People don’t usually put much thought when buying printer ink and not surprisingly, they end up making common mistakes which can be avoided if they are careful.
This article will act as a guide to help you buy the best cartridge for your printing requirements.
1. Buying the wrong cartridge
Many printer cartridges look almost the same. Take for example the HP 60, 61, 62, 63, 64 and 65 cartridges which are all as a matter of fact a variation of the same cartridge but aren’t interchangeable at all because they are all different cartridge series.
Some consumers try to use an HP 62 cartridge when their printer uses an HP 61 cartridge and vice versa. It’s the same case scenario when it comes to Canon’s PGI-280 and PGI-27o cartridges, as well as Brother’s TN760 and TN660 series alongside many others.
Just because they look the same doesn’t mean they should all work for your printer, no it’s not that simple.
It is far more economical for printer companies to use the same designs for cartridges for their printers than create a specific cartridge design for each printer series.
Instead of using new cartridges, cartridges are fitted with unique contact chips that work only with a specific set of printers.
2. Buying a standard yield cartridge
Cartridges are sold as either as standard yield or high yield cartridge size. Obviously, the standard yield is the cheaper of the two and so many printer users think that they are clever to buy the standard yield size over the high yield.
The cheaper option may seem to be the better decision on the surface, but more often than not, the high yield cartridge is the better deal. Here’s why, in the long run, the high yield cartridge prints more pages at a cheaper cost.
Take for example the HP 63 black ink cartridge. It yields 190 pages and sells for $29.99 while the HP63XL high yield prints 480 pages and sells for $39.99.
Do you see what is happening here? You are paying almost as twice as much for the high yield cartridge but you are getting 2 ½ times the amount of ink.
If someone buys two standard yield ink cartridges you would pay just about the same amount for a high yield cartridge but get less ink.
For people who use the printer often, it is recommended that you get a high yield ink cartridge. Some printers even go a mile further to give its customers extra high yield cartridges which helps them to save even more.
3. Overpaying for printer cartridges
Saving comes in many forms when it comes to cartridge purchase. We have seen one way that can help you save. Buying remanufactured ink cartridges online can save you a lot of money, a good place to start is Yoyoink, they have a wide collection of affordable ink cartridges and toners.
Remanufactured ink cartridges or compatible cartridges give you the same number of prints and amazing print quality for a fraction of brand name cartridges.
You shouldn’t pay more for name-brand ink when you can get comparable results for a better price.
A lot of people do get confused about whether they should buy compatible ink toners. Besides, all printer vendors strictly advise their consumers to avoid using third party printer consumables. In case you purchased an incorrect toner, you can sell them online on selltoner.com.
Vendors ask their customers to purchase only original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) cartridges.
Without a doubt, OEM cartridges are of the highest quality but they are highly overpriced. Why do you think most printer companies’ revenue comes from sales of printer ink and toner sales?
There is no need to worry about the warranty of your printer as the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act came into force in the United States, which allows you to use third-party printer consumables.
4. Not checking the page yield of the cartridge
Buyers should know how long an ink cartridge is supposed to last before they buy them online or at stores.
Page yield is the estimated number of pages that a cartridge can print before it runs dry. This number is usually indicated on cartridge labels or even mentioned in the online product descriptions.
However, it is good to note that the total number of pages that a cartridge can print depends on the type of print job. For example, if you print documents mostly containing graphics and images, the page yield will obviously be less than expected.
5. Your cartridge doesn’t match your printing needs
Different printers and their cartridges are built for different uses.
For example, inkjet printers use ink cartridges, which are best suited for printing the occasional text, photos and colour images.
Laser printers on the other hand use toner cartridges, which are more suited for printing text in high volumes, but don’t print photos very well.
If your cartridge does not match your printing needs, then you are definitely spending more than you need on your replacements.
