Clark Howard's Tips

Court ruling means lower toner prices

November 2, 2004

If you are looking for a printer, you'll notice that they are very cheap these days. Laser printers, which print 12 to 16 pages a minute, are as cheap as $79. Those that print about 20 pages a minute are generally no more than $130. And color laser printers are now as cheap as $350.

Sometimes if you buy a computer bundle, the store even gives you a printer. Why is this? The manufacturers may lose money making the printers but they make a killing on the toner cartridges you must buy to keep them running. So they can afford to give away printers if they want to.

The good news is that a U.S. Federal Court of Appeals ruling is about to change all that. Thanks to the ruling, people will no longer have to buy a specific brand of toner to go with their printers.

For instance, if you have an HP printer, you won't have to buy HP ink. You will be able to buy replacement cartridges from anyone, including reusable ones from a third-party company.

As a result, the cost of printers will go up and the cost of toner will go way down.

Previously, buying third party toners meant people didn't know what they were going to get. But that is not the case anymore. The quality and service of these products has greatly improved, and they cost about 40 percent less than brand-name cartridges.

So each business will have to stand on its own as it should. The up-front cost will be more. But it will be worth it because it will help end the monopolies these companies have had.

Consumer advice courtesy of