Friday, May 25, 2007

Saving Money on Ink Cartridges

Most people have a tendency to buy ink cartridges from the same manufacturer as the printer. Since major name brand printers make most of their profit from the replacement cartridges they charge a premium price. How can the average user save money on ink supplies.

One way is to purchase ink cartridges from independent sellers whose product will work just as well as those from the manufacturer. However, wise consumers will save not only money, but heartache as well if they do their homework.

By checking on the reputation of the independent seller, the consumer can avoid poorly made cartridges that not only produce low quality prints but can even damage the printer. If buying online, the consumer can look for testimonials and even search for independent reviews of the seller.

Another option available for consumers is using refillable inks for their cartridges. The downside here is again the quality of the ink along with the possible leaking of the cartridge.

Still another way to save money on printing costs is to use black ink in draft mode whenever possible. Color ink is more expensive and should only be used when printing the final project. Some everyday printing, such like something from the Internet may not require color ink. Use black ink in these cases.

Some consumers will buy ink in bulk as a way to save money. Additionally, if you have a major printing job that requires a lot of ink and want to stick to cartridges, try buying in quantity. Many online retailers offer special prices when several cartridges are ordered at one time.

1 comment:

Pat said...

Another way to save a little more money is to keep on using the cartridge after your computer tells you it's empty! Most programs alert you to an "empty" cartridge when it's still about 1/4 full.