Printer ink cartridges are usually a burden for many home consumers or offices. When your printer’s ink runs out all of a sudden, you don’t have a choice but to unexpectedly shell out a specific amount of money to buy ink. A lot of people try and look for ways to get ink more affordably.
There are two common types of printers these days: the ones that use inkjet and the ones that use a toner. The inkjet type of printers use printer ink cartridges, while the toner type, which are the laser models, use toner cartridges. Inkjet printers also come in two types: the thermal and the piezoelectric. Top brands Canon, HP, and Lexmark all manufacture thermal inkjet printers, while Epson mainly uses piezoelectric.
Thermal inkjet printers uses heat to trigger a process wherein the ink droplets are forced out of the cartridge nozzles. Due to its use of heat, thermoelectric printer cartridges should always have a steady supply of ink. If there is not enough ink, the heat will directly affect the print head. Thus, it is important to refill cartridges immediately when the ink is starting to run low. Piezoelectric printers, on the other hand, use a piezoelectric crystal and does not use heat.
Knowing what type of ink your printer uses is important so you will know what kind of replacement cartridge to look for. Once you know what kind of printer you need, you can consider the different replacement options you have.
Different Types of Printer Ink Cartridges
- Brand name ink cartridges
- Self-refill kits
- Remanufactured ink cartridges
1. Brand name ink cartridges
Usually, people opt to buy brand name printer ink cartridges from the manufacturers of their printers. Different printer brands such as HP, Epson, Brother, Lexmark, and Canon all supply replacement ink cartridges for when you run out of ink. However, due to the brand name they carry, these replacement ink cartridges are usually expensive. This is often the highly recommended choice because the cartridges come from the manufacturers themselves, so they are specifically made with your printer models in mind. The price, however, is usually an issue.
2. Self-refill kits
There are also some self-refill kits that you can use for more affordable ink refilling. These kits simply contain a supply of ink and a syringe. You will do the refilling yourself by using the syringe. You can use one kit only once. These are pretty affordable, but you’d have to do the work by yourself. And if you’ve never done any ink refilling before, you might not be able to avoid ink spills or stains.
3. Remanufactured ink cartridges
The last option is to get remanufactured printer ink cartridges. These are cartridges that are refilled by third party providers. These cartridges are genuine cartridges produced by brand name manufacturers but they are refilled by third party providers instead of by the manufacturers. This means you can also find remanufactured cartridges that are meant specifically for particular brands and models, although some generic cartridges are also available. These ink cartridges can allow you to save up to 80% on your ink refill. There are a lot of available options out there, so instead of having difficulty finding refilled cartridges, you will instead have difficulty choosing the right refilled cartridge.
Remanufactured printer ink cartridges: How to choose the right cartridges
True to the trend of recycling that has now become a way of life for budget-conscious consumers these days, the remanufactured ink cartridges have made it easier for consumers to save money by recycling used cartridges then selling them at a lower price.
However, it is important to find a good provider of remanufactured printer ink. Some remanufacturers don’t do a good job with the refill, so they produce dodgy, low-quality cartridges. The best providers are those that don’t just refill the ink cartridge but also do a thorough check of the cartridge, clean it thoroughly, refill it properly, then repackage it well. The refilling process is not simple, as some consumers who have tried the self-refill kits will tell you. Also, any wrong move might damage the cartridge. Some cartridges may not be fit for re-use and using them may only cause damage to your printer.
Aside from the cartridge, the ink quality is also very important. Several bogus remanufacturers out there charge very low prices to attract your attention, although, in fact, they still charge you higher than you should pay because the quality of the ink they use is very low. Look for refillers that use professional grade ink; there are even some refillers who source ink from the same suppliers that provide ink to the brand name manufacturers.
Yes, you may be looking for a cheaper ink refill option, but that does not mean you can lower your standards completely. Do you know that one out of every six remanufactured cartridges fail when used? So be sure that your choice is still at par with industry standards on performance and quality. Keep in mind that the best refilled printer ink cartridges are those that will still give you a performance and print quality like it’s brand new, but at a much lower price.