In message , The Natural Philosopher
wrote

Consider a small color laser.

Where the replacement toners cost 4 times the price of the printer.

With my Epson inkjet I have been using third party compatible cartridges
for years without problems. These cost around £1 to £2 each excl.
postage. With prices as low as this why bother with refills?

Original inks and papers may only be important if you want top quality
photos for display or archive. Lesser quality inks may start fading or
changing colour when exposed to sunlight over a (short) period of time.
However, I'm not sure all manufactures of original ink guarantee the
longevity of their product when exposed to sunlight.

A few years back some of the top printer companies used to advertise in
trade papers by including a photo printed with their inks and paper.
These were placed on a notice board at work with half covered up. After
month or so the covering was removed and compared to the part of the
photo exposed to daylight. There was always a marked difference between
the two halves.

--
Alan
news2009 {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk