You do not have to stop using your printer due to high ink prices. Read on to see how you can save on ink.

Finding compatible ink cartridges for your new printer is easier than you think. Some people call these generic or remanufactured ink cartridges. If you have an inkjet printer you know how expensive ink cartridges can be. You, like millions of other inkjet owners, have probably been perplexed when you went to buy your first new inkjet printer cartridges.

Most people suffer from severe sticker shock. The cost of replacement printer cartridges is ridiculously higher. In many cases you can purchase a new printer for less money than it cost to replace your ink cartridges. Generic, or compatible refilled ink cartridges may be the answer for you.

Compatible Ink Is The Generic (Off-Brand) Version Of Ink Cartridges

Refilled compatible ink cartridges offer a terrific alternative to new ones. Compatible ink cartridges typically cost anywhere from 30 to 50% less than new ones. The savings are significant. Refilling cartridges has become big business.
Many entrepreneurs have answered the call for cheaper ink alternatives and are offering low cost compatible ink cartridges. 4Inkjets (read review) is one online store that has answered the call. You can find all your low cost compatible ink cartridge supplies there.

Buying Compatible Ink Cartridges Is Less Of A Hassle Than Ink Refill Kits

Many people have tried to refill cartridges on their own and had great difficulty. Most people get discouraged when they try and refill cartridges on their own. They generally make a mess of things and quit early on. Don’t let this experience hinder you from buying a refilled compatible ink cartridge. Refilled compatible ink cartridges are refilled in a professional environment are in the same shape as the new ones you buy. Many people have discovered that refilled compatible ink cartridges perform just as well as the new ones.

So do not throw that new printer away. Get your compatible ink cartridge online and keep your financial sanity.

The cost of all-in-one printer cartridges usually comes close to the cost of the actual printer.

Walk into your local office supply store, and you'll find a large wall of brand-new printer cartridges along with a corresponding guide of how to match your exact printer with the proper cartridge. In addition to the wide array of selection, you'll often find the prices on these new cartridges are quite high; in some cases, with rebates and specials, some brand name printer cartridges will exceed the initial cost of the printer itself.

Increasingly, printer models come with options for printing, copying and faxing, which increases ink use as the versatility of the printer grows. Many of these all-in-one models have a low initial price point, which the brand names recoup by charging high prices on the necessary frequent ink refills – the combination uses of an all-in-one printer can lessen the life cycle of your ink, requiring your to purchase more frequent refills. In order to take advantages of improvements in printer hardware while maintaining your supplies budget, you should look at generic and remanufactured printer cartridge options.

Numerous Alternatives Exist To Brand-Name Cartridges

For nearly every major printer brand from Hewlett Packard to Brother, you can find low-cost generic ink cartridge alternatives for your printer. While name-brand refills can be quite expensive and cannot be purchased in bulk, the generic printer cartridges have a lower per-unit cost, which can be further decreased when you buy in volume. This can be especially useful for small businesses looking to control inventory and office supply costs in an uncertain economy. Often times, you can purchase multiple remanufactured print cartridges for the same price as a single brand new refill would cost you in the stores.

Shop Online For The Most Savings

Since generic cartridges are fully compatible with printers, make sure that you are buying that proper refill that matches up with your exact printer model. Often times, there will be multiple releases of the same printer model, so pay close attention to the full model number when ordering your generic ink, and contact the ink seller in case of any questions. By shopping around and reviewing prices, you can often save over 50% of your printing costs relative to purchasing full-price retail cartridges at your local office supply store.

One word of warning - not all ink suppliers online can be trusted. Make sure to choose a printer supplies retailer that is trustworthy, such as 4Inkjets, and you'll be set to enjoy cost savings and quality products.

Compatible ink cartridges provide significant cost savings.

A great way to save on your printing costs is to utilize compatible ink cartridges rather than full-price brand name ink. Original Equipment Manufacturer, or OEM, ink is found in office supply stores and sold by the original printer manufacturer in glossy boxes at a high price. Usually, you will hear claims about how OEM cartridges are of the highest quality and will produce better results than any competitive products. In truth, however, compatible cartridges can produce a high quality of output at a much lower cost basis than brand-name manufacturer ink, if you purchase them from reputable online suppliers.

OEM cartridges do often come with warranties and guarantees, but it's much more likely that any defects will occur due to the printer hardware than with any ink refill. The relatively high frequency of cartridge replacement will mean that you'll likely use up your ink before you have any mechanical problems with the cartridge itself; in the rare cases that there is a defect, you will be able to tell upon your first print from the cartridge, and, in those cases, you can usually just exchange the product.

Buying Compatible Ink Makes Sense

Even when OEM ink supplies have a longer life, when adjusted for per unit cost, compatible cartridges are still much less expensive. For example, a black ink OEM cartridge for the HP Officejet 7210 printer currently retails for $22.99 in office supply stores. Online, at retailers like 4Inkjets or 123Refills, a compatible black cartridge can be had for almost three times less, at only $9.95, a savings over close to $13 per cartridge. The savings only multiply when one considers the need to replace separate color cartridges.

Buy Cartridges From An ISO-Compliant Supplier To Ensure Quality

Original manufacturer claims about better quality are often overstated. Contrary to any of these claims, compatible cartridges are capable of working well with nearly any printer model, in nearly any printer line by meeting level of standards required by the printer manufacturer. Simply buy from a retailer that complies with ISO manufacturing standards like 4Inkjets, and you will be safe.

Rest assured that your compatible ink clears the bar needed for working with the printer, and if you buy the right cartridge for your model, you should be able to get great results at a lower price. Additionally, compatible cartridges can often be purchased at bulk discounts that are not available for original OEM products, which are sold at high retail prices.

When choosing your next cartridge, keep in mind that there a number of alternatives to high OEM ink prices, and compatible cartridges can be found for most printer models at affordable rates.

The International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, sets quality standards for various manufacturing processes. The ISO standard is comprehensive and touches on each aspect of the supply chain from raw source materials all the way to end-user delivery. While product defects are inevitable, the goal of ISO is continued improvement to limit any problems and constant work to improve the quality of outputs.

Buying an ISO-certified ink cartridge helps ensure that, while you are saving on your ink refills, you are not sacrificing quality standards.

Look For Ink Suppliers That Comply With ISO 9000 Certifications

The most common set of standards is the ISO 9001 standard which certifies a level of quality in manufacturer business operations, output improvement and product compliance. Ink manufacturers that are ISO 9000 certified have met a level of inspection quality that ensures quality control procedures; make sure to look for the ISO seal, especially when purchasing remanufactured ink cartridges as a safeguard for quality.

ISO 14000 Standards Protect The Environment

Similarly, the ISO 14000 environmental standards set an internationally accepted set of practices for environmental quality throughout the supply chain. ISO 14000 certified companies constantly work to limit the impact of their production on the environment, and seek out ways to streamline the impact of their by-products and factories. Since recycled and remanufactured ink cartridges allow for re-use of previously used cartridges, they can potentially cut down on environmental waste and landfill material, extending the life of the original materials. Purchasing recycled ink can provide ecological as well as economic benefits, and finding an ISO 14000-accredited supplier further ensures that both of those goals will be met.

Which Printer Ink Suppliers Are ISO Compliant?

4Inkjets - Their compatible and remanufactured cartridges are manufactured in an ISO 9001 compliant factory. Because of this, they offer a 1-year moneyback guarantee that their printer supplies will match or exceed brand-name counterparts.

123Refills - 123Refills also stocks a wide variety of ink cartridges that are certified ISO complaint, and provide a similar moneyback guarantee.

Both set of ISO standards share the same basic framework in focusing on quality throughout the supply chain from beginning to end. Nearly all classes of products and companies can obtain ISO-certification which is application independent, but has a particularly important use in improving transparency in the case of 3rd party products such as recycled ink. Just as the brand name on an OEM cartridge signals a level of reliability, so does ISO certification imply a level of standards for 3rd party ink solutions.

"Razor and blades" business model

The reason why OEM cartridges are so expensive stems from the razor and blades business model of printer manufacturers. This business model focuses on a cheap initial investment (in this case, the printer), but makes the user continually invest in expensive refills. Overall, there is no difference between OEM cartridges and the compatible version, the only distinguishing factor being the marketing involved. The large printer companies scare customers into buying their cartridges by threatening damaged printers or voided warranties.

There is almost no difference between the manufacturing processes of compatible and OEM cartridges and the warranties are comparable as well. Is it worth it to use an aftermarket cartridge brand though? Yes, it certainly is when the cartridges can cost about 80% less than the OEM versions. Compatible cartridges also share a shelf life identical to their OEM counterpart.

Be careful in choosing a retailer

The only drawback to compatible cartridges is the research involved. When selecting the right aftermarket cartridge, the first step is to match up the printer model with the right refill. Second, depending on the printer, determine if you want a larger capacity cartridge or original capacity.

Lastly, remember to carefully choose the right aftermarket manufacturer, or you could wind up with a bad cartridge. Bad cartridges could suffer from a number of problems, including poor quality, poor or off-color ink, or a short shelf life. Once all of this research is done, remember to choose a reputable online retailer like 4Inkjets with a good price on the replacement you want.

OEM cartridges

Standard brand-name ink cartridges that you can buy at your ordinary Staples, Office Depot, etc., are referred to as original equipment manufacturer (abbreviated as OEM) cartridges. These types of cartridges are made by the original manufacturer of your printer. OEM cartridges are by far the most expensive option. Before I did my research, I used to believe that buying OEM was the only way to go. On to the alternative options...

Remanufactured cartridges

Remanufactured cartridges are made out of the exact same parts that OEM cartridges are. How it works is first people send their used cartridges in to be recycled. Remanufacturers then thoroughly clean the cartridge print heads and then refill them with premium ink. Lastly, a testing stage involving pressure and an actual printing run is performed to make sure everything is fine, and the cartridge is repackaged and ready for use.

Compatible cartridges

Compatible ink cartridges are effectively the generic counterpart of OEM cartridges. These cartridges are considerably cheaper than either OEM or remanufactured cartridges; however, quality and performance certainly can be a concern. When purchasing compatible ink cartridges, it is important to select a supplier that conforms to industry ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standards.

Luckily for you, I've had my fair share of experience in buying compatible and remanufactured ink online, so in some coming posts I will recommend the retailers I have had success with. I will also show you who to stay away from, and why.