Replacements from
the printer manufacturer (OEM)...
Even if you stick with your printer manufacturer, it is
sometimes difficult to find the replacement cartridges your
specific printer requires.
More than once we've
made a "quick trip" to Office Depot or someplace like it.
Finally spotting our model number among the several dozen
cartridges offered, we take that little purchase card to
checkout, and find they're out of stock. Sure, they'll
call across town, or offer to order it, but it's a hassle either
way, and we don't have our cartridge.
Now, we get our ink
online from one of the most comprehensive sources of inkjet
supplies we've found...
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Compatible
replacements...
Any manufacturer's design can be duplicated. Where the
original design is not sufficiently unique to enforce a patent,
duplicators make and sell compatible cartridges. That's
competitive capitalism at work, keeping prices low. Of
course, some manufacturers of compatibles are better than
others.
If you use
compatibles, you want the best-quality ones, manufactured within
acceptable tolerances of OEM specifications.
If you're looking
for high-quality compatible ink cartridges, check out one of the
most comprehensive sources of
inkjet supplies we've found...
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MORE.
Refill kits,
if you really want to save...
It's a highly controversial practice, and many experts warn
against it, citing possible damage to your printer and a voided
warranty as possible results. We don't know about that,
but it's certain that a mistake in the refill process could
produce some very unwanted effects.
Our HP's have
suffered no problems, however, and we've been feeding them with
refills for years. Our complaints have been the messiness
involved and the time it takes to do it right. On top of
that, you need to understand that even if you do everything
exactly right, the refilled cartridge might not work.
They can not be
refilled over and over, indefinitely. They wear out.
Here's the kicker- there is no way to know how many times a
particular cartridge can be refilled and continue working.
One might make it through three or more refills, and another of
the same model might not go beyond the first use.
You have to
really like saving money to go this route. It's
messy, time consuming, and exasperating. Nonetheless,
we've done it many times successfully, and some people actually
enjoy this kind of thing. You might want to at least give
it a try. Just follow the directions that accompany your
kit, and make absolutely certain you've sealed the
cartridge properly before you put it in your printer.
As with OEM
compatibles, you want your refill kit to provide materials that
match the quality you want from your printer. Inferior
inks will not produce high quality results. Inadequate
seals could be disastrous.
If you're looking
for high-quality ink refill kits, check out one of the most
comprehensive sources of
inkjet supplies we've found...
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MORE.
Remanufacturing, the reasonable alternative...
With the sheer numbers of
inkjet printers now in use and attendant demand for lower
printing costs, there is now a company that will "process"
your OEM ink cartridge like some others process film.
Essentially, you
mail in your empty OEM ink cartridge, they test it, clean it,
refill it, test it, and send it back to you.
True to form, we
discovered this about three weeks after throwing out that box
full of cartridges we'd intended to refill ourselves. To
be honest, when we first heard of it, we pictured some kids in
the basement- Wayne and Garth inhaling sharply, getting into
refills.
We investigated,
though, and
what we found surprised us...
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