Printer ink one of world's most expensive liquids

When we think of expensive liquids, quality champagne or French perfumes come to mind. You might be surprised to discover that printer ink is one of the world's costliest liquids. A survey from the U.K. consumer watchdog "Which?" revealed that some printer ink that is sold by tech companies is pricier than many champagnes. It reported that printer ink from printer makers can be up to 286% more expensive than alternative ink from companies that do not make printers. The watchdog said that some branded printer ink can cost as much as $846 a litre. A consumer rights expert from Which? said: "Printer ink shouldn't cost more than a bottle of high-end champagne or Chanel No 5."

Which? said non-branded ink cartridges can be as good as, if not better than the cartridges made by the big printer makers. The expert said: "We've found that there are lots of third-party products that are outperforming their branded counterparts at a fraction of the cost." Which? calculated that buying non-branded ink could save consumers around $398 a year. It added that deciding which ink to put in a printer should be "a personal choice and not dictated by the make of your printer". Printer manufacturers said they produce better quality ink. Epson said: "As non-genuine inks are not designed or tested by Epson, we cannot guarantee these inks will not damage the printer."