INK-CARTRIDGES IN PRINTERS

Computer-printers are presently available just near the cost of ink-cartridges supplied as accessories with the equipment, meaning thereby negligible cost of a printer without cartridge! All such tactics of manufacturers are aimed to later earn huge earnings by way of ink-cartridges sold at abnormally high price. Union Ministry of Consumers? Affairs should take necessary steps to save consumers from such sale of high-priced ink-cartridges. Since most of printer-manufacturers are multi-national importing printers for sale in India, Union government can impose condition on these manufacturers-importers for compulsory manufacture of ink-cartridges in India with authority to other Indian companies for manufacture of cartridges thus eliminating monopoly of printer-manufacturers to manufacture/import ink-cartridges by them only. It will boost dying Indian industries because of large-scale invasion of Chinese and other imported goods in Indian markets.

Bureau of Indian Standards should call meeting of printer-manufacturers to minimise types of ink-cartridges. Presently largest-selling brand Hewlett Packard (HP) has too many types of ink-cartridges of similar shape and size for its range of printers. It is not difficult to standardise so many ink-cartridges in a limited number to be used uniformly in different models of inkjet printers. Such standardisation will heavily bring down cost of ink-cartridges. Since cartridges in wholesale market are available at just two-third of printed Maximum-Retail-Price (MRP), Union Finance Ministry should impose MRP-based excise/custom duty on these to bring down printed MRP in benefit of consumers in retail and also reduce bribery for purchasers.