Software locks on printers push consumers to buy only name-brand printer ink cartridges, at a steep cost to the environment and to our wallets. Tell the FTC: End the ink trap. ADD YOUR NAME:
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John,
Here's one of those problems that might feel small, but is really part of something much bigger: The price of printer ink is eye-popping.
Americans could save as much as $10 billion per year if manufacturers let us use refilled ink cartridges -- but they don't. Instead, we're forced to buy name-brand ink that's been marked up by as much as 10,000% over wholesale prices.
That "part of something bigger" I mentioned? This is yet another example of that single-use, planned obsolescence mentality that results in unnecessary waste and unnecessary cost to consumers.
It doesn't have to be this way. Tell the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to end the ink trap.
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You might ask if home printers are still all that relevant. But 47% of American households still have one, and Americans spend more than $21 billion on ink cartridges every year.[1]
In part, that's because printer ink is sold at an absurd makeup. Black printer ink purchased wholesale costs $1.18 per fluid ounce. But put that ink in a name-brand cartridge, and now it costs $118 per fluid ounce.
So why buy name brand at all? Well, some manufacturers have designed printers that reject ink cartridges that aren't their own brand, including cheaper refilled options. These software locks push us to use name-brand ink cartridges that waste our money and become yet another unsustainable single-use plastic product.
Tell the FTC to prohibit the use of anti-competition software locks on printers.
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If we could use refilled ink cartridges in our printers, we could save the plastic equivalent of 4 million single-use plastic bags every year. And, as I mentioned earlier, Americans could save $10 billion per year on printer ink.
So how can we fix printers?
Simple: We can end the practice of using anti-competition software locks. Companies aren't allowed to tie the use of one product to the purchase of additional items or services -- it unfairly restricts competition. And neither consumers nor the planet benefit from the lack of healthy competition among ink manufacturers.
We're urging the FTC to clarify that it's illegal to use software locks to push consumers to buy ink only from the manufacturer.
Add your name to our petition today to urge the FTC to stop the software locks.
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Thank you,
Faye Park
President
1. Lucas Gutterman, "How printers keep us hooked on expensive ink," PIRG, June 22, 2023.
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