Choosing the right printer has become more complicated for the average consumer. Because of the numbers of printers available, consumers are faced with a number of options, and if not particularly savvy, you can walk away with a lot of bells and whistles that are not really needed. Most printers come with cartridges that complement the printer making choosing ink a little easier.
However, choosing the most appropriate printer and cartridge is important for a number of reasons. For one, choosing smaller brands might limit you to only purchasing the manufacturer’s cartridges simply because there are no generic models available. For example, purchasing a HP printer will open up your choices allowing you to purchase a cartridge for a HP printer or generic printer brands. It simply opens up the choices consumers have.
Keep reading to learn more about exactly why your choice of printer cartridge really matters.
Ink Quality
Choosing printer cartridges is important because of the quality of prints that are produced. Most ink used today has replaced dye with pigments just because the quality of the print is better with inks that contain pigments. Ink also includes resins, humectants, co-solvents, surfactants, defoamers, rheology modifiers, biocides and fungicides, which act as binding agents in addition to making sure the ink stays on the paper without streaking or smearing.
The biocides and fungicides act to prevent the ink from moulding. All of these components determine the quality and how long the cartridge lasts. While most consumers might not know the components of ink, they are very important to the brand of printer ink you’re going to use. Genuine ink cartridges are more often than not of a higher quality that generic.
Warranty And Expiration Dates
Choosing a good ink brand is important because of the warranty and expiration dates. The warranty is simply a date that marks the time beyond when the manufacturer will not guarantee its quality. The expiration date is the latest the ink can be used. These dates are important because they can tell consumers about the product’s durability.
However, both can be impacted by a few things. For one, storing cartridges in the most appropriate space is very important. They typically suggest cool, dry areas to avoid the ink from clumping up, or worse yet, drying, making it unusable. This is very important because users need to know so that they can preserve their cartridges for as long as possible without use.
Impact On The Environment
Choosing the right printer cartridge is very important for recycling purposes. Many online sites, retail outlets, and ink brands have recycling programs. These programs will allow you to return old cartridges, and in some cases, these recycling programs will compensate people who return the cartridges to them. This is important because the more popular ink brands make recycling much easier. Ink cartridge recycling has become extremely popular in the last few years as companies and individuals have realised the increasing impact that tossing empty cartridges into landfills can have on the environment. According to research, 11 ink cartridges per second and 1 million cartridges per day are thrown away. That’s a waste we should stop. The production side of generic ink cartridges isn’t really patrolled too well either. Ink cartridges are made up of volatile organic compounds and heavy metals, if the production process isn’t monitored correctly this will lead to pollution in the soil and water when they reach landfills.
Compatibility – Manufacturers Versus Generic
The importance of ink only really comes into play when you need to find a replacement for your printer. Printer cartridges bought from the manufacturer tend to be more expensive, and while users might lose a little bit of quality with generic ink, in some cases it might be better to use generic ink when the manufacturer’s ink is very expensive. Being able to choose from a variety of ink will depend mostly on the model of printer you’re going to use.