The Many Choices Available When Buying Ink Cartridges

Our printers need ink. And with the 'green' office becoming a growing trend and everybody trying to save money in a tight economy, sometimes it is difficult to know what type of ink to buy. Your choices are plenty these days. Ink cartridges can range from being generic and recycled to new or refillable. So before making your next ink cartridge purchase, keep in mind your options and make your choice accordingly. Also, you may want to plan ahead before you run out of ink and keep extra cartridges in stock so that you don't have to just grab whatever is available.

Now back to your choices. For your printer, your first choice or the one that used to be your only choice, is to buy a new brand name ink cartridge. When buying a brand name ink cartridge, you know you are going to get high quality ink and a cartridge backed by the company's name. When using name brand cartridges, you also know you are getting a fresh, new cartridge with every purchase. With refilled or remanufactured ink cartridges, you never know how many times they've been used, or the quality of ink that was used to refill them. Going with a brand name means spending the extra money, but there are many guarantees.

Another choice is to refill your ink cartridge. This is not only less expensive but it also contributes to the health of the environment. Each time an ink cartridge is thrown into a landfill, it can take up to 450 years to decompose. This adds up as more than 300 million cartridges that end up in landfills every year--that's almost eight cartridges thrown away in the United States every second. The number of cartridges in landfills also increases by 12 percent each year - so over time, this is a lot of trash sitting around.

Refilling your own ink cartridge with ink filling kits or taking your cartridge in to be refilled not only saves money but makes a huge impression on the earth's carbon footprint. Refilling your own cartridges can be messy and frustrating, so take this also into consideration when making your decision. If you would rather take your cartridge back to the store to be refilled, ask about the quality of ink used. If you are only printing documents of which the quality of ink isn't important, than you may not need to even ask this question and are appreciative of the lower cost.

Another choice is to buy a remanufactured or recycled ink or toner cartridges. With these, the manufacturer has taken a cartridge previously used and refills it with ink. These ink cartridges are also given a new print head at the time of service. If environmental conservation is your goal, this is also a nice solution and when purchased from a reputable company exercising quality control, these cartridges can perform as good as new. You can also continue recycling these cartridges and the cost is often lower for the initial purchase.

Your last option is to buy generic or a non-name brand cartridge. Generic inkjet and toner cartridges are brand-new cartridges that are not made by the original manufacturer of your printer but meet the same standards. These cartridges are often cheaper and many still have the option of refilling them. Be sure to read the compatibility information before purchasing a generic ink cartridge and ask around about the quality of ink.

Whichever choice you make, remember that your ink cartridges shouldn't be thrown away but recycled. Many people don't realize this. Statistics show that 48 percent of people throw their ink cartridges into the trash. Ask if your company has a recycling program for their cartridges? Sometimes manufacturers recycle ink cartridges through the store that sold the cartridge to you.

How does recycling help? Just think, in 2001 alone, 166.2 million ink and toner cartridges were recycled and thus saved from landfills. To make a new cartridge, the plastic in each takes three and a half quarts of oil to produce, and each new inkjet cartridge requires two and a half ounces of oil. Therefore, half a gallon of oil is conserved for each laser cartridge that is returned for remanufacturing. In only 12 months, with 166.2 million cartridges recycled, more than 4.3 million liters of oil is not needed.

While your options are varied, before purchasing your cartridge replacement, always make sure it is compatible with your printer and whenever possible, it is best to have the brand and model number handy to ensure compatibility. Last, be sure to stock up on ink cartridges as running out while printing important documents during a time crunch can be a hassle.

Article Source: http://mylilpeanut.com

John Pickering is the owner of EezyTrade.co.uk, an online retailer of new and refilled printer ink cartridges for Brother, HP, Canon, Epson, Lexmark and Xerox printers. Visit us online today for epson inkjet cartridges and more and begin saving.

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