[HN Gopher] It looks like a product but is a subscription
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       It looks like a product but is a subscription
        
       Author : pcr910303
       Score  : 12 points
       Date   : 2021-08-02 14:35 UTC (8 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (calpaterson.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (calpaterson.com)
        
       | PaulHoule wrote:
       | About 10 months ago I started a hobby printing art reproductions
       | on an inkjet printer.
       | 
       | I realized right away that the printer would dry out if I didn't
       | use it every day, so I committed myself to print something every
       | day.
       | 
       | It's been like a road trip where I decided to go drive west
       | without much of a plan then hit the west coast and turned my car
       | into a hydrofoil.
       | 
       | My printer is a
       | 
       | https://epson.com/EcoTank-Supertank-Printers/c/hc110
       | 
       | and doesn't need cartridges. I print mainly 4''x6'' cards and use
       | expensive paper and my material cost is about 8 cents for that
       | kind of card, 20 cents for a 8''x8'' card. 15 cents for an NFC
       | sticker looks expensive in comparison!
       | 
       | If I had a large format printer I could do some amazing things in
       | principle but with the small card I can afford to take chances,
       | make mistakes, and get good at it.
       | 
       | For borderless prints of subjects like
       | 
       | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Non-Objective_Composition...
       | 
       | you have to be very careful because the algorithm is designed for
       | "color snaps" and the printer doesn't know exactly where the
       | paper edge is and you have to finesse it if you want to keep the
       | narrow strips of yellow at the top and bottom which I think is an
       | important detail.
       | 
       | So I don't trust the print shop or shutterfly with my prints,
       | they do pretty good but not good enough.
       | 
       | I think today's printers are a miracle and don't regret in the
       | slightest what they cost.
        
       | ricardobeat wrote:
       | This was a good read but the section on cars is not right. They
       | are a special kind of asset in that they depreciate incredibly
       | fast, which makes leasing not so much of a bad proposition. In
       | places where interest rates are low, you might end up spending a
       | mere 10-20% more, and in turn you don't have to deal with
       | insurance, maintenance or selling it at the end of the period.
        
         | OldTimeCoffee wrote:
         | Leasing is still terrible unless you're a business replacing
         | your vehicle on a schedule. If you buy a car new and keep it
         | for a decade, you'll be ahead even including maintenance. Many
         | dealerships offer free maintenance during the warranty period,
         | then continue to offer free oil changes for as long as you own
         | it.
         | 
         | You have to carry insurance on a leased car at your own expense
         | as well.
        
           | vetinari wrote:
           | > You have to carry insurance on a leased car at your own
           | expense as well.
           | 
           | Not only that, you have to have a plan by insurer that the
           | lessor has chosen (and yes, they do earn money here). With
           | your own property, you can find your own deal.
        
       | mikestew wrote:
       | _The average user prints exactly one colour page during the
       | lifetime of their colour printer. It is usually the test page._
       | 
       | Really? So I guess I'm one of the few that accidentally prints in
       | color more than once during a printer's lifetime?
        
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       (page generated 2021-08-02 23:03 UTC)