As investors are painfully aware, the technology sell-off left little shelter anywhere. Most tech stocks were blown to smithereens, taking down the best with the rest. But therein lies opportunity. As Nasdaq has rebounded of late, many of the better stocks have started to bounce back. The relatively low-tech computer printer business supplies the lion's share of profits for both companies.
Computer printers are a razor-blade type of business.
The printers themselves are cheap, and getting cheaper. The real money comes from printer cartridges, which users have to replace again and again. But that's changing fast. What's more, printers are becoming more sophisticated and are being used increasingly to print complex graphics and color photos. Both consume far more ink than ordinary text documents.