Printer Cartridges: Product Overview

Keep your office humming by making sure you stay ahead of your printer cartridge needs. Whether you need laser printer toner or inkjet cartridges, it's important to strike a balance between quality and cost. Here are some of the options you can choose from:

New printer cartridges from the original printer manufacturer are the most reliable – but also the most expensive. Considering that inkjet cartridge costs can exceed the cost of the printer in a year or less, looking to save money without sacrificing quality is a smart approach.

Remanufactured printer cartridges are made from empty, used cartridges. More than just refilling the cartridges with ink or toner, a thorough remanufacturing process replaces worn parts (notably print heads and nozzles for inkjets and drums for lasers) and tests each cartridge before it's resold. Remanufactured print cartridges are environmentally friendly and cost-effective.

Compatible printer cartridges are made new, but not by the original manufacturer. They're made to the same specs and should offer similar performance at a lower cost, but each manufacturer's products will vary. Note that due to patents, not all brands allow compatible cartridges to be sold.

Inkjet cartridges can also be refilled. It's not difficult or messy if you're careful about following the directions on the refill kit, but since you're transferring extremely potent ink from one container to another, there's always a chance of a spill. This is by far the cheapest way to extend the life of a print cartridge, but it's not a permanent solution: after a few refills, the cartridge will wear out anyway.

When comparing one type of cartridge to another, yield is one of the most important factors to consider, but comparing one manufacturer's rating to another isn't always accurate. When buying a new brand for the first time, measure the actual yield in your situation to see if you're getting the results you expect.

Some cartridges are more fragile than others, but all should be handled carefully. To reduce the risk of damaging the print head or the ink or toner seals, the best approach is to leave all cartridges in their original packaging until you're ready to use them.

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