wrote in message
...

Today, printers seem to resemble cameras and hi-fi gear, being
"updated" or replaced every few months. As their advertisements all
boast large numbers of pages per cartridge, how realistic is it of me
to suppose that, after some time, a perfectly serviceable printer will
outlast the supply of toner cartridges and thus become junk?
Is there a sort'v legal requirement imposed on manufacturers to
support their hardware with consumables for a minimum time?

It depends on where you are, as laws vary by country and locality. I
believe in California consumables are required to be sold for seven years
after the last printer of that model is sold. I know that for HP you can
still buy inkjet cartridges for the Thinkjet printer introduced a couple
decades ago as well as practically any other HP inkjet ever produced. (The
only exception I know of was the Paintjet 300XL printer.)

Regards,
Bob Headrick, MS MVP Printing/Imaging