No matter how good your printer is there is one
thing it will always need to work properly: ink. The ink in your printer is
stored in a specially designed printer cartridge and when the ink runs out this
printer cartridge must be replaced. Printer cartridges can vary widely in price
but fortunately you have many options to choose from.
OEM Printer Cartridge
More likely than not when you first purchased
your printer it came with a specially designed printer cartridge manufactured
by the same company that built your printer. Every printer is different and
thus the cartridge needs will always vary. Printer cartridges manufactured by
the same company as those who built the printer are referred to as OEM or
Original Equipment Manufacturer. Sometimes they are also referred to as Genuine
OEM.
There are some advantages to replacing your ink
with an OEM printer cartridge. You will be sure that the cartridge will fit
your model printer, as well as be sure of the quality. Unfortunately there is
also a heavy price to pay with OEM printer cartridges, as OEM ink is usually
fairly expensive. If price is a concern there are other options as well.
Compatible Printer Cartridge
Your new printer cartridge does not necessarily
need to be manufactured by the original printer manufacturer in order to work.
There are several companies out there that specialize in making compatible
printer cartridges, that is, cartridges which are compatible with a number of
different printer types from different companies.
Re-manufactured Printer Cartridge
The last option for buying a replacement printer
cartridge is to buy it re-manufactured. This is something made available by a
number of companies in the business of recycling printer cartridges. They take
the old cartridges and rebuild them, as well as replacing the ink. Both OEM and
compatible printer cartridges can be recycled and re-manufactured, and will vary
in price depending on the price of the original cartridge.
Re-manufactured printer cartridges are popular
not only because they are a cheaper alternative than OEM, but also because they
are more environmentally friendly. It cuts down on the need for new cartridges
to be manufactured, as well as cutting down on the number of discarded
cartridges taking up space in landfills.
Refilling the Ink Yourself
It is possible to not even replace your old
printer cartridge and replace the ink yourself. This is by far the cheapest
option, although it can also be a messy option. For most printer cartridges the
refill process is fairly simple: you fill up a dropper with ink, stick it in
your cartridge and fill it up, then place tape over the hole you made. It is
best to do this in an area that is easy to clean up, though, because if the ink
spills it can get messy very fast.
The Final Step
Once you have purchased your replacement printer
cartridge (or refilled your old one) it is time to put it back into your
printer. Most printers will have instructions printed right on them for how to
replace the printer cartridge, or you might need to consult the manual. Once
your new cartridge is in you are ready to start printing again!