I've heard that the Da Vinci filament cartridges basically cost twice as much as if you were to purchase the filament yourself. I hate this with a passion. I think the DaVinci printer is awesome, but hate how they do this. I'm glas that someone has found a workaround to this filament DRM. Not sure if it's legal, but I feel that it's what they deserve. If you buy a printer for $500-$1000, you should be able to use your own filament.