Too true, Michael. Back in the 90s, when dinosaurs were still analog, I decided that I really needed a nifty multi-function printer, scanner, copier, fax, to go with my brand new Micron first computer. I went out and dropped big bux for an HP (which my techie friend snickeringly referred to as a bread maker). It was about the size of a carton for a 32" cathode color TV.
Every item covered in your post was experienced. After a couple of infuriating years the internal plastic cogs began to strip, with much vibratory ado, and the whole thing then seized up. Having dropped the aforesaid big bux, I found an HP certified repair shop to fix the bugger. The tech took one look at what was now an obsolete piece of junk, with about $60 worth of now useless brand new ink cartridges*, and said that HP would swap it for a fully reconditioned one for about $300, or I could go to Costco and buy a new one for $150. This I did. Repeat all of the above.
Having decided that HP printers were evil, when time came to purchase my third printer I went with an Epson. This was decidedly a far superior bit of technology, but the ink cartridges were even more outrageously priced than HP's... and each of the four held an ink capacity of about one thimble. I have relived the printing experience, stated in your posted link, of needing to finish a last minute tax return and race to beat the deadline, only to have an empty cyan cartridge freeze the operation until replaced.
Later, having been placed in a position within a rather large corporation of acquiring bids for some of the more costly equipment and machinery used there, I was tasked with evaluating the real big boy industrial size printers. I was dumbfounded buy the technology available in the high end of commercial printers. They can collate, staple, bind books and and heat a rather large cubicle farm. They will also put a printer service technician's children through a major university.
It is now obvious to me that the technology for these devices, from the little unit on your home desk to the industrial monsters that have to be raised to offices on higher floors with a construction crane, came from 4D STS, where they are referred to as loosh generators.
*I hold a working hypothesis that an aging printer will not self destruct until the day that all new ink cartridges are installed. This I have personally observed on more than one occasion.
Working hypothesis #2. The cost of the printer is directly proportionate to the capacity of the ink cartridges.
