How Some New Printers Have Improved Ink Cartridge Management

2011-08-31

Printer technology has improved considerably over the last decade. Older printers were sometimes only capable of getting a few dozen prints per cartridge, but newer printers have advanced cartridges which emphasize efficiency and better ink management. New ink cartridges and printers can avoid wasting ink in a number of ways, and with new technologies and designs, printer companies can greatly cut the cost-per-print of their most popular products.

Many printer ink cartridge manufacturers have looked for ways to store more ink in cartridges. Newer office printers often divide color ink into several different chambers that are designed to minimize movement of the print heads, which encourages more consistent print quality and less wasted ink. This type of engineering can mean much more ink per cartridge without any change in the cost of ink cartridge production. New printer cartridges with built-in heads are also being developed which resist ink clogs--one of the major reasons for wasted ink--and which use less ink per print while delivering great quality.

Ink cartridge technology is certainly exciting, but advanced printer technology like LED printing may hold the key to getting more prints per cartridge. LED printers are less likely to jam thanks to their specialized print heads and are much more efficient than traditional inkjet printers. However, cartridge costs are still kept high for printer owners, mainly due to the way that the printer industry operates; companies set the prices of their printers low and the prices of their cartridges high to ensure long-term profits. It's a similar technique to what razor companies use, and as many printer owners have noted, it can mean shocking price discrepancies. Some cheap desktop printers are actually less expensive than the ink cartridges that they use. Printer manufacturers have used this technique for inkjet printers over the last decade and will likely use the same technique for LED printers as they gain popularity.

Consumers can cut their ink costs by using remanufactured inks and refill kits. Both of these solutions lead to better ink cartridge management, as they use recycled inks and give consumers more control over their ink usage. Remanufactured ink cartridges are made from discarded cartridges and sometimes even have recycled ink. They're built to the same standards as brand-new cartridges. Refill kits allow for better ink management, as printer users can fill them up as needed. This helps to avoid wasted ink and clogs. Both solutions are particularly helpful in an office, as they can drastically decrease per-print costs, and although the technology used in these types of cartridges is nothing new, they're still some of the best ways to conserve ink while paying less.