When Are Ink Cartridges Less Expensive For Newer Printer Models

2010-03-24

Printer ink is one of the major costs of owning a computer. Many printer companies take extreme measures to make sure that they're the only ones legally allowed to sell printer ink cartridges for their device, and because of these measures, they're able to charge extremely high prices for their products. Many consumers wonder whether their choice of printer affects these costs--as you might have guessed, it can make a big difference. The brand of printer that you select will certainly affect your ink yield (and the cost per cartridge), but the age of your printer is another important factor. Many newer printers offer far better ink cartridges than their predecessors.

This is mainly due to ink conservation practices. There isn't significantly more ink in a newer cartridge than in an older one, and in fact, you might have noticed that the size of printer ink cartridges has been decreasing over the years. The printer manufacturers are constantly looking for new ways to use less ink per print, as this decreases their costs and makes their products more useful for customers (who tend to get very frustrated if a printer runs out of ink after only a few dozen prints). A new printer cartridge typically has print heads installed directly on it, and the drivers and outfitting of the printer itself are designed to use ink efficiently without wasting a drop.

This isn't always the case. Some newer printers actually have worse yields than printers from a few years back, and unfortunately, there's no directly universal way of gauging the yield of printer ink from a certain printer. That may change soon, as many print manufacturers have signed on to new ISO standards that will make it much easier for consumers to tell whether a certain printer has a better yield than another, regardless of brand. This will make a huge difference in the cost to the consumer, as well as to businesses.

Until that time, the best way to control your printer ink costs is to look at customer reviews to try to find a high-yield unit. Look to remanufactured cartridges and ink refill kits to avoid buying brand new ink. Above all, be sure to change your printing habits; print black ink on your printer's "draft" settings, and avoid printing anything unnecessary. Use the "print preview" option whenever possible. Changing your printing habits doesn't take a lot of time or dedication, but it can drastically reduce your ink costs, particularly when combined with low-cost remanufactured cartridges. By taking a common sense approach, you'll get more prints per cartridge and save on paper and ink, regardless of the age of the printer that you're using.