Catholic monks in western Wisconsin who were using laser printers to create documents wondered why replacement toner cartridges were so expensive. When they discovered that they could purchase generic printing supplies, remanufacture printer toner cartridges, and offer them for sale on the Internet, they formed a firm named Lasermonk.com to market the toner cartridges. The company’s first year in business brought in $2,000. By the mid-2000 the business was earning more than $3,000,000 per year, which the monastery uses to fund activities ranging from computer classes for orphans to food programs for homeless children.

Was Lasermonk.com’s entry into the market for remanufacturing printer cartridges entirely free?