard. The simple drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to get exactly what you want, and nothing more.
Print Screen Button – Will instantly print your screen’s current contents at the push of a single button. Keep your finger on the Print Screen button for fast, efficient printing.
Given the reality of Moore’s Law, I expected that Laser printer prices would have shifted downward dramatically. Still, I couldn’t help but feel I was in a time warp – watching Moore’s Law operating at the speed of light. From $2,700 + (in today’s dollars) to $38, is nothing less than astonishing!
If you found this article useful, why not subscribe to this Blog via RSS, or email? It’s easy; just click on this link and you’ll never miss another Tech Thoughts article.
That is amazing. I guess it’s all about selling you the replacement toner cartridges when the sample toners run out. I’m still using the sampler toners that came with my $300 HP color laser, but I bought the 4 required cartridges for $100 each. A hefty investment but still cheaper per page than an ink jet-assuming I ever print enough pages to reach the break even point.
Hey Darryl,
I’m sure you’re right. Downstream sales projections play a large part in initial equipment price setting.
Bill
Hi Bill ~ Interesting
The 1670 is available in the UK too, both in the stores & on Amazon.co.uk ~ it’s around double your price when VAT is factored in
I looked up Walmart USA & that model doesn’t appear to be available there nor on Amazon.com. I couldn’t find a USA 1670 [but I didn’t look too hard] & I wonder if it’s country restricted or a different model number or even re-badged in the USA
I suppose that Walmart.ca may have this on sale as a loss leader & they get their profit off the mountain of food you bought while picking up a printer 🙂
Hi Michael,
LOL! Seems as if you might have been looking over my shoulder while I shopped at Wal-Mart.
By the time I left the store, I was $700 lighter. Ended up buying a Sony 32 inch LCD for the bedroom and assorted “don’t really need this, but while I’m here ” items. Too easy to fall prey to the “hey, it’s cheap” manipulation, I’m afraid.
I had the same experience as you – couldn’t find this model number in the US. Found it here, UK, NZ……
Best,
Bill
hi bill
that is unbelievable, if had heard it or anyone else i wouldn’t believe what i was reading i got a photoamart hp
for school and a replacement ink goes about $26 to $32.
i have only use blak ink and not the color. now the question is do i have get get a passport and note from wife to come a visit you, so i can buy a print, because she not going to believe this is real. and i have to wonder why they aren’t been sold here. u.s.
ken lunkins
Hey Kenneth,
The closest I’ve seen to this in the US is here – http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/printers/ML-1665/XAA
Unfortunately, it’s double the price – $79.99. Some minor differences in capabilities – still a bargain though.
Bill
Bill,
Nothing like that close here in the U.S. Just checked them all (NewEgg, Tiger Direct, etc…). Closest I could find was another Samsung at NewEgg for $58. It is out of stock…
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16828112191
Rick
Hey Rick,
I’ve done some checking as well and I’m shocked!
When I wrote this, I figured I’d hear from some US readers pointing out a lesser price in the US. Lower prices on technology – the US vs Canada, is pretty typical. Up here, we often take a real screwing on prices. This is a major reversal. Wouldn’t mind seeing a lot more of this.
But, I’m dreaming out loud I suspect.
Thanks for the link.
Bill
Wow, what a great buy, Bill! Immediately I got tempted to check laser printer prices here in Moscow (I’m now living and working in Russia). Lo and behold, there was your printer available from pretty much any retailer, costing from 2,400 roubles. That’s 74.5 US dollars. Looks like yours was a special deal or something 🙂 Anyway, really glad you solved your printing problem in such a cost-effective way!
Wow Liz – when you move, you MOVE! Australia to Russia is more than just around the corner. 🙂
Great to hear from you. Good luck in your new endeavors.
Best,
Bill
I have a Lexmark printer. A few months after getting it, I needed more ink. I went to a place that refiles cartridges. They refilled it for me and I put it back in. It still read that it was empty and refused to print. I googled for some info and found that the printer keeps a memory of the ink levels and knows the cartridge from a UID in the cartridge itself. The only way to reset it is to go through a whole bunch of steps to change the registry (in multiple locations) and reboot the computer and the printer. I had to laugh. Lexmark KNEW people were going to try and get around their exorbitant pricing of the cartridges and had taken steps to prevent it. Other, more expensive printers, allow you to easily refill their cartridges. This was how Lexmark was able to sell their printers cheap.
Hey Writerdood,
I’m familiar with the “hey, your cartridge is empty” message, when using refills on HP equipment – but, Lexmark’s behavior should be viewed as undue interference with an owner’s rights. Hell, it should be considered criminal.
I wonder what the market response would be if an auto maker tried to enforce the use of only one brand of fuel? 🙂
Best,
Bill
Good post. Brought back memories/nightmares of my LaserJet III, which–trust me–made your LaserJet 4 look like a lightweight.
Printer prices these days can indeed be astounding. When my wife & I were opening our small tax & accounting practice in 2008, we found a display-model LaserJet 2430tn on clearance at the local Staples, marked down from $999 to $299. Full toner cartridge, all documentation, rated for 100,000 pages per month, with a staggering total of 17 pages on the counter. Still running it.
And in March of this year, I “solved” a printhead problem with my HP B209a AIO by buying the identical model–last one on the shelf–at my local Wal-Mart, clearance-priced for $69. A new printhead would have been $40 plus shipping. Only unpacked the new one enough to get out the printhead and ink cartridges. Plugged them into the “old” machine and I was back in business.
Your experience & mine aren’t unusual these days. I’ve read many stories about people who have gone out to buy new ink cartridges, only to find that Moore’s Law has made buying a new printer the more cost-effective solution. For that matter, I bought the first B209a because it was cheaper than fixing the machine I had.
But if these machines are not cost-effective to repair, can it be cost-effective to recycle them? Our tiny little business has at least five unusable printers sitting in the back room. Are they all destined to wind up in a landfill?
Hi Owen,
Great comment – great story!
Like you, I have a bunch of obsolete tech sitting around. Finally decided to get rid of this stuff and scheduled 4 pieces for recycling this week – at $15 a pop.
Bill