Whether your printer is old, new, slow, fast, big, or small, you probably have to admit that you are grateful it exists because of the job it gets done. After all, writing and drawing everything by hand could be gratifying (to a degree) but it would also take a ridiculous amount of your time. On the other hand, how much are you willing to pay for the ink cartridge that feeds your dear little printer?
Unfortunately, a lot of people don't even realize they have more than one option when it comes to replacing an ink cartridge. When the ink runs out, most people take a trip to Wal-Mart or Office Max to buy a very specific, name-brand ink cartridge that matches up with their printer. One arm and a leg later, they arrive home with the new cartridge and suppress the memory of how much it cost them until the next time the ink runs out. Once upon a time, I could number myself among this large group of consumers that I have described, but now I have learned about alternative printer ink cartridges that cost a fraction of the price.
The internet was the tool that helped me discover affordable ink cartridges. At first I started looking for the trusty name-brand products I had always used. To my surprise, I discovered that the price for the exact same product differed a lot from store to store. With my curiosity peaked, I then branched out into unknown brands and found that, if you have the courage to move away from name-brand products, the savings really become substantial.
To avoid buying low quality ink cartridges along with the low cost, look for companies that sell ISO9001-2000 certified products. If they have earned this certification, their products have proven reliable and compatible and they are safe for your printer. The trickiest part about finding an alternate cartridge for your printer is finding the right one. If you have a very popular printer model, it might not be too hard to find a replacement. On the other hand, if your printer is a bit rare, you might have a little more trouble. The effort of looking is well worth the effort though.
In many instances, the packaging on your cartridge costs more than the ink itself. That fact alone is reason enough to avoid spending a fortune on replacement printer ink cartridges. Besides, there are plenty of other things that you'd probably rather spend your money on.
Printing has been an important part of the development of the human race that has allowed the spreading of ideas and theories. It was especially important during the seventeenth century where religious reformers regularly printed material that was viewed by authorities as illegal and in some cases treasonous. This was the first time when people had the power to print their ideas even though the printing press was still a rarity in the early modern world. Today the situation is wholly different with the development of the home computer and subsequently home printers and ink cartridges. The spread of these devices however holds almost as much importance as the original printing press, as does the evolution of ink cartridges.
The inkjet printer and subsequently ink cartridges were introduced in 1984, meaning that people now had the power of a printing press in their own homes. This introduction created a convenient and reliable method of putting ideas on paper that previously was simply not possible. Before ink cartridges however there were the considerably messier ribbons and toner cartridges.
The reason the medium of delivering ink changed was a response to developments in printer technology. Those of a reasonable age will remember the old dot matrix printers that utilised a ribbon to place the image upon the paper. These printers however had serious limitations, not least the poor graphical quality, although the laborious task of changing the ribbon was also a major problem. The dot matrix printer however was soon surpassed by the inkjet variety, and by the time the nineties had rolled around, these were the predominant form of printers in offices and homes.
The benefits of the inkjet system were that it could deliver high quality images in both black and white as well as colour. In addition, rather than having a ream of continuous paper entering the printer, the inkjet variety could print on a large variety of paper sizes and materials. The largest benefit however was the ease of changing the cartridges. Today every type of inkjet printer has a specific cartridge that is inserted through a simple snap and shut technique; this meant that even the biggest technological novice is able to change the cartridge once it has been spent.
In the early years this meant that cartridges were solely produced by the printer manufacturers meaning they had a practical monopoly over prices. This however rapidly changed as the more common varieties of cartridges were produced by companies and sold for considerably less cost. Today the recycling of a spent ink cartridge is actively encouraged and there are large numbers of companies out there who are happy to take old cartridges and then refill them, making the price of the refills much more affordable.
The production of high quality printing has been instrumental in not only giving the mass public a means of spreading literature and ideas but also enabling many people to print their own photographs, reducing the costs of development. The printing of photographs however cannot be purely attributed to advances in printing technology but also the widespread use of the digital camera rather than its film predecessor. Whatever the reasons it is now cheaper than ever to put together a photo album and other documentation.
As previously stated printing has played an important role in the advancement of society and culture. This is not only true for the printing press that allowed for radical ideas to be spread but equally applies to the evolution of the modern home printer. Without it the world would simply not be the same and the flow of ideas would be heavily restricted.
Both Art Gib & Thomas Pretty are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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