Photography Tidbits

The part of the Inkjet Printer that provides the actual ink and must be refilled is the “inkjet cartridge”. In most cases this cartridge also contains the electronic printer head as part of the unit.

There are both one color and multi-color reservoir cartridges depending on which model and/or manufacturer’s printer is in question. Frequently manufacturers build in electronic contacts and microchips that tell the printer how the cartridge is performing.

Before doing any printing the level of available ink must be determined. Insufficient ink may dry on the printhead and lead to inferior prints. The volume of ink must be capable of providing smooth flow or the quality of prints will be sub-standard.

To proper way to clean the dried ink from the printing head is to gently rub the head with isopropyl alcohol on a swab or paper towel.

New, original manufacturer’s replacement inkjet cartridges are quite pricey so as consumers sought ways to save an entire industry was formed to serve just that need.

The costs of replacing ink cartridges, compared to the price of a brand new printer, amaze many consumers. Leading printer manufacturers like Hewlett Packard, Lexmark, Dell, Canon, Epson and Brother often lose money by selling cheap printers expecting to make their true profits selling the inkjet cartridges, known as consumables.

They must recover these losses and make a profit by selling very costly cartridges over the life span of the printer. Because companies producing aftermarket ink cartridges take away much of their profit, major printer manufacturers have taken action against them. Some manufacturers even took legal action.

The printer manufacturers lost their case and now seek other ways to create a monopoly on printer cartridges.

Now that there are high quality alternative sources for a fraction of the original manufacturer’s price, many inkjet printer owners are enjoying refilled or remanufactured inkjet cartridges at tremendous savings, and still getting phenomenal quality from their printers.

This reduces their cost significantly (typically 50% or more) and can get them quality every bit as good as the original cartridges. Additionally it is far more ecologically sound as hundreds of millions of these cartridges needlessly end up in landfills every year.

A whole industry has grown up around ink cartridge refilling. Customers can find several qualities and types of refilling. However, some are safe and successful while other types can destroy the printer or produce sub-par prints.

It takes a company large enough to keep up with the technology changes that the printer manufacturers create every day, be sure your source has that support.

You also want to be sure that their reputation is excellent and that they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

For general information Brother, Canon, Dell, HP, and Lexmark cartridges can be refilled although a chip re-set may be necessary.

I hope you now realize that you can now do all the printing you’ve ever done and more, and still save a great deal of money and the environment, that’s a win-win deal.