Cheapest Ink Cartridges for Printers
Ink printer cartridges are a huge source of revenue for printer manufacturing companies but can be very expensive for people or companies on a budget. Finding reliable ink jet printer cartridges that are inexpensive can save quite a bit of money over time. Several options are available for consumers interested in cheap ink jet printer cartridges.
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Function
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Manufacturers such as Hewlett-Packard, Brother, Canon and Lexmark retrieve empty printer cartridges, refill those still functional, and salvage parts of others for use in new units. They then refill these cartridges to sell as manufacturer-branded "new" cartridges. Recognizing the economy of recycling has cut costs for the manufacturer but has not necessarily cut costs for consumers.
Third-party companies purchase ink from the same suppliers the manufacturers use. They also use a similar recycling process that their name-brand competitors use. The result is a cheaper ink cartridge, with prices significantly lower than name-brand cartridges. Store-based third-party inks are sold at stores such as Staples, Office Max and Office Depot but may also be found in other stores.
Types
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Online retailers such as cheapinkcartridges.com (see Resources below) offer cheap ink cartridges as well. Instead of doing the recycling themselves, they purchase cartridges from wholesalers who may have either recycled original manufacturer cartridges or have purchased other "generic" cartridges from third-party manufacturers. The prices may be comparable to in-store retailers; some online sites, however, charge tax for certain states in addition to shipping and handling which may negate the savings of purchasing "cheap" ink online. Also, some manufacturers may be based in China, India or other countries whose standards of purity and quality may not be as high as required for your printer.
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Features
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It is also possible to save money by using an in-store ink refilling station. These stations can be found in office supply stores, general merchandise stores, or drug stores. Consumers may have to wait about an hour while their ink cartridges are refilled, however, which may be inconvenient to a consumer who needs the cartridge immediately. Still, the price is typically around $10 and is significantly cheaper than most other ink cartridge options.
Considerations
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Self refill kits are also available for consumers looking for the "best" price on ink. These kits are designed to reuse an existing printer cartridge using a one-use syringe filled with ink. This method represents the cheapest option for ink, but can be very time consuming for the unpracticed consumer. Additionally, these refill syringes may create a mess, staining clothes, hands and furniture. It is recommended that appropriate anti-spill precautions be made before refilling a cartridge this way. The syringe option, however, may reduce the cost of cartridge inks even more significantly than in-store refilling machines.
Warning
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Third-party ink cartridges may not work in your printer. Some manufacturers such as Canon have microchips or other anti-refilling technology built into the cartridge that will prevent its further use in their printers. There are "reset" kits and other work-arounds on the Internet, but the reliability of these is questionable. Additionally, refill kits and refill machines may damage the cartridge, rendering it useless.
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