Inkjet Cartridge Ink-Fills

Author: Dave Mayweather
With huge numbers of households (and most small businesses) now owning and using at least one printer, the thorny subject of inkjet cartridges remains shrouded in mystery for the majority of users.

In recent years, all the major desktop printer manufacturers (including HP, Lexmark, Epson, Canon and Brother) have introduced smaller, faster machines that take up less space on the desk which is great.

The downside however, is that the ink cartridges inside the machines have generally become much smaller, containing less ink and therefore need replacing more frequently.

Go back just a few years to the late 1990's, and the printers being produced then might take a black inkjet containing 40ml or more of ink the very common HP45 is a prime example, containing 42ml.

A tri-colour cartridge would typically contain 30ml or more the HP78A (38ml) being an example of a widely used cartridge. Although HP examples have been used here, the other manufacturers also produced and sold printers with bigger cartridges.

At the turn of the 21st century the price of digital cameras and desktop printers became much lower. The printer manufacturers realized there was much profit to be made selling printer consumables to a mass market, which was (and still is) growing at a phenomenal pace.

Supplying printers at an incredibly attractive price was a short-term expense, but leading to a longer term gain by way of very profitable ongoing cartridge and photo-paper sales.

Having successfully established this way of marketing some years ago, more recently the manufacturers have gradually reduced the amount of ink supplied with the printers from new, and inside the cartridges sold later.

These days a typical cartridge for a new printer will contain less than 10ml of ink many just 5ml. That's 5ml - one teaspoon.

Interestingly, many of the cartridges supplied with just 5ml of ink are exactly the same physical size as earlier models supplied with much more liquid inside. The reduction simply means cartridges need to be replaced more frequently, keeping the tills busy!

As the printer manufacturers are all too aware, there is a huge market in non-branded printer cartridges, from which they make no profit.

To combat this they make frequent changes to model ranges, and even the electronics inside existing ranges, in a bid to discourage the use of after-market goods.

The after-market (compatible or re-manufactured) cartridges invariably contain more ink than genuine branded ones, and can cost considerably less to purchase.

Some would argue that the ink quality is not as good, but comparing printouts side by side, many would struggle to tell the difference.

Many ink cartridges (like most HP and Lexmark, and some Canon models) can be recycled, although the manufacturer will mark them 'Designed for single use only.'

A complete industry has emerged recycling this type of ink cartridge, known as re-manufacturing. The empty cartridge is thoroughly cleaned out, refilled with closely-matched inks, and test-printed to ensure quality.

Many of the re-manufactured cartridges contain double, or even up to three times the amount of ink offered in the same branded cartridge, giving the end user the choice of original branded goods, or perhaps considering a recycled unit for a lower price, that will last a lot longer.

It's not difficult to see why re-manufacturing has grown in popularity.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/inkjet-cartridge-inkfills-283171.html

Shop Online For Ink Cartridges And Save A Fortune

Author: Niall Roche

You hit print and yet again you realize your ink cartridge is anything but full. The time has come yet again go to get in the car and head off to the store or mall to buy some more ink cartridges. That means traffic, parking and all the general hassle of daily shopping. When you reach the store you have no guarantee that they'll even stock the replacement ink cartridge that you're looking for. The headache has already begun.

Printers are greedy beasts at the best of times; sometimes regardless of how much printing you actually do. They seem to guzzle up ink as fast as you buy it. HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark it doesn't make any difference - we need to keep those ink tanks full or our printer will just sit there gathering dust and become a rather expensive ornament.

For disgruntled inkjet owners there's always the option of shopping online for ink cartridges or refill kits. Many online stores offer massive savings on inkjet consumables and even offer free shipping on larger orders. You'll also receive special offers from these companies each month - probably just in time for your next ink order.

Many people are concerned about the quality of the product they'll receive if they're getting it at 50%+ of cost. Potential online shoppers are worried about low quality products and online fraud and find it hard to take that leap of faith with their credit card and make the plunge into those online waters.

Whilse these are understandable concerns the amount of money spent online is increasing 100% every single year. Over the next 8 years the estimated value of online sales will increase from $8 billion to over $230 billion which shows that consumer confidence with online shopping is on the rise. As I'm writing this I'm ordering Xmas gifts for my family online - I can highly recommend it.

The point is that online shopping is safe. If you're concerned about the vendor you intend buying from then look for previously satisfied customers, reviews or testimonials. Google the name of the company and look for any horror stories from previous customers or any posts written on messageboards etc. If an online inkjet cartridge retailer has received dozens of terrible reviews then you can take that as a hint to not shop with them.

So if you've never considered shopping online now is a good time to start. There are huge savings to be made by shopping for inkjet supplies online and who doesn't like savings a few bucks these days. Plus there's the convenience of it all. You get on the web and several clicks later your order is being processed and shipped to you. Or you could just get in your car and sit in traffic for an hour, find parking, join a queue in the store and...

Shopping online becomes a habit and once you've experienced the perks and savings that you can have each and every time you'll never want to shop anywhere else.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/shop-online-for-ink-cartridges-and-save-a-fortune-280029.html