Everything above kilo (1,000) is expressed with a capital letter so Mb and Gb; mb is millibytes (one thousandth of a byte) - Guardian correction
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No-one gives a toss about green things, say Lexmark users
LIKE ALL IT INDUSTRY vendors, Lexmark loves to bang the marketing drum about all things green and productivity. Like all printer makers, it is obsessed with feeds and speeds of its inkjets and lasers.
So the firm invited an audience of high profile end users to one of Soho’s swankiest restaurants, for a lunch and a summit. And kindly invited The INQUIRER in to meet some real humans for a change.
But the end users were in no mood to accept any greens. They stubbornly refused to chew the fad.
For appetisers there was a polite discussion about the effectiveness of colour documents. The man from Lexmark’s points went over very well.
But as the hors d’oevres arrived, the atmosphere suddenly changed. Perhaps it was the prospect of eating snails from their shells.
A productivity expert suddenly knocked over the sweet trolley (metaphorically speaking). "IT vendors are always banging on about green issues. We don’t give a monkey’s about green issues," he ejaculated.
This prompted host Guy Clapperton to ask "Has Jeremy Clarkson just walked in."
But it was too late, the revolt had started. "Saving the planet is a very low priority," agreed a music impressario.
"Being green is turning your PC off when you go home," asserted an accountant called Nigel.
As the main course arrived, one man nearly spat out his pancietta when the Carbon Trust was mentioned. "It’s a great idea, but the execution is terrible," he said, reasonably enough. He could have stopped there, but he had to overegg the pudding. "It’s a bureaucrat’s paradise. There’s some real numpties involved."
Lexmark’s Gareth Kirkshaw gazed meditatively at the dessert menu, as the conversation moved on to the government’s plans to clobber small businesses with capital gains taxes, while allowing the rich to save up to buy a peerage. We were definitely onto duties outside of his job description.
Suddenly, as the wine glasses were being topped up, a Buy to Let entrepreneur had a corker of an idea. "Here, why don’t you change your business model? Make a really expensive printer, but with cheap consumables?" That wouldn’t put Lexmark out on a limb, would it?
On that bombshell Lexmark waved away the wine waiter and called for the bill.
Are all end user forums like this? µ
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I have been using printers at home since the 9-pin versions. Printers used to be expensive (as all the rest was), but my first pin printer lasted no less than 5 years.
In the last 5 years, I have basically had to buy a new printer every 14 months - and not because of heavy usage. On the contrary, it would apparently be because of not enough usage.
The darn thing is continuously telling me it needs head cleaning - and if ever a paper gets introduced in a wrong way, well that's it, the printer is broken.
And don't ask about repairs - let's just not go there, okay ?
Not to mention that, given current printer vs ink prices, once you've paid for ink refills twice, you can buy a new printer the next time anyway. It will hardly cost more.
So yes, I am ready to put €1500 into a printer that is made to BE REPAIRABLE, and doesn't break down ON A WHIM.
What's wrong with a company saying they want to be more environmentally friendly? Yes, they make money bit so do all of us. So do all the people at this meeting anyway. Lexmark asked users if this was important to them. If you's asked French or Dutch companies I'd better the answer would be yes. British SMEs have a lot to learn and bringing the debate to the table should be applauded. Not made into some kind of jcheap oke.
Glad you enjoyed yourself! 
We spend a lot of time listening to what our customers want – whether consumers, SMBs or large enterprises.
As you will have no doubt have heard on Wednesday, we’re proud to be the only printing firm that sticks by its ‘Print Less’ message to ensure people think about printing’s impact on the environment. Sometimes this can be an issue that sparks debate! 
What we did find on Wednesday was that small businesses have strong feelings about many issues – from the environment and technology to politics and taxation. 
We’re glad we gave them a forum to get themselves heard, and will take all the advice we were given and use it where we can.

Raj Meghani, Lexmark
A person doesn't ejaculate "himself", unless he's talking to himself. 
If someone else had been talking, then he would have ejaculated the comment. 
While ejaculation does mean "to blurt out, to interrupt". This is an "and" not an "or". You need both of them to ejaculate properly.
The only reasons for companies to promote being green now are to avoid regulatory agencies and to look good to the public. Everyone wants things to be more green... as long as they don't cost any more or are any less convenient.

Lexmark in the US has recently taken to selling versions of their famously-overpriced ink cartridges for a few bucks less that come with a license agreement attached. Buy that marked-down version, and you are contractually obligated (as though they could enforce it without a signature or paper trail as to who you even are) to ship the cartridge back to them when you are finished using it, all via the included pre-paid envelope. 
They make a fuss that this is all about saving the environment.

The truth of the matter is that with Staples and Office Depot offering $3 credits for all turned-in ink cartridges, which are then used for their own brand of remanufactured cartridges, companies like Lexmark are hurting a little more. People are less likely to buy their ink when they can buy store brands for cheap, and every cartridge they turn in for credit nets them a discount on the next cheap cartridge. 
So Lexmark is banking on them buying a cartridge already discounted in that amount in exchange for shipping it directly back to Lexmark.

Of course at the end of the day the customer's just going to buy the discounted cartridge, then turn it into Staples and get their $3 anyway. What a waste of time and effort.