|
|
Article 1: The Printer Cartridge Wars - D. Ammerman
Article 2: Ten Ways (plus 1) to Save on Printer Ink and Toner Cartridges - L. Andrew
Article 3: Get a Discount Epson Inkjet Cartridge and Save up to 85%… - L. Andrew
Article 4: Warning! It's time for a New Inkjet Cartridge... - L. Andrew
Article 5: Printer Cartridge Economics: Four Ways To Make Your Ink Last Longer - N. Patterson |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Written by David Ammerman, as published by About.com
The
Printer Cartridge Wars:
Are generic or remanufactured inkjet cartridges or laser toner right for you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Overview |
|
|
|
|
As "generic",
"remanufactured", and "new compatible" inkjet
printer cartridges and laser toner cartridges creep deeper into the
printer accessories market, the choices become varied and often
confusing. It is estimated that by the year 2004 the aftermarket share
of the inkjet and toner cartridge market will exceed 11% of the
estimated 12 billion dollar printer accessory market [source: CART
magazine, March 2001] Here's a look at what all these terms mean, and an
examination of the upside and downside of using non-"brand
name" printer cartridge products in your printer. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Terminology |
|
|
|
|
First, let's examine the
terminology. When shopping online for a new inkjet or toner cartridge
for your printer, you'll likely encounter these terms:
OEM (Original Equipment
Manufacturer) or brand name products
A "brand name" inkjet or toner cartridge is just that -
it's a printer cartridge that carries the brand name of the
manufacturer on it, usually the same as the printer manufacturer,
for example, Epson, Canon, Hewlett Packard, etc.
New compatible, off-brand or
generic products
A "new compatible", "off-brand" or
"generic" inkjet or toner cartridge is manufactured by a
company other than the original printer manufacturer. There are a
large number of these "new compatible" manufacturers, and
it's quite true that the quality of their product can vary (more on
that a bit later). In the case of inkjet cartridges,
"generic" cartridges are completely new. In the case of
toner cartridges, to qualify as "new compatible" the toner
drum must be replaced with a brand new drum, as well as all major
parts serviced and replaced as needed.
Remanufactured products
A "remanufactured" inkjet or toner cartridge, by
definition, is a cartridge which has been serviced, cleaned,
refilled with toner or ink and possibly had a few component parts
repaired or replaced. In many cases, remanufactured toner cartridges
do not have new drums; they instead refurbish the original drum and
send it out for another cycle. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
An Important Note About Toner
Cartridges |
|
|
|
|
The relatively unknown truth
is that almost all laser toner cartridges, including most of the
original brand name "new" cartridges, have been remanufactured
to some extent. The defining point is to what degree they have had
component parts repaired and/or replaced. For example: check the box for
a brand new Hewlett Packard Laser Jet 4000/27X. Brand new, right? Well,
it is. But check the fine print, which says:
This newly manufactured product may
contain parts and materials recovered from the HP planet partners
recycling program.
This means that the product, while "new", is possibly not completely new; it's quite
probable that components of this cartridge have been used before, and
have been recycled.
|
|
|
|
|
Quality vs. Cost |
|
|
|
|
It's a fact: the cost of brand
name inkjet and toner cartridges can be exceedingly high in comparison
to generic or remanufactured inkjet or toner cartridges. In many cases,
new compatible inkjet cartridges can be as much as 70% less than the
cost of brand name cartridges. New compatible or remanufactured toner
cartridges on the whole tend to be as much as 50% less in cost than
their brand name counterparts.
What's the catch?
Well, there really isn't one, if
you find a quality off-brand product you can purchase from an online
merchant you can trust, one who stands by their product in those rare
cases that generic or remanufactured products don't perform as well as
you expect. Brand name cartridges cost much more than generics primarily
because of the marketing and advertising budgets most OEM manufacturers
spend in promoting their products; a cost most smaller manufacturers
don't have. And then there's the issue of your printer warranty - we'll
discuss that issue a little bit later.
|
|
|
|
|
Inkjet Cartridges: Performance |
|
|
|
|
Generic or new compatible
inkjet cartridges are in general highly reliable and perform as well as,
or nearly as well as, brand name cartridges. Latest technologies and
adherence to ISO 9001 codes (internationally recognized standards for
quality assurance) by most producers of generic cartridges has increased
the overall reliability of these aftermarket products in relation to
your typical brand cartridges. In particular, Epson and Canon new
compatibles are highly reliable, as the technology required to duplicate
the performance of their cartridges is minimal (with the exception of
the very latest Epson cartridges with the "computer chip"). In
terms of print life (how many pages they print) generics stack up pretty
well - usually within plus or minus 5% of the life of your typical brand
name cartridge.
High quality photographic printing is the
one area where generic cartridges are occasionally suspect. The quality
of the inks used by the manufacturer play a significant role here -
lower grade ink which doesn't have the same density or brilliance and
consistency of color can produce inferior results in the most
high-demand cases. Although most manufacturers of generics have moved
away from inferior inks, we recommend you ask your online merchant about
the quality of the inks used by their supplier, if you are doing this
kind of high-quality photographic printing. In particular, the inks
should be made in the U.S.A.. With good ink your results should be just
fine.
Remanufactured Inkjet cartridges are
another subject. Primarily you will only find remanufactured Inkjet
cartridges for Hewlett Packard printers, as HP has meticulously patented
(and subsequently filed suit against anyone who tried to duplicate)
their inkjet cartridge designs. There are no true "generics" for HP inkjet printers.
Remanufactured cartridges are a huge cost
value over new cartridges - usually over 50% less - and for every day
printing work just fine. The failure rate of remanufactured cartridges
is slightly higher than new product, however, and so it's important your
online merchant guarantees their product to cover the occasional return.
For typical printing, remanufactured inkjet cartridges can be the right
choice over new ones. If you need very high quality, professional, color
photographic printing results, you should bite the bullet and purchase
the OEM new color cartridge.
|
|
|
|
|
Laser Toner Cartridges:
Performance |
|
|
|
|
As with generic or new
compatible inkjet cartridges, new compatible toner cartridges are for
the most part highly reliable and provide a noticeable cost savings over
brand new toner cartridges. Again, ISO 9001 standards have greatly
increased the consistency and reliability of the aftermarket toner
product in recent years. Further, many new compatible toner
manufacturers increase the volume of toner in the cartridge, providing
for a longer print life. Quality new compatible cartridges will have new
or replaced mag sleeves, wiper blades, and magnet tips.
Remanufactured toner cartridges in
general have a less stringent set of criteria applied to them, and as
mentioned before may not contain a new toner drum. Be sure to ask your
supplier. It is our humble recommendation that you go with toner
cartridges that have a new aftermarket drum, as opposed to a refurbished
or recycled drum. Lastly, ask if the new drum is "high
density". You want that.
Color laser new compatible toner
cartridges are just coming to market, and although early feedback seems
to indicate a positive outlook, an evaluation of these cartridges is
premature at this time.
|
|
|
|
|
Good for the Country, Good for the
Environment |
|
|
|
|
If you care about recycling or
the good of the Country's economy, consider these facts:
-
99% of new compatible toner cartridges
are manufactured in the USA; most "OEM" brand cartridges
are
- manufactured overseas
-
Nearly 40,000 tons of plastic
are saved from our nation's landfills each year, by remanufacture of
inkjet
- and toner cartridges
-
It takes on average 2 quarts of oil to
manufacture a Brand New Toner cartridge but less than half of that
- amount to manufacture a new compatible toner cartridge |
|
|
|
|
Your Printer Warranty and You |
|
|
|
|
A legitimate concern of many
people is whether using generic or remanufactured cartridges in their printer voids the printer's warranty. The answer is no.
The following is a partial quote of the
text of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act, which deals with
this exact question:
MAGNUSON-MOSS WARRANTY IMPROVEMENT ACT
United States Code Annotated
Title 15 Commerce and Trade
Chapter 50 Consumer Product Warranties
15 Section 2032
... (c) No warrantor of a consumer
product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product
on the consumer's using, in connection with such product, any article
or service (other than article or service provided without charge
under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade
or corporate name; except that the prohibition of this subsection be
waived by the commission if:
1) The warrantor satisfies the
Commission that the warranted product will function properly only if
the article or service so identified is used in connection with the
warranted product, and
2) the Commission finds that such a waiver is in the public interest.
In English, this means that no warranty
may be voided by use of aftermarket products unless the
manufacturer acquires a waiver that clearly shows such voidance would be
in the public interest, or that their product will only function
properly if the specified manufacturer parts are used.
There is one catch, however: the
manufacturer (in this case your printer manufacturer) is not compelled
to repair their product under warranty if damage done to the product
occurred as a direct result of using aftermarket parts. In other
words, using generic cartridges is fine, and if your printer ever fails
under conditions which have nothing to do with the cartridge you are
using, no problem. However, if the damage is directly caused (however
unlikely) by the use of a generic cartridge, the warrantor may
elect not to repair it, although the warranty would remain in effect for
all other warranty issues.
|
|
|
|
|
Conclusion |
|
|
|
|
In general, aftermarket
generic and new compatible or remanufactured printer cartridge products
are an excellent way to cut significant costs from your every day small
business or personal printing expense, while maintaining quality
printing results. Those who need extremely high quality printing (such
as photographers and artists) can, with a little trial-and-error testing
of different generic cartridge products, find a product which provides
the quality results you need.
In all cases, be sure to buy your
cartridges from an online supplier who 100% guarantees their product
without question, and isn't afraid to answer your questions when it
comes to the quality and reliability of their products. |
|
|
|
|
Thanks for reading this article! (End)
|
|
|
|
|
Visit www.Abacus24-7.com for the best deals on compatible and remanufactured inkjet and toner cartridges for all today's name brands inlcuding Epson, Canon, HP, Lexmark, Brother, Dell and more! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
