subject: Differences Between Ink Cartridges From Different Brands [print this page] There comes a time when anyone looking to purchase a printer must make a decision. The brand of the printer needs to be chosen, and this will also influence the brand of the ink cartridges that need to be purchased. It is said that Canon and HP make the best printers, but there are many who disagree and say that Samsung or Lexmark printers are just as good. They also say that Lexmark ink cartridges are cheaper than Canon cartridges for example, and that makes a Lexmark printer worth it. Samsung ink cartridges have about the same price as Canon and HP ones, but that does not mean there are not other differences between them.
Usually, what people are more interested in, is the number of refills a cartridge accepts. Most modern cartridges are equipped with a chip that tells the printer when ink is running out. Once the chip tells the printer that ink has run out and it is empty, even refilling it will not cause it to report otherwise. There are means of reprogramming the chip of the cartridge, but that is usually expensive and not really worth it. Some printers have combinations of buttons that need to be pressed to make the printer print even if the cartridge is reported to be empty. The key combination will simply cause the printer to ignore the warning message and try to print. There may be some printers that cannot do this, due to manufacturing decisions, but most printers can.
It comes down to each manufacturers position on cartridge refilling. While some manufacturers such as Lexmark have no problem with it, and this shows in their cartridges, other manufacturers are not extremely pleased with the fact that their cartridges are being refilled, and are trying to prevent this from happening.
Differences between printer cartridges are also visible in build quality. While some manufacturers take great care with their cartridges, and they are built perfectly, there are some who look more like compatible cartridges rather than original ones. The main differences between cartridges as far as refills are concerned are not visible at first. A refill must be attempted at first, to see how easy it is to perform and see how the printer reacts afterward. For example, a Canon cartridge may be more difficult to refill than a Lexmark one, and the printer may not work with the refilled cartridge until a certain button combination is used.
Refills can be performed either at home or at a specialized company. There are refill kits available for purchase that contain every tool needed to properly refill a cartridge at home. This includes a syringe, ink containers and maybe a support for the cartridge. Each kit should also show you where to puncture each cartridge with the syringe to insert the ink, because that is different from cartridge to cartridge. While it may not sound like a very complicated process, some people say that it is and that it is extremely messy. Nobody likes to get ink all over their hands while refilling a cartridge, and while refill kit manufacturers do their best to provide tools that prevent this from happening, it still happens, and there is always the risk that ink may end up inside the printer and clog it or break it.
So the major differences between ink cartridges are related to build quality and refill capabilities. Usually, lexmark ink cartridges are easy to refill and accept a large number of refills, while samsung ink cartridges are not viewed as favorable. If you are just picking your printer brand then you should take all of this into consideration and you should also go online to see what users have to say about each printer and its cartridges. There is no better way of getting to know if a printer is good or not, and how it reacts to refilled cartridges, than checking to see what other people who have tried this have to say. Just remember that, regardless of what printer you choose, there is always the possibility of having your cartridges refilled by professionals. This not only eliminates the mess that is caused when trying to refill yourself, but this also ensures that fact that the cartridges work perfectly and there is no risk of ink running into your printer.
