Sep 16, 2006 09:14 PM
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(Updated Sep 17, 2006 11:47 AM)
Prologue
For the naive: inkjet printers are sold at low prices because the manufacturers make up forthe lower margins on the printers by charging more on the replacement ink cartidges. Take for example, the cheapest HP printer which is available for Rs. 2500. The ink cartridge has a capacity of about 200 pages, and once it is over you need to shell about half the price ofthe printer to get an original cartridge.
The Industry
This is where the ink refilling industry comes it. While it would seem tobe a scrimpy Indian's idea, it isn't. Ink refilling is a global phenomenon. And the reasons are obvious and compelling - while the original cartridge costs about Rs. 1000, the refill kit is available for about a tenth of the price. The only way the manufacturers can"dissuade" you from refilling is by stating that the printer's warranty is voided if original cartridges are not used.
Most ink refilling kits available in the local market are sold by local players. The "technology" and equipment are simple. You only need a needle and syringe and ink. Inject the ink into the cartridge and you are done. This works with most printers, though printer manufacturers try to make this a difficult task by adding deft product features. But, refill manufacturers catch up fast enough using ingenious and mostly household implements.The ink itself is available in bulk in bottles, so the rest is easy(in case you were planning to start off a business on your own!).
Wolf in the Sheeps Clothing
Into this unorganised market, difficult to keep away from the huge market(and margins), some larger players have entered, and one of them is Lipap systems.They are professional enough to have their own website -lipap.com.
Unlike most refilling kits which consist of a syringe, needle and a container of ink; Lipap, using its expertise in product development have brought something innovative into the market. I discovered this when I was in the market for a refilling kit for an HP3520 printer. The cost of buying an original cartridge is Rs. 800. At the outset, I would like to state that I am a veteran of ink refilling having refilled many HP, Canon and Epson cartidges.
Product Packaging
Lipap offers its refilling kit in a transparent plastic packet. This disarmingly benign package is quite informative since the refilling rechnique is clearly printed on the cover itself. Local players use cheap cardboard for packaging and rarely have any instructions on the outside. You need to open the box to read the technique, and usually the seller doesn't permit this. In comparison, Lipap's package is quite user friendly. The refill kit is also easily visible through the cover. This also involves an ink container with the needle integrated. By combining the functions ofthe container and syringe they have deftly presented a sleeker product. The packaging, no doubt, is the result of extensive market survey and user feedback. Something expected from a professional company. At the time of my purchase, the Lipap package was cheaper than other local products since the volume of ink was less - 20 ml compared to 40 ml. The choice was obvious.
Product Design -Twist in the tale
The first emotion that crosses your mind when you unpack the refiller is puzzlement. The ink container is one clever design thought up by some extremely smart product executives at Lipap. Unlike most containers, this one is made of hard plastic.It cannot be squeezed at all. And unlike most containers, this one has an opening in the bottom, covered by a thin metallic film. You marvel at the design and read the fine print on the bottle - the film at the bottom needs to be pierced for the ink to flow. This is the first ominous sign in the tale.
Product Usage aka Bloodshed
You don't pay attention to things you have done many times in the past without problems. I made the same mistake. Without proper consideration, I pierced the metalic film in the bottom of the container. Imagine the next scene: once the film is pierced gravity kicks in and the ink starts to flow - uncontrollably. You follow the instruction on the package and position the needle in the cartridge as the ink flows in. At some point in time, the cartridge is filled, and you wish to stop the ink flow. How do you do it? Absent mindedly you reset the container on its bottom. Aha! There is an opening there that you forgot. The ink begins to drip onto your hand. Panic striken you can do nothing else but reinsert the needle into the cartridge. But that is already full, so the ink begins to overflow and oozes onto your other hand. You think you can suck the ink back into the container. Gotcha! The hard plastic container refuses to squeeze. Frentically, as you try to think fast on the next course of action, the ink drips down you hand onto the floor and forms a puddle and little splashes of ink fall on your pants. You can only watch in horror as your bag of woes keeps growing bigger. Finally, you realise that the only way to save further wastage is to keep the container horizontal. So you do that. Then you get a cellophane strip and seal the tricky opening in the bottom and set the container in the upright position. But it is too late, since just a few drops remain. Then you stand back and survey the bloodied battleground.
Final Comments
After the lengthy clean up of the floor, furniture, clothing and self; with a cup of tea( to calm your nerves) in your ink stained hands, you look back at the episode and things become clearer.
Lipap went to great lengths to make this product.The simple, transparent and open packaging which enticed the user to buy it was infact the first step of a well planned ambush. The low pricing also makes the package highly attractive. With the defences down, users do not expect anything untoward to occur. The clever product design, which was no doubt the result of excellentout-of-the-box thinking and much brainstorming, was in fact a cleverly concealed bomb. The unware user is subject to such a shock and awe treatment with such clinical devastation that it would shame the US forces in Iraq.
As a veteran refiller, I can assure you that the experience is a confidence-shaking one, and something that new refillers will have nightmares about. The visions and sensations of the oozing, dripping, streaming, splashing, trickling, spurting, flowing, splattering black ink is nothing short of horrifying. And nothing amplifies this more than the feeling of helplessness. You are momentarily stunned into inaction and all you can do is gape in horror as the ink ruins everything you held precious. You could scream but that would only leave you ashamed in front of the other people sharing the residence.
The Plot Unravels.
By the time you are through the cup of tea you are confronted with the dark(no pun intended) truth. Consider the situation, you have a power that is trying to stop you from doing something, it tries to dissuade you but you are adamant of going ahead. Now, the only way it can make you come around is if it can ensure that every step you take, in the path it did not want you to take, is a painful one.
With all the information above, you should be able to see the wolf in the sheep's clothing.
PS. Ideally this should have come up in the Ink Refillers Category. Unfortunately, MS doesn't have one.
