One of the questions that comes up frequently is whether or not you should buy ink cartridges from companies other than your printer manufacturer (also known as "third-party" companies).
On the one hand, printer manufacturers can be a little too vehement about how necessary it is to use their brand -- and only their brand -- when buying ink cartridges. Cartridges are an important income source for printer manufacturers and vendors: For example, if the owner of a $150 printer has to buy a $15 ink cartridge once a month, within a year he or she has spent more on ink than on the original printer.
On the other hand, while third-party cartridges can be much less expensive than name-brand cartridges, you don't have the quality assurance that comes with the brand. My own experience bears this out: When I bought ink cartridges from a third-party company that was recommended to me by an acquaintance, I found that the quality of my printing dropped dramatically and the printheads became clogged.
The bottom line? If you want to play it safe, stick with manufacturer's cartridges. If, on the other hand, you use a lot of cartridges and know of a third-party vendor that is trustworthy, you may want to give it a try. If the cartridges turn out to be good, you could save quite a bit of money.
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On the one hand, printer manufacturers can be a little too vehement about how necessary it is to use their brand -- and only their brand -- when buying ink cartridges. Cartridges are an important income source for printer manufacturers and vendors: For example, if the owner of a $150 printer has to buy a $15 ink cartridge once a month, within a year he or she has spent more on ink than on the original printer.
On the other hand, while third-party cartridges can be much less expensive than name-brand cartridges, you don't have the quality assurance that comes with the brand. My own experience bears this out: When I bought ink cartridges from a third-party company that was recommended to me by an acquaintance, I found that the quality of my printing dropped dramatically and the printheads became clogged.
The bottom line? If you want to play it safe, stick with manufacturer's cartridges. If, on the other hand, you use a lot of cartridges and know of a third-party vendor that is trustworthy, you may want to give it a try. If the cartridges turn out to be good, you could save quite a bit of money.
A new alternative that has recently surfaced are cartridge-refilling services, such as Cartridge World or Rapid Refill. These services are established businesses in storefronts and kiosks, and can be confronted or complained about if they don't deliver -- and the word is that they do a good job while saving printer users quite a bit of cash.
Otherwise, however, it's a good idea to stay away from refillable cartridges -- especially the do-it-yourself kind. With rare exceptions, these are never as good as replaceable cartridges, and the potential for problems is much higher.
