Chicago Tribune reports on how large retailers such as OfficeMax and Walgreens are offering on-premises ink-jet cartridge refilling services. Hewlett-Packard is pretending not to care, but the article says printer supplies account for about 70 of HP’s printer business profits, and that 15-20 percent of the supply business has already moved to third-party refillers.
“I’m of the opinion it’s just ink,” said Sean Lowry, a senior vice president for Pacor Mortgage in Chicago, whose company is hooked on the service. “An average cartridge for a good printer or copier is $100. If you’re using six or seven machines at the office, that’s a lot of money.”