vendredi 30 janvier 2009

Refilling Inkjet Cartridges - Half The Price - 90% Less Waste

By Donald Bressellford

The part of the Inkjet Printer that provides the actual ink and must be refilled is the "inkjet cartridge". In most cases this cartridge also contains the electronic printer head as part of the unit.

Multi-colors (up to six at this time) or single color cartridges are used by different printers. Which type is used depends entirely on the manufacturer and the model printer in use. To provide electronic feedback to the printer from the inkjet cartridge, most companies include microchips and electronic sensors right in the cartridges.

Prior to printing anything, the ink level must be ascertained. If it is too low, ink may dry on the printing head and lead to sub-par prints. The ink must have a smooth flow in order to produce high quality prints.

When ink dries on the printhead of the cartridge the simple cure is to gingerly clean off the dried area with a paper towel or a clean soft rag or cotton swab dampened with rubbing alcohol.

New, original manufacturer's replacement inkjet cartridges are quite pricey so as consumers sought ways to save an entire industry was formed to serve just that need.

The first shock comes when you do the math and find out that one or two sets of new cartridges cost more than the printer that uses them. Most Manufacturers like Hewlett Packard, Lexmark, Dell, Canon, Epson and Brother sell their printers as "loss leaders" to get the ink sales for new cartridges.

Taking this business tack requires that manufactures get top dollar for their cartridges and that they get discarded after only one use. What a waste. In an attempt to eliminate all other options and force consumers to follow that model some manufacturers have even tried taking those companies that were recycling to court to stop them.

The printer manufacturers lost their case and now seek other ways to create a monopoly on printer cartridges.

Many printer owners choose have their cartridges refilled or buy remanufactured cartridges from third parties over buying new cartridges.

This reduces their cost significantly (typically 50% or more) and can get them quality every bit as good as the original cartridges. Additionally it is far more ecologically sound as hundreds of millions of these cartridges needlessly end up in landfills every year.

A whole industry has grown up around ink cartridge refilling. Customers can find several qualities and types of refilling. However, some are safe and successful while other types can destroy the printer or produce sub-par prints.

Doing it right requires training and experience and substantial technological backup. So, be sure your source has those qualifications.

You also want to be sure that their reputation is excellent and that they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Generally speaking, Brother, Canon, Dell, HP, and Lexmark cartridges can be refilled, although some cartridges require the chip in the ink cartridge to be reset.

I hope you now realize that you can now do all the printing you've ever done and more, and still save a great deal of money and the environment, that's a win-win deal.

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