I didn't want to open separate posts.
1-Do people really pay for those expensive ink printers? They say Cannon has best image out put but the ink cartridges are like $60 and I remember from having ink printers from back in the day they keep cloggin and ink running out and then have to do many nozzle cleaning. replacing ink was like bi-weekly process and more ink is wasted on cleaning than printing.
Yes, but they're only really practical with consistent use. That being said, I'm under the impression inject nozzle cleaning has come a lot way (I don't personally own a inkjet, just what I've read around). Also, that price is actually VERY reasonable for ink, cost goes up dramatically on ink and toner on better model printers real fast.
2-Does anybody buy those lesser known printer brands like Xerox, Ricoh, Lexmark, OKI? they seem still in business but hardly any info on them online. Very unpopular. Very hard to believe the world is running on 4 printer companies only: HP, Epson, Cannon, and Brother.
Yes, I actually own a Xerox myself. All of those brands tend to corner markets with specific needs. Xerox and Lexmark (I think) is very business/office focused imo. My printer is specifically geared toward graphic designers; it's what I would imagine an ad agency would have in-office for proofs before they send off their final piece to an actual printer. Ricoh seems to focus on office and print shops, and oki seems to corner a lot of niche markets like white toner and larger print sizes on a smaller footprint. You don't see a lot of info on these because it's very B2B and service techs do a lot of the work on them
The latter four you listed definitely have a B2B focus, but they also have a VERY strong consumer focus, hence why you see more talk about them
Another weird aspect, I keep hearing people complaining about Epson, HP, and Canon but Amazon reviews seem to love them.
Don't trust Amazon reviews lol