Your Guide to Ink Cartridges
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between refilled and refurbished ink cartridges? Do you know what a compatible cartridge is? These are commonly asked questions that have been plaguing customers for years and nothing to be ashamed about not knowing. Below you will find a quick guide to help you distinguish between the various cartridge types you will find on the market shelf or browsing online.
First, by now almost everyone should be familiar with genuine brand name ink sold at the office supply store. These are cartridges made by Dell, HP, Xerox and so forth for their printers. Also known as original equipment manufacturer (OEM) cartridges, these inks and toners offer the highest quality you will find on the market, but they often come with a steep price tag. Some magazines have even priced them as more expensive than luxury wine.
Refurbished inks are one of the most commonly purchased alternatives to the expensive OEM cartridges. These ink and toner receptacles have been totally cleaned and the worn parts have been replaced before refilling with ink or toner for resale. While the printing quality is slightly less than OEM, the price difference makes them an attractive option.
A compatible ink cartridge, on the other hand, is a generic reproduction meant to work with major brand printers. A compatible cartridge sells for drastically less than an OEM cartridge, which is part of why many OEMs have taken legal action to prevent their sale in the US under copyright infringement laws.
A refilled cartridge, on the other hand, is exactly what the name implies: an old cartridge simply refilled with ink or toner. These can be professional jobs capped with a plastic stopper, or sloppy jobs with a hole drilled in the side and covered with tape. The variance between the two adds a slight amount of risk with these products.