Refilled Ink
Using refilled ink allows you to refill the printer’s cartridges. Although this is the cheapest way, this will usually result in a more negative printing quality than the other options.

Recycled Cartridges
Several companies will clean a used ink cartridge, than refill it with ink, test them to make sure the quality is good, and then resell them as a recycled cartridge.
The results are much better from this option, than the first one. However, the price will be significantly more expensive because of the labor that is involved with recycling.
The companies that do recycle their cartridges will often use some special equipment for the process that will guarantee the high quality of product. They do this because if the new recycled cartridge, for whatever reason, doesn’t work, you will be refunded your money or you can have the malfunctioning cartridge switched with a working one.

Generic Cartridges
Since the manufacturers put patents on their cartridges that will make any reproduction illegal by anyone else, the use of any generic cartridges is a less popular alternative.
It’s possible, for a few printer models, to locate a generic cartridge that will contain all of the proper parts; the only difference is that they don’t have the name of some manufacturer that matches the one on your printer.

Even though buying a generic cartridge is cheaper than a real one, it’s still the most costly of the 3 different options I have presented you. The generic ink cartridges work the same as the brand name ones.

Your specific printing needs will help you decide which option would be the best. As an example, if you’re planning on printing pictures, you would be a little more concerned about the quality compared to someone that wants to print screenshots of websites.

The dots created a minuscule, so small that several fit on each millimeter of printing material (the dots themselves are more narrow than a human hair) and are multi-colored, which allows for sharp images to be created.

Inkjet Cartridge Components

Inside of an ink jet, the print head contains the core of the mechanical technology which controls the nozzles. When you install the ink cartridge, the stepper motor is used to control the movement of the cartridge across the printing medium, creating the mechanical process that develops the image. A standard belt is utilized to connect the print head to the step motor, while a stabilizer ensures a predictable, steady motion. The printing medium, most commonly paper, is controlled by a paper feeder and a series of rollers which ensures that the printing process moves in coordination with the output.

From that point, there are two primary technologies used by inkjets to transfer ink.

Lexmark Z640 Thermal Printer

Thermal Transfer Method

The most common thermal method uses heat to create ink bubbles which expand and contract to create images on the printing medium. This method utilizes hundreds of nozzles to improve image quality, which allows for a high resolution image without the cost of laser toner. Generally, the more nozzles that an inkjet has, the better the image resolution will be. Today's ink jet printers offer a high level of resolution, at near laser-quality.

Piezo Electric Method

Another electric technology controls the ink flow through electric transfer which can improve the level of detail in the images, although this method is less commonly used. With this method, each nozzle contains a crystal which holds a charge that creates a vibration which controls the flow of ink. Since this method is controlled by a mechanical, programmed process, the variation in output is lower and the overall level of quality is higher. Today's photo jet printers can achieve resolutions of over 1440 dots per inch, which allows for creation of lifelike, photo quality pictures.