When it comes to digital purchases, most people tend not to get past the sticker shock and end up making decisions about what they can afford based on MSRP. Paul over at The Online Photographer, though, reminds us why that isn't a good way to run a business, or even a hobby. When comparing the TCO of an Epson Stylus R2400 and an Epson Stylus Pro 4800, for instance, he figures the 4800 will pay for itself by the time it empties a single set of cartridges, even though the MSRP is nearly double. Of course, we're talking about volume printing here, if you're not going to go through a couple of liters of pigment over the lifetime of the printer, then Initial cost becomes more important. At a certain point, paying more for small cartridges may make sense if the printer is collecting dust most of the time. But then, why buy a printer at all? You can get a lot of giclée prints from MyPhotoPipe for the cost of any printer, all printed on the same 4800 Pro we're talking about here.