How much longer will inkjet technology be with us?

[Manuchau]

Inkjets will be around for many years to come. For most people, who still print in low volumes, an inexpensive inkjet will always be the way to go. Replacing 4 laser cartridges is a huge expense...and re-filling lasers is even messier than re-filling inkjets.
What will replace both in the future is holographic printing, still in it's infancy. No ink or toner will be needed. A laser will bring out the colours in the paper, which contain powder.
Apparently, this is still about 10 yrs away. Stay tuned.

 

[websnail]

So getting back to the topic.. hehe... if you were looking at upgrading your capability as a refiller of carts... could you see another 5 years worth of business out there? Are inkjet carts going to be manufactured for much longer? Or will lasers have wiped them out long before then?

Hmm...

I've noticed that there seems to be a slow movement towards dye sublimation for photo printing so I suspect that side of the market may dry up somewhat but unless things change in a very drastic way I can't see how inkjets would disappear unless there are some pretty serious changes and/or developments in printing technology.

But that's an un-informed, crystal ball type guess

 

[Osage]

As some have previously stated, the future of inkjets is a crystal ball prediction betting aginst a new technology replacement.

But like death and taxes, the greed of printer manufacters are still something you can really bank on. And the inkjet printer is God's gift to greedy printer manufacters because it in the relm of a painless ripoff.

Take color lasers for example-----some rip off potential there. You sell that spiffy $300. color laser. Pack it with color toner cartridges only half to a third full, and you get loud shreaks when the user discovers they will have to spend $300 to get new cartridges, maybe this time actually properly filled.

The lesson being, over a few hundred at a whack, the user really notices, but ignores it when they only whack them thirty bucks at a time. And when the user spends an intial purchase price of three hundred bucks or more on a printer, they expect value.

With printer manufacters having times this good and actively working to shut off third party cartridges and refillers, I doubt they will allow new technology in unless it contains bold new rip off potential. Dye subs might meet the painless rip off test, color Lasers probably not.

But since this thread was started by unclefalter who seems to be asking, is it worthwhile getting into the cartridge refilling business? I do point out that the recent trend of chipping cartridges seems to point towards a inkjet future where NO ONE is allowed to undercut the OEM manufacter by refilling. Making unclefalter just another endangered species who dares offer consumer value.

And we consumers need to be aiming our crystal balls at lawmakers to bring that chipped cartridge crap to a screeching halt. But I believe we don't even need new laws, just the enforcement of existing ones.

 

[fotofreek]

Just as the first Epson chipped carts were defeated with chip resetters, I expect that as long as this technology exists, aftermarket vendors will formulate inks and find ways to defeat the chipped cart OEM merchants. A bit more cumbersome to beat the system, but hopefully the aftermarket ink/chip resetter sector will continue to save us $.

 

[Osage]

I hope fotofreek is correct but surely Canon has learned something from the Epson experience.

But I now ask could the Canon chipped scheme be defeated with software?

Given that a talented programmer could decompile the new Canon software and just tweak a few settings.

Instead of the conditional test of when cartridge count nozzle fires are less than some artitrary number do nothing but if over that number shut off cartridge and pop up message, simply replace that arbitrary number with some near infinite number.

Similarly Canon software refuses to print without a detected chip in the cartridge.
That too could be changed in software to ignore.

But suppose some talented programmer did modify the new Canon software and made it freely available. What could Canon do?

I can just see Canon standing up in court saying we will sue for damages because
you prevented us from ripping off consumers -----boo hoo hoo sob --pay us damages.--------I predict Canon would be quickly laughed out of court and suffer a Leona Hemsely moment because they would be forced to admit that these chips are nothing but rip off devices in even filing the lawsuit.

Even if a group of third party vendors engaged in the software modification, they could well claim Canon is engaging in illegal restraint of trade and cite antitrust violations.

In the end, the consumer would have the right to choose to use the OEM drivers or modified drivers that get around the chip.

 

[drc023]

I see inkjet technology as something that will be around for quite some time. Maybe not in its present form, but in a more advanced state. Just look at the advancements made in the past decade. Print head technology will continue to improve, but I question how much better it really needs to be. What I want to see is less expensive consumables, primarily paper since quality ink is already available at a relatively low cost. In the ink arena I hope to see more versatile inks, i.e. ones with UV resistance and capable of withstanding the elements. That technology exists now in very expensive high end printers, but hopefully it will migrate down to the consumer level.