[GTALUG] cheap colour printing with a privacy issue

D. Hugh Redelmeier hugh at mimosa.com
Mon Mar 26 14:17:03 EDT 2018


| From: Giles Orr via talk <talk at gtalug.org>

| On 26 March 2018 at 13:22, Kevin Cozens via talk <talk at gtalug.org> wrote:
| 
| > Only 15 pages in an entire month? That is barely 1 page every 2 days. If
| > someone is using the printer as their main one they would easily exceed
| > that number of pages in a month.

We print loads and loads of stuff.  It is all printed in monochrome on
a laser.

But it really is magical that you can cheaply buy something that can
print beautiful colour.

We print almost nothing in colour.  That's why our current inkjet
dries out.

We do print a colour picture once in a while.  The ink for a picture
is (I think) fairly expensive.  One problem: I guess we'd binge-print
once in a while, and 15/month, non-cumulative, might not be enough for
a binge.

| > I wonder how much they charge for ink cartridges and how many pages you
| > are supposed to be able to print with each cartridge?

Those are easy to find on the web.  But beware, the quoted page counts
are based on an ISO standard page that has (if I remember correctly)
5% coverage -- nothing like a photo.

| What fascinates me - and every big corporation in the world - is the
| question "how little does a person have to be paid to give up their
| privacy?"

Right.

I thought of countermeasures, like creating a separate network for the
printer.  That might make it safe-ish.  The things I would print would
be unlikely to have privacy concerns (cannot be 100% sure).  But
that's way too much effort for the advantages.

| Most people give up their privacy for convenience.

Absolutely.

Examples in my life that immediately come to mind:

- too many private documents via email

- using a Presto Card to enter the nearest subway entrance instead of
  walking further to use a ticket

- using Rogers cable TV after they turned off analogue.  Few noticed
  that their viewing choices became visible to Rogers because of this
  change.  Only Over The Air viewing is private.

|   But I left Facebook several
| years ago,

You are of an age where FB use is optional.  Younger folks doing this
can get isolated from their peers.

| and I pay cash for nearly everything.  The price for this is
| that you're considered archaic or just obstructionist.

Try to stay in a hotel or rent a car.  Not easy with only cash.

Sometimes using cash costs a little more now that the penny is gone.

Credit cards bribe us to use them (points etc.) by taxing the
merchant.


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