color printing in egypt

[winter]

which is cheaper? buying a color ink cartridge and printing in color at home? or going to a local print shop and having them print your document in color?

i've been to the middle east before (not egypt tho) and i know they have photocopy/print shops, but i can't remember what the price ranges were for color printing. obviously, it is much higher than black and white printing.

the things i plan on printing are fairly detailed -- i'm a graphic designer.

i just wanted to know, because if it's cheaper to print at home, i'd probably like to invest in a better printer.

thank you!

[MensEtManus]

It all depends on how much you think you'll be printing. Maybe the initial cost of a better printer might not be worth it vs. the amount that you will be printing. However, if you will be printing for your profession, then I would imagine it would be better to print at home.

Ignoring the costs, in Egypt, (specifically, Alexandria), we don't have the luxury of a "clean" printing shop like Kinkos/Fedex or Staples similar to the US. Here you might find the grocer next door with a color copier and things aren't really "friendly." Folks will be staring at your documents and might even comment on them! In Alex, the cleanest place to print is the Xerox owned printing shops.

In terms of ink cartridges, the "original" cartridges are sold here in Egypt for 1.5x the price. However, you can "fill" the cartridges for a fraction of the cost. Alternatively, you can buy "fake" cartridges. Chinese products are abundant in the Egyptian marketplace and you can find a lot of electronics for pennies, but quality is always questionable.

[winter]

thanks for the info!

hm, i think i'd better just invest in a good color printer before i leave... but then i'd have to use it with a transformer because of the electricity difference. and 1.5x the price for an original print cartridge is okay, i suppose.

egypt really is worlds and worlds away from what i'm used to, i guess.
i'm not a spoiled, ultra-metropolitan new-yorker, but still, i'm worried.

thanks again for the info! it's much appreciated.

[MensEtManus]

If you invest in a good printer, you shouldn't have a problem with transformers. Let me clarify, most new appliances (especially PCs, laptops, ipods, etc.) tend to write 100-240v which means they can work with any type of input. As a test, check out what does it say on your PC/laptop?

Facts: Egypt runs on 220v, so any appliance that you have that doesn't write that range of 100-240v needs to always be verified. The only issue you'll have is with the plug outlet type. There is an easy fix, go to any RadioShack in egypt and just buy one of those universal type of outlets. It will be compatible with any plug you might have.