Digital BW, The Print

Robert Morrison wrote:

>\
>And on the R&D front...it takes a hell of a lot of money to lead in
>technology...I used to make polymer inks for a living 
>

EPSON doesn't make the pigments or hadn't ever done so AFAIK Robert..

They simply design the carrier and printer engine, etc..

So, they are padding the costs for the parts they don't really make and 
working hard to prevent consumers from using those same consumables 
direct from the original manufacturer or other 3rd parties..

I'm not saying they don't have a right to make money.  I'm just saying 
that it would be MORE upfront, more honest, and less anti-competitive  
if the costs lay where they fell..  Cost-shifting, BTW, or moving 
decrementing entries from one column to another is EXACTLY the practice 
WorldCom  and other large firms have gotten caught doing.  The moving of 
costs from periodical to capital expenses doesn't change revenue, it 
just boosts perceived profits...  Not much different ethically from 
making a printer appear much cheaper than it is by artificially 
depressing the initial purchase price and artificially increasing 
consumable costs (certainly though EPSON does not hurt as many interests 
as our new Robber Barons have - EPSON just soaks users for costs that 
most never even dreamt of)..  AND the current EU investigation into 
pricing and anti-competitive practices by EPSON,  HP, and Lexmark proves 
that others (some with a lot of legal and market clout) agree..

EPSON makes great products which I use happily.  They have driven the 
digital printing prosumer market. That doesn't make every move, even if 
justifiable, the best ethical choice.

Keith




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