The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Generic Printer Ink Cartridges

2010-09-13

Buying printer ink cartridges online is a great way to save money. Many customers look for additional ways to cut their costs, by using refill cartridges or even generic cartridges. Generic printer ink is a relatively new development, and it isn't available in retail stores. There are significant advantages and relatively few disadvantages to generic printer ink cartridges, and knowing about them can make it much easier to save money when buying printer ink online.

When people buy generic printer cartridges, they immediately wonder whether the cartridges are as dependable as standard name brand cartridges. There is a question of quality when it comes to generic printer ink cartridges, but this is more related to the ink provider than the actual brand of the printer ink cartridges. For the most part, generic cartridges work just as well as their name-brand equivalents. It's best to look at the credentials of the company selling the printer ink rather than whether or not the ink is provided by a major printer brand; if a website or retail store sells quality ink and receives fairly good customer reviews, generic cartridges from the store should work fine.

However, stores that frequently sell expired or poorly stored printer ink cartridges may sell low quality generic cartridges, and these cartridges may be more likely to break or to have operational issues. New generic cartridges are virtually identical to name brand cartridges, and carry the same types of ink. Their ink reserves are the same size, which means that they typically offer a similar pages-per-cartridge ratio compared to their name brand competitors, as well. High quality generic cartridges for photo printing are also available.

A significant advantage of generic printer ink is that it's typically a good deal less expensive than name brand ink. The companies that create generic cartridges save money on advertising, and these savings are passed on to customers. It's not uncommon to find a generic cartridge that costs a third less than a name brand cartridge, which is why generic printer ink is rising in popularity. Generic cartridges are now available for most major printer brands and models. However, some printer manufacturers patent their designs in order to avoid competition from generic cartridge manufacturers. You can easily find out whether a generic option is available for your printer by doing a quick search on a website that sells ink cartridges.

When shopping for printer ink online, consider a generic option if it's available for your printer. The low cost and high quality of generic options makes them an excellent choice for both home and office computers, and all types of document and photo printing.