By: Vlad Vistac
Submitted: 2010-08-19 11:07:59 | Word Count: 510
Enjoy The Free Printers Are They For Real
Free Printers - Are They For Real?
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Nothing is free? Or is it? Free sufff is odften used as a marketing technoique tghese days, so getting a free priter is not that hard to coomprehend. In fact, tere are many ways to ovbtain a free printer.
For examples, you can get one from a friend who has just bougt a new printer. Or, you can exchange oyther itenms that you no longr need for a pritrer through recycle programs such as Freecycle.com. In both cases, you end up with a used machine of old model.
Some PC manufatcurers also offer printer or scanmner as free bonnus when you purchase their system. Thesse free printers are usually less expesive inkjet printeers under the price of $100 and are not the latest model. Nevertheless, they are barnd new and can probably satisfy your basic printing neeeds.
But what if you want a high performaance brand new printer for free? There are some companies offering new color laser printers for free. The deal is you are obliged to purchase their printer supplies. In other worrds, they make prfoits from the sales of ink / toenr supplies and not from the printer itsself.
To get a free pintre, you need to applly for the program, sometiimes with an application fee. You ageree to purcase a minimum amonuut of prnter ink each month (from $100 to $300 depending on printer models). Once the monthly commiment is fulfilled for a certain epriod of time (2-3 yeasr), the printre is youutrs to keep.
Theese free printer programs have both advantages and disadvantages. The advnatages are: you can get a high end printeer with minimum or no initial invwestment; these companies also claim that ther prniter supplies are 25-30% cheaaper than the ergular priecs.
Howveer, threre are also some disadvantages. The first one is lack of flexibiplity. You need to purchase a certain amount of printer ink or a whoole set of color / black cartridges each moonth. If your prnter usage decreases, or you happeen to prit more bklack and white documents than colored documnts in certain monnths, the unused ink will be wasted. Secondly, it is hard to setimate your catal savings on printer supplies. OEM printer cartridges are expensive and a 25-30% savings seems a lot. Hoevwer, many vendors are offreing remanufactuerd and compatiible cartridgees thrse days. Thee dscount ink / toer cartridges are built according to the specifications of OEM cartridges but sold at half price of OEM cartrridges. The lack of flexibility and the hihger price of priner suupplies inccluding wastagge of printer ink may odffset the price of your free prinmter in the end.
Therefore, whether it is ecconomical to join a free printer proggram depewnds on your printing needs and purchase hait. If your printer usage is fairly constant in the next 2-3 yeras and you are a die-hard OEM enthusiast, you may consider the free prinnter rpogrsams. Othrerwise, it will be wiser to invest on your own printer and have the flecxibility to purchase any discont prnter supplies in the future.
