Since there is a need to cut on costs because of these turbulent financial times, there are a few ways consumers refill ink cartridges. These are through ink refilling kits that are a do-it-yourself projects that consumers can do on their own, through purchasing compatible ink cartridges that are made by third party manufacturers compatible to particular brands like Canon ink or Lexmark ink cartridges and re-manufactured printer cartridges which are recycled cartridges refilled with ink.

Surely, these are far cheaper than buying an original cartridge not because original equipment is overpriced but because they have a few disadvantages to using them. For one they are not manufactured with the same quality control and manufacturing process an original cartridge goes through. Since the quality will not be the same, think of the number of times you will have to print not only wasting ink but paper and time as well. You cannot be assured a hundred percent that the less than original cartridge will actually work once it gets to you. Imagine purchasing ten cartridges off the internet because of a really cheap sale but only five functions when it gets to you. Yes, you can send them back for an exchange but think of the time wasted. Be wary of cartridges sold at an unbelievably low price because these are cartridges that were drilled so they can be filled with ink. Many of these are half-filled or sometimes less, plus the fact that if something goes wrong with your printer because you are not using an originally manufactured ink cartridge, you cannot expect the manufacturers to honour your warranty. This is one of the gravest things a consumer can do to a brand new printer. If you are really forced to buy these cheaper and less than stellar equipment, then please wait until the warranty is over before using them. You may be saving some money but not enough to actually purchase a brand new printer. In the long run you are not actually saving but spending more. The point is that these cartridges are not made to suit your printer perfectly so there is a big chance that it can in fact damage your equipment. Some studies have shown that forty percent of unoriginal ink cartridges cause problems with the printer.

On the other hand, purchasing originally manufactured ink cartridges might be a tad bit intimidating and overwhelming because of the steep price it comes with but in reality, you are actually saving money for the long haul. Here are a number of reasons why. These cartridges are really manufactured for the sole purpose of using it with the printer so you can expect stellar quality in printing without the hassle of reprinting, durability of your printer means you should encounter less problems if none at all and lastly, if ever something goes wrong with the printer, you can expect full accountability from the manufacturer as well as honouring the warranty. You can expect not to encounter instances of streaking, blurring, bleeding, curling and ugly blotches highlighting that you only need to print once and on one piece of paper. Compute these with the number of pages you can actually print only once versus the number of instances you will have to reprint for unoriginal equipment and you will immediately see how much you have saved. Do the math.

There may be only a few advantages to purchasing originally manufactured ink cartridges but one thing is certain. The cost on a new printer because of a damaged one plus hoards of reams of paper and unoriginal ink cartridges for reprints, printer jams, plus low class quality prints should be enough for you to do a double take on cost alone versus a onetime steep investment on all original equipment. You shell out on a printer once in two to three years, twice for Canon ink cartridges or Lexmark ink cartridges in a year. That is a lot of savings on cost already. Original equipment is manufactured for a purpose and that purpose is because they are built to last and are supposed to compliment the equipment they are really made for. These reasons alone should be enough to dispel the myth that unoriginal equipment are cost efficient.