There are some advantages to be made when buying compatible and remanufactured inks. Cheaper prices mean that the consumer saves money. As well, cheap prices mean that a number of cartridges can be kept in back-up, saving unnecessary trips to buy ink.
However, often so many problems arise when using non-genuine over genuine that they become too much of a hassle.
If you decide you must buy compatible ink, here are 3 problems that may occur
1. Help, the ink in my printer changed colour!
Printers use ink heads to regulate the flow of ink onto the paper. Sometimes the print head is attached to the cartridge and sometimes it is a separate spare part. Many printers need to be replaced when the separate print heads clog up through misuse or simply wear out.
Ink is a liquid and liquids vary in their consistency. For example, the yellow ink in a current Canon printer is not the same as the yellow ink in a current HP printer. Each one will flow, absorb and dry at a different rate.
When the wrong compatible ink is used in a cartridge, it can seep out of the cartridge and past the print head when idle, fill the pad that the print head sits on, and then reabsorb up into another cartridge, turning the yellow ink green, or brown.
2. Help, my printer dried up!
When the ink in a cartridge is too thick, the print heads don’t clean properly and ink dries in the holes that the ink flows from. As a result, ink does not flow properly when printing and the colours of the project don’t match the file from the computer.
Many printers have a print head clean function, and whilst this sometimes does clean clogged heads, it uses a lot of ink in the process. This is a waste of ink, paper and time.
3. Help my printer died and I have 27 cartridges in back-up!
This is a common complaint. Having a stash of cartridges in the drawer saves time and sometimes a buying bulk deal will save money too. But inkjet printers are not built to last anymore. As well, many consumers like to upgrade to new technology every 12 months.
So how can you fix it?
If a consumer buys their compatible or remanufactured ink cartridges from a reputable and reliable supplier, then they might be lucky enough to be able to return them get a credit against a printer and new cartridges. If the cartridges have been bought from an online auction house, or the local market, it is almost impossible to return them. No reputable reseller of compatible or remanufactured printer ink cartridges will be comfortable refunding a competitor non-genuine brand of cartridge.
There are a few reputable brands of compatible and remanufactured inks in Australia. But, there are many who are not. One way to determine the reputation of the cartridges that you are looking to buy is to see if the supplier brand owns and runs a business here in Australia, as opposed to a company that is simply importing a brand from somewhere else.
A reputable reseller (of which Australia has plenty) will be able to tell you where their compatible printer ink cartridges come from and even provide you with information about the brand and their warranty details. The team at The Cartridge Family has over 13 years experience selling genuine, compatible and remanufactured ink and would be most happy to help you avoid these 3 problems and more. Call them on 1300 1 TONER or email them for more information.
