subject: Saving Money On Ink Cartridges [print this page] The price of printers has gone down considerably over the years. Quality printers used to cost hundreds of dollars. You can now find a high quality ink jet printer for less than one hundred dollars. What has not come down in cost is the price of ink cartridges. This is where printer companies are still able to make a profit.
It is inevitable that printers will run out of ink. The cartridges will need to be replaced. The printer that seemed like a bargain now requires you to spend money on more ink. Over the life of the printer you will spend a lot of money as the ink gets used.
The manufacturer of your printer is often times the manufacturer of the replacement ink cartridge. The big printer companies recommend you use their product. Ink made by the manufacturer of the printer will usually be more expensive. The printer companies claim that it is better than what you can get elsewhere. This may be true. World wide companies such as Hewlett Packard and Canon will specifically recommend that you only use their product as a replacement.
There are alternatives that can save you money. These alternatives include using refill cartridges. You can either try and refill a container yourself or send it away to a company for a refill. There is a risk that you will be unable do it properly and you end up damaging the printer. Printer companies will not honor warranties for repair if they are damaged by the use of a refill that is not made by them.
Another choice is to buy discount cartridges. These companies will sell you ink at lower price than what the brand name printer manufacturer would. You can save money. You need reassurance they are actually selling the authentic product. If they are merely refilling cartridges this might damage your printer and void your warranty.
You need to be aware that the large printer companies are taking more and more steps to keep a hold of the lucrative ink market. One tactic is to make the cartridges almost impossible to open and refill on your own. They might also make the printer unable to communicate with a replacement once the cartridge has been opened.
One way to save money on your ink is to make sure you set the printer to the economy printer setting. You do not want to print at a higher ink density and quality than you need to for a certain document. This will save quite a bit on ink. Most economy printer settings are pretty good quality.
It is inevitable that you will need to replace your ink cartridges. There are choices that will save you money up front but you are also taking a risk. The risk you take is that your printer will become damaged and the manufacturer will not fix it if you have used products not made by their company. You might consider just searching the internet for the best price on the brand name ink that matches your printer.
