Saving Money Using Replacement Printer Cartridges

The high cost of genuine printer cartridges is enough to frustrate any consumer. If you purchase the standard color and black ink sets that are marketed by these companies on a regular basis, you can sometimes end up paying as much as or more than the cost of your printer! There are alternatives that many people are beginning to catch onto however. One of the best ways to save money is to buy replacement printer cartridges instead of the genuine printer cartridges.

One of the first things you need to understand is that buying these types of printer cartridges does not mean sacrificing quality for cost. Most printer manufacturers sell their printer cartridges at the higher rate because they need to sell printers at a reduced price. This means that it’s necessary to offset the cost by increasing the cost of the printer cartridges that are needed to run the printer. Replacement printer cartridge manufacturers aren’t affected by this marketing strategy. By sticking to production of cartridges and printer ink, they cut the need for inflated costs. Moreover, they cut down the cost even more when they can use materials such as recycled cartridges that are more cost effective.

Buying replacement printer cartridges will require a bit of investigation and perhaps even a few trial and error efforts but it can save you as much as 50-70% off the cost of genuine and still provide great printed materials. It also means that if you need to buy larger amounts of printer ink cartridges for a small business or a home office which produces many documents, you can even invest in larger quantities at a cost that is more affordable and less frightening.

Replacement Vs Genuine Printer Cartridges

More than any other home office supply, the printer cartridge is often one of the costliest items for the everyday consumer. Standard genuine printer cartridges can cost as much as the printer you bought in the first place and in some cases, even more. It’s a point of frustration for many who use printers on a regular basis and it seems there is no choice than to put up with these prices.

There is another option however. You may have heard about or seen various replacement printer cartridges online and occasionally in the office supply store and overlooked the idea thinking that the lower price meant that quality and consistency were compromised. The reality is that many of these replacement printer cartridges are made at a reduced cost and while not being the factory licensed printer ink, they are made in the same manner and quality as the genuine printer cartridges. If this reminds you of the store brand version of groceries (a product that is often the same quality and value at a better cost) then you’re on the right track.

While you will need to take the time to verify the printer ink is indeed the same type as the genuine printer cartridges available from the manufacturer, the savings can be well worth the effort. If you have a commonly used printer such as those sold by Hewlett Packard, you will find it easy to obtain a replacement cartridge that works well for your needs at as much as 50-70$ off the cost of the genuine printer cartridge.

Replacement Printer Cartridges V/S Recycled Printer Cartridges

While replacement printer cartridges and recycled printer cartridges are essentially different, they do have some things in common. Take a look at the similarities and differences between the two.

What Makes Them the Same

  • Monetary savings: Both options save you money over the cost of regular printer cartridges from the original manufacturers, which gives you the ability to enjoy your printer more with fewer limitations. Genuine or brand name printer cartridges are often expensive enough to be equal to or more than the cost of the printer itself.
  • Widely Available on the Internet: Both types are available at online stores that cater to printing and other computer materials. This means that you can conveniently shop around for options such as quality and great price (as rarely happens in a retail store offline) without stress.

What Makes Them Different

  • Recycled Cartridges are Refilled by Trained Techs: This means that the ink and the cartridge that holds it are less likely to pose problems for the consumer as compared to refill injections kits that are refilled by the consumer. This reduces the risk for a leaking or damaged cartridge affecting the computer.
  • Recycled Cartridges are Environmentally Sound: By saving the parts of the cartridge that are still usable and replacing only those parts that are damaged, less plastic and other materials end up being wasted and put in landfills.
  • Replacement Ink Cartridges are Usually Third Party: Most of the replacement printer cartridges on the market are intended to replace the ones that come from the manufacturer of your printer. Recycled printer cartridges however, can come from the manufacturer themselves (Hewlett Packard is an example of a company which produces this type of cartridge).

What Does Replacement Printer Ink Mean?

Replacement printer ink is a little different from regular printer ink. Replacement printer cartridges are refurbished and recycled cartridges that have had some parts replaced before the printer ink cartridge is refilled and sold. Because these are made from previously used parts, replacement cartridges can be offered at a much discounted price. By some estimates, replacement cartridges can be got for as much as 50-70% lower than the cost of a brand new printer ink cartridge.

There are different types of replacement printer ink on the market. These include the recycled and remarketed printer cartridges; refillable cartridges; automated store refilled cartridges and printer ink kits that offer refill options through an injection kit.

In addition to saving money, replacement cartridges also help reduce the amount of wasted plastic and other recyclables that are used to make printer cartridges. Generally the parts of the device that can still be used are reused while the parts that are worn get replaced with new ones. Using this type of replacement printer ink cartridges is a sound investment as many of these third-party manufacturing companies produce high quality materials that match the quality of the original devices they are intended to replace.

The only caveat is you will have to be careful that the type of replacement ink you are looking at buying, matches the type needed by your computer. If you use the injection refill kits, you need to make sure that you don’t make too big of a mess in order to avoid having any other problems. All things considered, using replacement printer ink is well worth the savings in both time and money.