Buying an inkjet printer these days is no big deal. A reliable printer can be acquired very easily through a store or online for as little as $50. Some suppliers are even giving away inkjet printers on promotions or as free incentives when buying other products. On the face of it, it seems like too good an opportunity to pass by - a worthwhile investment you might say.

But, much like a traditional camera that uses film, an inkjet printer is only 'cheap' before you start using it. The cost of keeping it in ink soon mounts up, especially when you're buying OEM (original equipment manufactured) inkjet cartridges as recommended by the printer manufacturer. Before you know it you'll find that you've actually spent more on the ink cartridges than you did on the purchase of the inkjet printer itself!

If you're in this position - and let's face it, most of us are - what follows could be quite a revelation!

Five things inkjet printer manufacturers DON'T want you to know…

1. Inkjet printer manufacturers make their money selling ink cartridges NOT inkjet printers

Selling recommended OEM ink cartridges is a very lucrative business for inkjet printer manufacturers. They know that once you've purchased the printer you'll be coming back to them time and time again to buy the ink that they recommend in the user guide and any other literature that accompanies the printer. Fair enough you might say, but given that the price of manufacturing an OEM ink cartridge is only a few cents why are the cartridges so expensive? The answer is that ink cartridges are in fact stuffed full of manufacturer profit. It is where they make their money, and is precisely why they are happy to give away an inkjet printer for nothing.

2. Inkjet cartridges supplied for 'free' with inkjet printers are rarely full

OEM ink cartridges supplied with the printer are designed only to provide enough ink for a few pages to get you 'started'. From the manufacturer's perspective this is a great selling technique, as free cartridges can often make the difference between a retailer closing a sale or losing it…and once you've got the printer the manufacturer is going to make money out of you every time you order more OEM ink! Supplying ink cartridges that are not full shortens the timeframe over which consumers start ordering OEM ink cartridges too. This brings the manufacturer into profit on each customer much more quickly than had they supplied full cartridges for free with the printer.

3. Consumers have a choice about which inkjet cartridges to buy

It's true! Contrary to popular belief consumers are not obliged to purchase expensive OEM ink cartridges from the manufacturer. They can in fact opt to buy cheaper 'compatible' ink cartridges or remanufactured cartridges, often realizing savings on their ink purchase of between 50% and 75%!! All major inkjet cartridge brands are covered, including Apple, Canon, Hewlett Packard, Lexmark, Brother, Epson, IBM and Xerox. What's more they do the job just as well as OEM cartridges but at a much lower cost!

4. Compatible inkjet cartridges DO NOT automatically void a printer's warranty

Regardless of what you might have heard compatible inkjet cartridges WILL NOT automatically void your printer warranty. In fact, it is ILLEGAL for manufacturers in the United States