I was shocked when I went to buy ink for my Canon MP510 printer this week. It cost $82.79 for the four inks - $93.55 with HST. The US price was $63.90 - $18.89 less. I guess no one told Staples/Canon that our dollar has been at or above par the past couple of years...
By coincidence, my MP510 committed hari-kari the next day. It sounded like something broke off inside. This is the second Canon printer to die on me, although the i5000 did last longer. My two previous HP printers became obsolete long before they suffered mechanical failure (old parallel port machines).
I looked at a number of alternatives. Still smarting from the high price of ink for Canon, and their indifference to the dollar parity, I ruled them out. Of the others, I chose Kodak. The ink was the least expensive and according to industry tests the best of the current 3 colour lot. And for me the difference in price here vs the States was miniscule. The printer, an ESP7250, was not perfect - it was slower and MUCH noisier than some competitors and with the 180 degree paper path, prone to paper jams. But for me the image quality and economy of materials won out.
Yes, I am now using a KODAK printer - who would have thought it possible?
No comments:
Post a Comment