Computers and Technology

Your printer ink cartridges play as big a part in the final quality of your print as the paper that you use. If you use cheap paper, your print quality will suffer and in many cases the same is true of using cheap print cartridges. This isn’t always the case, however. Discount ink can be bought in a few different ways and each of them has advantages and disadvantages.

Refill Ink

The first option for cheap ink is to refill your empty cartridges. This is generally the cheapest of all the alternatives, but it is also tends to wind up with the lowest quality prints.

It’ll depend on what brand and model of printer you have, but many of the newer printers are difficult to refill. It can also be quite messy because you’re dealing with bottled ink, trying to inject it back into the empty cartridge.

Recycled Cartridges

There are plenty of companies that recycle cartridges for you. They basically take the empty cartridges, clean them up, refill the ink and test them.

This is more expensive than refilling your own because you’re paying for the labor involved, but it tends to give you better results.

These companies have refilling and cleaning equipment that can do a much better job of remanufacturing your empty cartridge. They also generally offer a guarantee on their work, so if the cartridge doesn’t work properly you can either get a replacement or get your money back.

Generic Brand Cartridges

Generic cartridges are not as common as the other two options, mainly because many printer companies have patents on their ink cartridges so no other companies can duplicate them.

There are some cartridges that you can find brand new generic replacement ink for. These generic cartridge are not recycled, they are new but they aren’t made by the printer companies themselves.

These cartridges tend to be the highest priced of the three options, but they are still cheaper than the original cartridges, and work just as well.

Which option will be best for you is going to depend a lot on how much printing you do, and what you’re printing. If you’re printing photos that you want to be able to keep for a lifetime, you’ll have different needs than if you’re just printing copies of web pages for future reference.

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Anyone who has ever had to buy a cartridge for an inkjet printer, or any inkjet printer products for their business knows that they are not cheap at all.  And Businesses need to be able to print a host of paperwork throughout the day like invoices, announcements, and reports.

Ink cartridges in printers used at a place of business wind up needing to be changed more often, since they are also used day after day, constantly.  Buying ink cartridges from an office supply store in the area can become extremely expensive.  Ordering ink cartridges for your business’s printers online can turn out to be a much cheaper solution.

Buying printer ink, or any inkjet printer products on the Internet can save you money for two big reasons.  Since online stores that sell ink have a lower overhead, they are able to offer much lower prices than other shops or manufacturers who use their own special brand of ink. An online ink retailer hopes to sell enough to make up for the savings they offer their customers.

Recycled or remanufactured ink cartridges sold under a generic brand name, are another option to lower the cost of your business’s printing.

Remanufactured ink cartridges are original manufacturer cartridges that, after having been used up, were thoroughly cleaned, refilled with generic ink, and tested to insure quality.  They are at the same quality level as the original cartridges.

In recent years the remanufacturing process has improved greatly over the way it was once conducted.  The grand majority of individuals who use remanufactured ink cartridges claim that their results are equal to if not better than results with the original ink cartridges.

One USA Today article said that the price of remanufactured ink cartridges is 85% less than that of their original counterparts.  Just imagine the savings that could build up by using remanufactured cartridges for several months or years!

Businesses, especially offices, need to be able to print countless documents.  To do so, they need lots of printer ink.  Saving money on ink cartridges is a great way to reduce the total operating cost of your business.

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Ink cartridges made by the printer manufactures are expensive.  One can’t argue that the lower priced generic brands or the refill kits are appealing.  There are a few things to be considered, however, before making the switch to save money.

There are two sides to the debate. On one hand, the printer companies all claim these discount ink cartridges can cause your print quality to suffer or even damage the printer. Some go as far as to say they will void your warranty.

On the other hand, the companies that sell the remanufactured cartridges and refill kits claim that these stories are just hype to make you buy the original cartridges.

The truth is somewhere in the middle. Yes, it’s true that the original brand of printer ink cartridge will give you the best possible print quality, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get the same kind of results with a cheaper option.

The deciding factor is the ink quality.  All companies use different types of ink in their cartridges.  The ink is what will determine what type of quality prints you get.

Each printer is manufactured to use a certain type of ink.  If you do not use the type of ink required by your particular printer you could harm your printer and you will sacrifice the quality.  Also certain inks are made to be used with certain paper.  The wrong combination there will also affect your print quality.

The key when buying a discount printer ink cartridge or a refill kit is to be sure the ink is compatible with your particular brand and model of printer.

Avoid buying from cartridge manufactures that put the same kind of ink in all of their cartridges.  They are clearly not concerned with giving a quality product and their cartridges will most likely not work well on any printer type.

When choosing your ink, make sure the company uses the correct type of ink that will work properly with your printer. And be sure they offer a money-back guarantee in case you have any problems.

With careful shopping you will be able to find cartridges that are compatible with your printer, you will not sacrifice the quality of your prints and you will save money.

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The quality of the pages you print is greatly affected by the paper and the ink cartridge that you choose to use.  Cheap paper can reduce your printer’s quality, and even though it is not always true, cheap ink cartridges can also cause your printer to produce images of a lesser caliber.  There are pros and cons when it comes to using each of the three different kinds of inexpensive ink cartridges.

Refill Ink

The first option for cheap ink is to refill your empty cartridges. This is generally the cheapest of all the alternatives, but it is also tends to wind up with the lowest quality prints.

It’ll depend on what brand and model of printer you have, but many of the newer printers are difficult to refill. It can also be quite messy because you’re dealing with bottled ink, trying to inject it back into the empty cartridge.

Recycled Cartridges

Many companies clean used cartridges, refill them with ink, test them for quality, and then sell them as recycled cartridges.

Results from this option are better than those that refill ink tends to offer, but there is also a greater cost involved since you have to pay for the labor involved in the recycling process.

These companies have refilling and cleaning equipment that can do a much better job of remanufacturing your empty cartridge. They also generally offer a guarantee on their work, so if the cartridge doesn’t work properly you can either get a replacement or get your money back.

Generic Cartridges

Due to patents on ink cartridges held by their manufacturers that make their reproduction illegal by other companies, use of generic cartridges is less widespread than that of the other alternatives.

There are some cartridges that you can find brand new generic replacement ink for. These generic cartridge are not recycled, they are new but they aren’t made by the printer companies themselves.

These cartridges tend to be the highest priced of the three options, but they are still cheaper than the original cartridges, and work just as well.

Which option will be best for you is going to depend a lot on how much printing you do, and what you’re printing. If you’re printing photos that you want to be able to keep for a lifetime, you’ll have different needs than if you’re just printing copies of web pages for future reference.

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It is hard to find a better quality printer than an Epson.  You are almost guaranteed good prints with Epson products.  Knowing when to change your ink cartridge will help you maintain that good quality.

Epson makes it easy to know when it is time to replace your cartridge.  They put a light on the printer that flashes when the ink is running low, which means that you need to buy a new ink cartridge.

Second, with any Epson printer made in the last several years, the status monitor software that runs on your computer will also warn you when your ink is getting low.

The only thing is that at times these warnings do not come at exactly the right time.  Sometimes the warning is premature and sometimes it comes late.

Sometimes you get the warning in the middle of a big print job and it is to late to interrupt printing.  If you get the warning when the cartridge is about 75% empty you will most likely not have enough to finish a big print job.

If the warning occurs and you change your cartridge right away you could be wasting ink.  Usually when the indicator light flashes or the computer gives you the warning that you are running low on ink your cartridge is still ? full. 

The fact is, you can run the printer right until the ink cartridges are completely empty. Once they run out of ink entirely, you can replace them then with a new ink cartridge. This lets you get the maximum use from the cartridges, without wasting any ink.

However, if you are going to do a big print job or you need to print photos it may be better to start with a new cartridge.  Yes you may still have some ink left in your old cartridge.  But it may be better to go ahead and loose that little bit of ink than to mess up your print job.

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Ink cartridges are something that must be purchased frequently and can be quite expensive.  There can be big savings in buying refills rather than new cartridges.

Before deciding to go with a refill rather than a new cartridge, there are some factors that you may want to consider. 

Printers are quite specific as to the type of ink that must be used for the printer to function property.  Refills that say they can be used for all types of printers may not be trustworthy.

You need to be sure to get a refill that is specifically compatible with your brand and model of printer, to get the best results.

Also you want to factor in what you are getting for your money.  You want to be aware of how many refills you are actually getting in a cartridge refill kit. 

A well-matched ink is not the only thing that has to be considered.  Cartridges do not function well forever.  If you continue to refill them after a while they will begin to perform poorly.  After a few refills the cartridges need to be replaced.

Most refill kits come with enough ink for filling a cartridge more than one time.  So when you have to replace your cartridge you can hold on to your remaining refill ink and when your new cartridge runs out you will be ready to refill it. You may also be able to save by buying refurbished cartridges. 

Refill kits usually have a longer shelf life than cartridges do, often as much as 2 years. If you don’t do enough printing in that time to use up the refill, it may not be the best option since you’ll probably end up wasting part of it anyway.

The other common problem with cartridge refill kits is that they can be quite messy if you aren’t careful when refilling them. Companies that refill empty cartridges have specialized equipment that makes it quite simple.

When you’re doing it yourself, ink can leak or spill and it can make a real mess if you’re not careful. Be sure to read through the refill kit instructions thoroughly before attempting the refill – probably a couple of times.

You may be able to find additional instructions online at the manufactures website.  If they have step by step directions with illustrations or demonstrations this could be very helpful. 

Give yourself plenty of time on your first attempt to refill a cartridge.  It is a learning process and you don’t want to be in a hurry.  If you have to get something out right away you don’t want to be worrying about refilling your cartridge.  Set aside some time to learn to do it correctly.

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