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5 Common Ink Cartridge Buying Mistakes

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Geat price on ink toner cartridges                               

With very few exceptions, wherever you find a computer station, whether it is in a home office or at a company, you will also find a printer. Depending on how much printing you are doing, ink cartridges are office supplies that may need to be purchased fairly often. When you go to buy ink cartridges, it can be an eye-opening experience, considering the prices of ink cartridges can be quite high. Therefore, it is vital for anyone buying printer ink not to fall into making any of the five most common ink cartridge buying mistakes.

It is important to understand ink buying mistakes and how to avoid them. Also, it is helpful to know the best places to buy ink, and how to find the best deals on printer ink cartridges.

The Ink Cartridge

The ink or inkjet cartridge is the disposable component of a printer. The plastic body of the cartridge holds ink in one or more separate reservoirs, and is fitted with electric contacts and sometimes a chip that allows the cartridge to communicate with the printer. Cartridges are mainly designed to work with a particular series or line of printers.

The size and brand of a printer cartridge are, of course, vital for a printer to work properly. But also, the type of ink cartridge needs to be correct when doing special print jobs, such as photographs. Two types of commonly used ink cartridges are thermal ink printer ribbons and piezoelectric. The table below describes these two types of ink cartridges.

Ink Cartridge

Used By

Operation
Thermal Canon, HP, Lexmark The printer is connected electrically to the cartridge. A command causes ink to be heated and forced through the print nozzle and onto the paper.
Piezoelectric Epson A piezoelectric crystal is inserted into the nozzle which when energized by the printer changes shape and forces ink through the nozzle.

For most common printers and all-in-ones, ink cartridges are set up in pairs, which consist of one color cartridge and one black cartridge. The two cartridges work together to reproduce a wide range of colors and color variations. More sophisticated printers use four or five large ink cartridges (also referred to as toner cartridges) set up on the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) color scheme used by most software.

Avoiding Common Buying Mistakes

Making sure that you buy the right ink cartridges can make all the difference in the world. Few things are as frustrating as opening up the box, tearing into the package, and finding that the cartridge you are holding looks nothing like the one in the printer. At this point, you have gone too far to return the item to the store, meaning you won't get your money back. Mistakes like this, and others, can be avoided if you take the time to learn a little about your printer.

1. Ignoring the Manual

Nothing frustrates a sales clerk more than playing 20 questions with a customer that has no clue what they want. It is not that the clerk does not want to help, they simply cannot without a little information from the customer. You can avoid this with one simple act: read the owner's manual that came with your printer.

Many issues that owners have with their printers and most other electronic devices they buy happen because they do not take a few minutes to look at the owner's manual. Manuals are normally packed inside the box with the printer and are not very complicated to read. If your printer comes with software, the manual may be included, normally in PDF format. If you don't have a PDF reader, you can get one online for free with a quick search. If all else fails, printer manufacturers will normally have downloadable PDF versions of manuals for their most popular products available online.

Consult the manual for all operation and maintenance issues, including how to change the ink cartridges. The model number of the ink cartridge(s) needed for your printer will be listed in this section of the manual.

2. Not Confirming the Cartridge Number or Printer Model Before Shopping

Another way to keep the store clerk from undue stress is to bring along the cartridge number, or at least model number, of the printer. This can make the shopping process fast and easy. But first, you need to get this information.

Let's say that for whatever reason you just cannot locate a manual for the used printer you purchased online, and you need ink. You might get lucky, and the dry cartridges are still in the machine. If that is the case, just remove them and put them into a sandwich bag (just in case there's a little residual ink leakage) and head down to the closest retailer.

If you don't have the empty cartridges to refer to, it's not a problem. Simply write down the brand and model of your printer and take that information along when you go shopping. If there is no name plate or sticker with the information on the front of the printer, take a look at the back. There should be brand, model and serial number information on small stickers.

Last but not least, many retail department stores and office supply stores have ink cartridge guides attached to the display racks. All you need to know is what printer you own, and you can reference it in the guide.

3. Wrong Ink for the Project

When choosing ink cartridges, it is important to choose the proper ink type for the print job. There are two broad types of ink in use: dye-based and pigment-based inks. Not knowing the difference between the two can be a costly mistake.

Very stable, dye-based inks turn out prints with vibrant colors. However, there are the issues of slow drying ink and blurred images. Pigment-based inks have a much quicker drying time, which results in prints with clearer images. Waterproof, pigment-based inks are used for photo printing and come in individual CMYK cartridges that work together to print photographs.

4. Going Cheap: The Refill Question

Although it sounds like it should work, printer ink refill kits rarely give the quality results one hopes for. It's not that the concept is flawed. Refilled cartridges can work well when they are refilled by companies that have the proper industrial grade equipment to do the job right, but doing it at home rarely works as well.

Stay away from refill kits unless you have a printer that is so old you can't find the original cartridges anymore, but don't overlook purchasing refurbished/factory refilled cartridges. They can be a significant cost saver. Just be prepared to try a few to find the supplier who does the best job.

5. Paying Too Much

Price is a huge defining factor when choosing which ink cartridge to buy, and paying too much is the most common and one of the easiest mistakes made. The first thing shoppers get wrong is they think that they must use the ink cartridges from the printer's manufacturer. This isn't necessarily so, as there are several good replacement cartridges, including remanufactured ones available on the market.

Unless you're just in the mood to get out of the house and go shopping, there is no reason to purchase ink cartridges from a retail outlet. If you do buy the wrong cartridge, you may be stuck, since retailers often don't accept printer ink returns, plus retail ink cartridge sellers from big box department stores to office supply warehouses have markups on their products that can make purchasing cartridges an expensive affair.

Buy in Bulk Online

To keep from making the mistake of overpaying for ink cartridges, consider how and where you buy. One option that works well for just about anyone is to buy in bulk, as when you break it down, your actual savings is significant. If you use a lot of ink at home for school projects, for a home-based business, or hobbies, purchasing ink cartridges in bulk rewards you by saving you serious money. A Canon cartridge is a good example: the $30 retail price can be cut down to as low as $17 online, and when you buy in bulk, it can cost as little as $170 for a pack of 10 cartridges. That's a savings over individual retail purchases of $130. These prices are only a guide and depending on the market, the printer model, whether it's new or refurbished, along with where you buy, the prices and deals will vary.

Buy Remanufactured Ink Cartridges Online

While refilling your own ink cartridges can be done, as stated earlier, it rarely turns out well. But there are several companies who specialize in ink toner refill services that can offer great deals for very good products. These cartridges can sell for as little as $30 for lots of 10 cartridges.

Conclusion

If you take a little care when getting ready to buy ink cartridges for your home or office, you can avoid making any of the five most common buying mistakes. To ensure you buy the right ink cartridge, and get a good deal, remember to consult the manual for what type of cartridge(s) you are going to need, copy that information down, and keep it with you when shopping. Choose the proper ink for the job you are doing. While it is a true savings to buy remanufactured cartridges, be sure to get them from the manufacturer if possible. If not, make sure they are refilled by a professional. You can use a refill kit yourself, but you should only do this if the cartridge you need is no longer produced. When you go to buy cartridges, make sure you don't pay too much for them. There are several sites online that sell cartridges at wholesale prices along with classified and merchandise auction sites where shoppers can connect with sellers for really great deals.

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