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 ink 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.
Today another essential piece of equipment that many people will require at home if they have a PC is a printer. Yet in order for your printer to function properly it needs power and ink cartridges. However for many people when buying a printer for use at home they will go for the cheapest and most basic model simply because the price of replacement cartridges can be high.
In some cases depending on the type of printer the ink cartridges for these can cost as much as $40. Which is why now more and more people are look for cheaper alternatives when they need to replace a cartridge once it becomes empty. In this article we take a look at just some of the alternatives available today.
One of the first options available to you if you want to save money on ink cartridges is to purchase a refill kit. Although the job of refilling ink cartridges is very easy to do if done incorrectly can turn out to be quite messy. You can purchase such kits for yourself or you could in fact use the services of a professional cartridge filler instead.
Although this is certainly a great way to save money on your ink cartridges, but you will need to provide a company close to where you live who can refill them for you. Otherwise the only alternative is to send the cartridges away to be refilled and then wait for them to be returned. So you need to keep a spare cartridge so your printer is not out of action whilst you wait for the other empty one to be refilled and returned.
However if you don't want all the hassle associated with refill kits or getting a professional to refill them, then the other option which is far cheaper than going for the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) cartridges is to go for third party ones. Often to be found in many good office supply stores as well as online you could find yourself saving 30 and 90% on what you would normally pay for OEM cartridges.
Over recent years companies such HP and Epson has seen a marked reduction in the number of OEM ink cartridges being sold. Simply because people are suddenly realizing and choosing to buy third party ones instead. What makes matters even worse is that the prices of printers have come down considerably and in some cases to a situation where it is cheaper to replace the whole printer rather than just the cartridges in it.
Yet even though third party cartridges and refill kits will save you money the ink they now use is just as good as that found in the cartridges that the printer manufacturers supply. So today you really can save yourself money no matter what make or model of printer you have.
Therefore if you are looking for a great way to save money on your printing costs then it may be time to consider using the options mentioned above. Because even though the ink cartridges may be cheaper they are still going to provide you with good quality prints as you would expect from the printer manufacturers cartridges.
Both Frank Bolsom & A R Thompson 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.
Frank Bolsom has sinced written about articles on various topics from computers and the internet, Computers and The Internet and Personal Desktop. If you're planning to refill your Epson cartridges, you may need to make them work properly. Get mor. Frank Bolsom's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.
A R Thompson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Personal Desktop, Computers and The Internet and Office Chairs. At we offer up to date information in respect of printers and copiers for both the office and home. It is here you can find out up to date about. A R Thompson's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.