The price of printers, especially the multi-function machines has come down considerably over the years. Printers are pretty cheap – what costs of course are the cartridges! Before buying any new printer it is well worth while reading reviews. A good review will not only tell you how well the printer functions, but also how economical the ink cartridges are likely to be.
Hewlett Packard and Canon are probably the biggest and most well known producers of both ink and laser jet printers. Both prefer you to use only their brand of cartridges in their machines. If you try to replace an hp ink cartridge with a generic brand, your printer is likely to scold you and tell you to get the correct one.
To save costs many of us still prefer to buy a cheaper brand of printer ink cartridge that our printer will still accept. This is a viable concept, especially for everyday printing needs. If you need quality archival prints though, choosing this method, or refilling your own may be false economy.
Next time you are out shopping, or browsing on line take a look at the range of Canon ink cartridges and the different quality inks that are used. Some are quite specialised for particular printing needs. The same holds true for hp ink cartridges. It may be worth the extra cost, and also the peace of mind knowing you are not damaging your printer using other inks.
For everyday printing needs there are now many quality generic cartridges available, as well as refill ink packages. If you are unsure about how to refill ink cartridges there are many videos available online that can show you step by step how to do this successfully. Using this method can save you a lot of money over time. You can also take your cartridges to be refilled by a ‘specialist’ though this will cost you a little more than doing it yourself.
Whether you choose to buy a company’s own brand of cartridges, a generic brand or to refill there will come a time when the cartridge has outlived its usefulness. Printer cartridges can be very damaging to the environment if not disposed of properly. Most major cartridge supply outlets now have a printer cartridge recycling option making it easy to drop off your old cartridges when you go to replace them. While the cost of cartridges may make you feel bad, recycling can give back a bit of good feeling.
