the razor's blade of consumables — the printer is cheap because the ink is a hostage negotiation.
means small plastic reservoirs of ink or toner that printers force you to buy at markups rivaling perfume, on a schedule they secretly control.
from born with inkjet and laser printing in the late 1970s and 80s, cartridges let manufacturers sell hardware near cost and recoup profit on refills — a business model borrowed straight from gillette's disposable razors.
hp 63 cartridge — among the best selling ink cartridges in the us market
epson eco tank — 2010 line ditched cartridges for refillable ink tanks
canon pixma line — famously uses separate tanks per color, not one cartridge
hp instant ink — 2013 subscription model charges monthly for pages printed