How to Buy a New Inkjet Cartridge

The advantages of buying a new inkjet cartridge are quality and compatibility. Replacement cartridges from the big names like Epson, Canon and HP have good ink and are made for your printer. That quality does cost more, but you can avoid that if you buy new cartridges made by third-party manufacturers. The quality is usually good, but you have to make sure that the cartridges work with your inkjet printer.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Inkjet printer
• Computer

1. Take note of your printer’s manufacturer and model number. If you have kept the instruction manual for your printer, you should find the product numbers of the correct replacement print cartridges. If not, you need to examine the innards of your printer.

2. Open the access panel on your inkjet printer so you can see the print carriage assembly and the inkjet cartridges.

3. Find the model number on the existing inkjet cartridge. Bring this information to your local office supply store.

4. Cruise the aisles until you find the printing supplies. Check the inkjet cartridges at the store against the information you brought with you.

5. Select the perfect match. Pay for it and you’re done. If no perfect match exists, then you must find a compatible cartridge for your printer.

6. Look at the packages on the shelves. Read the fine print on the back or sides for compatibility information. Ask a salesperson to help you if needed.

7. Check out a compatibility chart. Most of the major manufacturers of inkjet cartridges have compatibility charts online. Get the model that works the best with your printer.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have the package the original inkjet cartridge came in, take this with you and match it up with the products at the store to simplify the shopping process.
• Try shopping online if you can’t find what you are looking for locally. Log on to an Internet shopping site and use the search engine to comparison shop.
• Consider buying re-manufactured cartridges to save money and cut down on waste.
• Beware of dirt cheap cartridges. They may have a major brand-name label but for all the good they will do your printer, they may as well be filled with dirt.
• Do not buy a cartridge at random. There are almost as many cartridge styles as there are printers and not all of them are interchangeable.