zlacker

>>rntn+(OP)
> "Every time a customer buys a printer, it's an investment for us. We are investing in that customer, and if that customer doesn't print enough or doesn't use our supplies, it's a bad investment." - HP CEO

"No HP product could possibly be a good investment for me" - Any & Every Sane Customer

>>bell-c+r1
Maybe they shouldn't sell printers under cost and ink at a 98% profit per sale...

I would buy ink cartridges from the vendors if they were not twice as expensive and utilizing sleezy tactics like lying about being empty.

>>ldough+i4
That's the thing, isn't it? I would gladly pay $500 for "THE LAST PRINTER I WILL EVER NEED TO BUY", $650 if it came with a 10 year parts and labor guarantee.

No one makes what I want to buy.

>>Bizarr+Dt
I worked at Lexmark around the time they tried this as a strategy. They sold a $300-400 inkjet printer whose (black) ink cartridges were priced at $5. It doesn't work, because the consumer is shortsighted and greedy and often self-defeating (see: the JC Penney pricing debacle).