So what’s with the printer ink scam, rort, idiocy?  Do they think we’re just plain stupid?

I’m printing a two-page train booking.  Nothing fancy, just some text.  I have chosen “B&W” (black and white) on the printer itself, and “Black ink only” in the printer’s settings.

Half-way through the print job, the printing just stops and a message is on screen “Replace magenta cartridge”… … Magenta is, well, a shade of red in plain English. It is not black, nor in the realm of “B&W”.  I already knew the magenta cartridge was low, as every previous one of the last half-dozen print jobs had a reminder flash up at me to buy magenta ink.  I did.  Luckily. If I had not had the magenta on hand, I would very likely have had all sorts of problems getting my mum and sister onto their train, as it is leaving before any printer ink suppliers are open…

I can’t help but ask, why, partway through a black ink only print job, the printer decides I need to replace the red cartridge!  I was not using any red.  I had selected black ink only.  The print job started, so I expected it to finish.  How stupid of me.  Having such a logical expectation…

All I can say is, what a rort.  What a stinking, vile, dishonest, scamming rort the printer ink game is.  You see, though I use an Epson printer (but will never buy another one) I have a strange suspicion this would happen no matter what brand I used.  Please, if anyone knows of a brand which is NOT involved in this scam, let me know.

As always, cheers!  Dave Smith.