Discount ink opens in Plymouth

If you’re in need of ink and/or toner supplies for your printers, fax machines and copiers, discount ink, a franchise that opened in May at 201 E. Mill St. (former location of The Sleep Shoppe) Plymouth, has a full supply of both products at discounted prices.

The business carries original, compatible and remanufactured supplies and bills itself as being able to save customers as much as 70 percent on their printing supplies.

Plymouth resident Diane Brasser, a Sargento Foods Inc., employee, owns the Plymouth franchise. Her husband Mark Brasser manages the store.

Scott Trekas, Sheboygan, owns the main discount ink franchise, for which there are more than 30 stores in Wisconsin.

“Discount ink is the price and quality leader for your laser, inkjet, ribbon and copier toner needs,” Trekas said. “We give organizations big discounts over office-supply stores and help the environment by recycling the durable components of the spent cartridges.”

Name brands available at discount ink include: Hewlett Packard (HP), Canon, Dell, Epson, Lexmark, Okidata, Xerox and others. In addition, dicount ink’s own brand of printer cartridges are discount-priced. And purchasing re-manufactured inkjet cartridges provides customers with an even greater saving.

The business prides itself on its slogan, “Ink Cartridges Starting at $1.99.”

“We do have one cartridge that sells for that price, and that’s for a Canon computer,” Mark said.

“HP, Canon, Epson, Lexmark and Xerox cartridges are able to be manufactured new as a comparable brand (generic) and will work the same as the brands of the original equipment manufacturers, and they are 100 percent guraranteed,” he noted.

“Our cartridges carry a 60-day warranty,” Mark added. “If your cartridge doesn’t work the way it should, we will return your money or give you a new cartridge. But the cartridge must be at least 60 percent full when you return it. We have a process to test for ensuring it is at least that full.”

In addition to the above products and services, discount ink offers:

. A Hewlett Packard Rewards program. Earn free merchandise like printers and cameras from HP, when ordering from discount ink..

Printer service and cleaning to keep printers running smoothly.

. Photo-quality, colored business cards, post cards, brochures and more at black-and-white costs.

. Prevent-It service. This service protects laser printers by removing the most dangerous threats to their proper functioning. The service includes a thorough cleaning of internal parts, ensuring crisp copies and extending the life of the printer.

. Convenient, 24-hour per day ordering service through the company’s Web site at www.DiscountInk.com.

. Empty-cartridge collection service. “For each cartridge that is brought in, the customer receives 50 cents,” Mark said. “This service also helps keep the environment clean.”

The company refurbishes empty cartridges. “They are taken apart, and the sponges are removed,” Mark explained. “The cartridges are totally flushed, and new sponges are inserted. They are then refilled all the way to the top, then sealed, tested and packaged.”

For Mark, managing the new Plymouth store is a change of pace in his employment history. He worked at Borden’s (now American Dairy Brands) in Plymouth for 20 years and was then employed for 10 years at Master’s Gallery Foods in Plymouth.

Then, from 1998-2008, he worked in the warehouse at the Kohler Co. However, he was laid off there in June 2008.

“I started looking for jobs, but there was nothing out there,” he recalled. “I felt I’d like to work in a computer-related field but did not want to repair them.”

Some months later, he was in the Sheboygan-based discount ink store, the franchise’s main office at 1225 Erie Ave. Trekas was there at the time.

“Mark asked me about the franchise, and I told him I franchise out for people to open stores,” Trekas said. “He told me he was laid off and looking for work.

“I told Mark I really wanted a store in Plymouth.”

So, Mark talked the situation over with his wife Diane, and she decided to buy into the discount ink franchise. The couple found a convenient location and set up shop, with Trekas’ assistance.

Note: For further information, phone Mark Brasser at discount ink at 893-8200 or check out discount ink’s Web site at www.DiscountInk.com