Different Printer, Same Cartridges

A friend called to report that he had purchased a new Canon printer recently and had finally run out of ink. "So now you'll have to go out and buy some more cartridges," we told him. Well, no. Apparently, the cartridges his last model -- which was similar to, but not the same, as his current Canon printer -- fit his fine. How did he know? He tried them.

Printer vendors have a tendency to tweak their new printers so they need new types of cartridges. These can leave many of us, who buy cartridges in bulk to save money, out in the cold when our printer fails and we need a new one. However, sometimes, a new printer can take the cartridges of a previous model by the same manufacturer.

How can you tell? The vendor isn't going to tell you. Check the box of your cartridge to see what printers it's compatible with. If you've got a lot of cartridges, and you were happy with the printer you're replacing, you may want to save a bit of cash and get the next in line -- as long as it takes the same cartridges.