Ink Cartridges & Toners

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In today’s crazy and unbelievable reality, you can end-up paying more for a single ink cartridge than for a brand new printer from the store. Sounds familiar?
Most manufacturers have adopted a quite successful strategy (for them), which is heavily criticized by the public: sell the printer itself cheap (even at a loss), but compensate for it by selling very expensive ink products.

The world of inkjet and laser printer supplies can be at times quite confusing and overwhelming for the average consumer, who just wants a good, safe, cost effective solution.
But, for people, businesses and organizations that print in very high volume, it’s an even bigger problem which in many cases leads to a change in approach.

When you run out of ink you have quite a few options to consider.
Let’s explore the differences between OEM, remanufactured and compatible cartridges.

OEM / Genuine

The acronym OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer.
It means that these items were made by the original, ‘official’, name-brand manufacturer who made the printer, like HP, Epson, Brother, Lexmark or many other leading makers.
In most cases (but not all), they contain entirely new components.

Obviously, these products offer the highest levels of consistent premium performance and reliability, in terms of overall long term print quality.
However, this option comes at an extremely high price (and sometimes, even outrageous) and that’s why so many home and business consumers are turning to the alternatives.

Compatible / Aftermarket

This is a far more cost-effective option for the price-conscious consumer.
Compatible ink cartridges are not manufactured by the original printer maker, but rather by a 3rd party company that specialize in creating their own, generic, clone cartridge versions from scratch, which means that they’re also totally new.
Good compatible products are specifically designed to meet or exceed the OEM specifications and high standards of printing quality.

Remanufactured / Refurbished

Recycled remanufactured cartridges start out as an ordinary, original ink cartridge or laser printer toner and is then used until it has been completely depleted.
The remanufacturing and recycling process then begins and involves collecting, disassembling, carefully inspecting, thoroughly cleaning, reassembling and refilling the replacement cartridge with ink or toner.

Buying compatible and remanufactured cartridges is a great way to save a lot of money without scarifying quality, as long as you order quality products from reputable websites.
Make sure that the online retailer that you’re buying from offers a full or limited warranty, satisfaction / money back guarantee or easy product returns.

What Do Printer Supply Stores offer?

• Inkjet cartridges
• Laser toners
• Refill kits
• Photo paper