The old printer that is paying for itself!
If you are in the market for a new printer and like to shop at Staples, look for a machine that has multiple ink cartridges. Here’s why.
When I moved across the country on a budget I had to choose between spending $50 to check my print/copier/scanner as airline baggage, buying a new one when I arrived (also about $50), or testing out an old clunky one that my roommate agreed to let me use. My decision to try out the old machine turned out to be very savvy.
Why would I hesitate to use the old printer? My roommate was not sure it worked because it was out of ink. I would have to buy brand new ink cartridges just to test it out. To my great annoyance, the printer required FOUR cartridges, three for color and one for black and white. Plus, the old timer, above, is not anywhere as sleek and sexy as my California printer.
I decided to hedge my bets that the old machine was in working condition and bought a value pack of 10 ink cartridges for $25.84. I received four black and white cartridges and two of each of the three colored cartridges (4 + (2 * 3) = 10). I bought mine on Amazon.com, but BargainBabe.com blogger Bobbi says there are even cheaper places to get ink toner.
Within the first week I replaced all four cartridges and later brought them into Staples, which gives you a $2 credit (down from $3) for each cartridge. Which is when it hit me – I’m going to make money off this printer!
I will get $2 for each of the 10 cartridges I purchased, plus the four empty cartridges that were already in the machine, for a total of $28! The cartridges cost me $25.84. The only downside is that the money comes in the form of Staples Rewards, which can only be spent on store merchandise. I already buy a lot of office supplies at Staples so this is a happy problem to have.
Do you have a success story? Email me!
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
Check up on the type of printer and its peculiarities first if you can. I had one of those multi-color-cartridge printers and found that if any one of the color cartridges were out I could not print with black even if I changed the print settings to black and white or grayscale, and even if the black one was full. I found that to be too much of a pain in the neck.
@Amanda Fletcher That is one of the downsides of multi-cartridge printers. I do a bit of color printing, so I’m hoping my usage will match the ratio of color/black x white cartridges that I have.
Make sure you limit your inkjet recycling to 10 per calendar month – you can recycle all you want – but they will only give you credit for the first 10 (UNLESS you are a Premier Rewards member, then you can recycle and get credit for 20 cartridges per month).
I save on printer ink by most times only printing in black & white – 99% of the stuff I print doesn’t need color. That way my color cartridges last a lot longer.
@chris at yardsalequeen.com Awesome tip – thanks! I wonder if the Staples employee would have told me…
I’ve yet to figure out a way to balance usage of b/w vs color carts. I do print most of my “stuff” in b/w, so that cart seems to run out of ink first. However, I do try to limit the amount of printing I do. When it comes to recipes, I copy them by hand and skip the printer. Saves money in ink and paper. Besides, I can size them to fit the recipe box. Since I don’t use a lot of ink, and Staples is nearby, I always return the empties there.
Office Depot will give you $3 for your ink cartridges. If you don’t have their loyalty card they will give you one. Your money will arrive in the form of a prepaid visa card in 4-6 weeks after the end of the month. They will take up to 20 cartridges per month. That’s $20 more than Staples.
@Myke ~ Thanks for the great info on cart return at Office Depot. There’s one near me where I like to shop, as it’s next door to a very good Asian market. Besides, I usually get better service there than at Staples.
A few months ago, we were told right here on the Bargain Babe blog about Abacus (online) for toner cartridges and ink. I have since purchased one toner cartridge for our work printer. The price was great but I’m not sure about the quality–text prints a bit light. I am considering that it’s just this one (but doubt it). I will wait to see how long it lasts.