Dear Wizard of 'OZ',
I find that new inkjet cartridges are so expensive. How do the generic and refilled ones measure up?
Signed,
Running On Empty
Dear Running
Following are a few printer/cartridge buying tips that might help you save a few bucks. I'm skeptical about refill kits, but I also think that, for some people, they might be worth a look.
Business users - buy genuine. It's a business expense so get over it.
Printing out photos? Stick with genuine cartridges. Since you're going to be paying for the paper you want quality output that will last!
If you think your printer isn't going to have a huge workload, then:
- buying a cheap printer might be for you. Yes, you'll be faced with more expensive cartridges but chances are that you'll only need to buy one or two a year
- know the costs before you buy - find out how much consumables are going to cost before you buy a printer
- try refilled cartridges or refill kits, especially if you don't need high-quality output. If you are going to go down the "refill yourself" path, then refill them before they hit empty as you seem to get better results
- change cartridges yearly because they do deteriorate with age (the ink dries out and clogs the print head)
If your printer is going to be worked hard, then:
- be wary of buying a cheap printer as running costs could be high
- know the costs before you buy - find out how much consumables are going to cost before you buy a printer
Why not experiment with refilled cartridges or refill kits? If you print a lot of document that quickly end up in the trash or the shredder, and quality doesn't matter an awful lot, then you can get to a point where you can have one set of genuine cartridges for best output and another set (refilled) for the rest.
If your current printer takes cartridges that are expensive, then you might be able to save money by buying a new printer.
Hope this helps.
Yrs,
The Wizard
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