| With the advances in technology; nearly every office, | | | | name. House brands tend to cost slightly less than |
| home, and business has a printer of some type. While | | | | OEM, but seem to perform nearly as well. |
| they perform a necessary function, they require either | | | | Alternative or Compatible Brands - If you have done |
| ink or toner to do that job. In terms of popularity, the | | | | any shopping in this market, then you have most likely |
| inkjet printer is much more popular than laser in the | | | | already seen alternative brands and probably didn't |
| home office and small office market. | | | | know it. These are new cartridges that are made by |
| The single largest expense with inkjet printers involves | | | | third party manufacturers who specialize in this market. |
| the replacement cartridges. Depending on your printer | | | | Chances are the average person has never heard of |
| needs and the frequency that you replace cartridges, | | | | any of these makers so they tend to shy away from |
| the costs of replacement cartridges can quickly add | | | | this product. Alternative brands are generally made to |
| up. In many cases, 12 months worth of replacement | | | | OEM specifications and offer good performance. The |
| cartridges will actually exceed the original cost of the | | | | consumer saves money here as they are not paying |
| printer. Most people will spend more annually on | | | | for the OEM name. If you shop for office supplies |
| replacement cartridges than any other office supply | | | | online, most online vendors will offer or suggest |
| expense. | | | | compatible brands that correspond to a specific OEM |
| So are there any opportunities to save money on | | | | brand. |
| these replacement inkjet cartridges? The answer is | | | | Remanufacturered Brands - Like the name implies, |
| yes, as long as you do a bit of homework and | | | | these cartridges are old cartridges that have been |
| understand the market. For starters, ink and toner | | | | remanufactured and then refilled with ink. Out of all the |
| replacement is a huge business that is highly | | | | possible replacement options, the remanufactured |
| competitive. Think about this question: where do you | | | | (commonly called remans) are the least expensive. |
| think manufacturers make the most money? From the | | | | Unfortunately, they also tend to be the lowest quality |
| sale of a printer once or the sale of the related ink and | | | | and offer the poorest performance. They have the |
| toner? If you guessed, ink and toner then you are | | | | highest failure rate in the industry. Reman cartridges |
| absolutely correct. | | | | are hit and miss in terms of quality. Some will work like |
| In order to save money in this area, you first have to | | | | a charm, while others won't print worth a darn. It's really |
| have a clear understanding of the different types of | | | | a roll of the dice. |
| inkjet cartridges. For the most part, you will be looking | | | | Where can you save money? It really depends on |
| at 4 possible types: | | | | your personal expectations and needs. Here are a |
| New or OEM - These are the most common type of | | | | few suggestions: |
| replacements on the market. OEM cartridges are | | | | If you decide that you want to stick with OEM, then |
| produced by the manufacturer and are the | | | | you'll need to do some in depth price comparisons to |
| manufacturer recommended replacements. | | | | get the best deal. Remember that this is a highly |
| Unfortunately, while these tend to be the best | | | | competitive industry and these vendors want your |
| performing replacements, they are also the most | | | | business. You might be able to get better results trying |
| expensive. Depending on your printer make and model, | | | | negotiate a bulk purchase versus one or two at a time. |
| OEM (original equipment manufacturer) replacement | | | | House brands can save some money, but your best |
| cartridges can cost anywhere from $30 to $60 per | | | | opportunity for savings will come through compatible |
| cartridge. Some of the newer printers take a single | | | | brands. In some cases, these cartridges can sell for |
| cartridge per color, so you could be talking about $120 | | | | 50% less than their OEM counterpart. The truth is, if |
| to get your printer printing again. To a certain point, you | | | | you compared print results from both an OEM and |
| are paying for the OEM name and reputation. | | | | compatible cartridge side by side, you would be hard |
| House Brands - These are cartridges that are | | | | pressed to tell the difference. By switching to |
| produced by either a major primary manufacturer or a | | | | compatible cartridges, you can save some major |
| replacement manufacturer and marketed under a | | | | amounts of money over the life of your printer. |
| specific name or chain. For example, a number of the | | | | Hopefully, this information has provided you with some |
| large office supply chains on the US offer a house | | | | insight into the world of ink and toner, and given you |
| brand of cartridges that are marketed under their | | | | enough data to make educated buying decisions. |