Ink Cartridges 101
Printer ink is the most expensive cost of using a printer
. The cost of ink cartridges will far exceed the cost of the printer during the lifespan of the printer. The features of ink cartridges should interest wise buyers as well as the features of a printer. Here are 6 facts you need to know about printer ink:
Fact 1: Ink cartridges are Customised
Original equipment manufacturers (OEM) of printers customize their cartridges and ink formulas for their specific printers. These specifications are secret and so specialized that the cartridges and ink cannot even be shared among the same company's printers.
- Some printer cartridges have a chip that records when a certain amount of ink has been used. After that point the cartridge won't work.
- Other cartridges are sealed so they can't be refilled.
- Another particular brand has the printhead, the part that puts the ink on the paper, built into the cartridge instead of the printer. This makes their ink cartridges more expensive than others.
- Another brand has all the colors in one cartridge. When one color is used up, the cartridge has to be replaced and the other colors are wasted.
- Other certain brands of printers have separate cartridges for each color.
Fact 2: Refilling used cartridges may cause problems.
Printer companies want to sell more ink, so they discourage the practice of refilling cartridges.
- Refilling ink cartridges is messy and the ink could leak into the printer.
- The manufacturer won't repair any problems caused by refilled printer ink cartridges.
- Different brands of printer cartridge present different levels of refill difficulty.
Fact 3: Use caution with generic ink cartridges.
One way to avoid the cost of OEM cartridges is to buy generic cartridges. They are attractive because they may be as much as half the cost of the originals.
- The generics may have the same problems as the refilled cartridges.
- Make sure the company selling the generic cartridges guarantees to repair any problem caused by their cartridges.
Fact 4: Investigate remanufactured and compatible ink
Investigate remanufactured and compatible ink cartridges.
- Remanufactured ink cartridges are OEM cartridges that have been used, refurbished, repaired, filled with generic ink.
- Compatible cartridges are newly manufactured and filled with generic ink.
Fact 5: Remember that Color printing is very expensive!
A printer buyer needs to decide how much printing will be done in color and how much in black and white.
- One of the easiest ways to save money is to avoid color
- Use a lower resolution, fewer dots per inch, when printing.
- Keep high quality color cartridges for special projects or photos.
- Use lower quality ink for black and white or less important jobs.
Fact 6: Paper affects document quality and ink usage.
Paper varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. It is designed for specific purposes.
- The wrong paper is very likely to cause ink to smear or may require too much ink.
- Projects which require you to print in color need high quality, less ink-permeable paper.
- Research which paper is effective for each purpose.
Knowing and using these 6 facts will help buyers make wise printer choices.
by: Daniel James Kilburn.
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