Have you ever come to a store to buy printer ink and get stuck there due to a vast selection? All these OEM, compatible, and remanufactured cartridges can really cause headaches if you don’t understand the difference between them. And the price range is shocking, too. How come one cartridge costs almost as much as the printer itself? And why another one costs three times less?
To answer all of these questions and deal with any misunderstanding about printer ink cartridges and their types, we’ve decided to compile this short guide. Hope it helps you when you shop next time!
Original cartridges (OEM)
The abbreviation OEM stands for the original equipment manufacturer, which means that the cartridge is produced by the same company that supplied your printer. For instance, if you use a Canon printer, you may buy a Canon cartridge that will be genuine and will fit perfectly well.
Of course, such a combination is supposed to work perfectly well as the manufacturers know their product best and can tailor the cartridge so that it works faultlessly at all times. Yet, OEM-s have some disadvantages, too.
The biggest issue with original cartridges is probably their cost. Unfortunately, they are much more expensive than their alternatives – sometimes, the price for a genuine cartridge can even exceed the price of a printer itself. Is this fair? Not really. But as a printer is a one-time purchase and users need to visit the ink store regularly, manufacturers make more money on cartridges and, thus, set sky-high prices.
Besides, the ink supply in original cartridges is usually significantly less than in some compatible toners, even though they claim to be of the same capacity. Most manufacturers don’t even produce XL inkjet cartridges, which are an excellent way for the users to save up.
Remanufactured cartridges
One of the main alternatives to original cartridges is remanufactured ones. This is actually a great way to recycle your genuine cartridge after you’ve used all the toner in it. You may send it to one of the office supply stores or online businesses that will clean it and refill with new ink. This is not only convenient and cheaper but also ecological as you reduce the carbon footprint.
The remanufacturing of ink cartridges doesn’t mean quality loss. Most of the companies providing remanufactured cartridges check them after refilling for any malfunctioning. Moreover, they may replace any faulty details, install a new sponge and fix some minor problems.
There is another major advantage of remanufactured cartridges over the original ones. As the supplier refills the toner, they usually fill them to the full capacity in contrast to the OEM-s. This way, you can use them longer and enjoy the same high quality. Yet, the performance of a remanufactured cartridge depends directly on the business that you use. If it is reliable enough, your cartridge will work as well as the original one.
Compatible cartridges
If you are looking for cheap ink cartridges but want to get high-quality printing at all times, you will definitely come across the compatible ones. Compatible cartridges are basically made from scratch by a third party. Unlike remanufactured cartridges, they do not have the original details designed by printer suppliers, yet this doesn’t mean that they are of lower quality.
Being developed by a supplier, compatible cartridges are carefully inspected for any faults and the overall compatibility with the target printers. For that reason, they are mostly as good as the original ones, while remaining much cheaper.
It can be risky to buy compatible cartridges from unverified suppliers that don’t give any guarantee of the quality of their product or its durability. You should carefully examine the company’s return policy and terms of use before buying a cartridge from them. This will save you a lot of headache down the line.
SmartInk solution
Smart Ink provides customers with both remanufactured and compatible cartridges for the most popular printer models. We ensure high quality of printing and affordable pricing, so that you can enjoy every single printout and photo you make.
Here, at Smart Ink, we think quality first, so we only use new high-quality details. Afterward, we run our compatible cartridges through all necessary tests to make sure that they are of the same quality as the original ones. Besides, we ensure 100% compatibility by regularly checking a smart chip to be of the latest model.
Another significant advantage of Smart Ink cartridges is the cost. Our fair prices help you save over 50% of what you used to spend for the original toners. We do our best to make the products as affordable as possible so that you could save some money for your hobbies, friends, or loved ones.