Save money on printer inks

Posted on 8 Apr 2009 at 15:19

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Canon gives one more compelling reason for sticking with branded supplies. While not suggesting that the use of third-party or refilled cartridges affects the printer warranty per se, a spokesperson warns that "where a compatible ink cartridge is responsible for a fault with your printer, this may invalidate any commercial warranty offered".

What the refilling companies say

So the printer manufacturers universally discourage the use of remanufactured or refilled cartridges for both laser and inkjet printers. In the case of laser printers, the reason given tends to be little more than vague discussion about 'quality' and 'user experience'. However, when we consider inkjets, at least one independent report seems to cast doubt on the advisability of refilling. How do the companies that provide these services respond to such claims?

There are many more companies providing refilling services and DIY kits than there are printer manufacturers. We're talking about hundreds of businesses, and the quality of the products and services provided will differ greatly, so it isn't possible to compare new and branded cartridges with a generic refilled equivalent. Nevertheless, we did manage to contact two such companies.

First, we spoke to Mark van den Hoogenband of The Ink Company, UK partner of the international chain of refill stations Refill24. The Ink Company currently offers products via www.ink-company.co.uk and provides a while-you-wait refilling service at its store in Bromley, Kent, with other stores planned in the near future. We also spoke to Mark Holland, UK General Manager for Cartridge World (www.cartridgeworld.co.uk), which has nearly 300 high street shops in around 230 towns and cities throughout the UK.

Mark van den Hoogenband addresses the question of how successful refilling is in general terms. Speaking of inkjet cartridges, which are more complex than toner cartridges, he explains that a successful job depends on the condition of the cartridge, the quality of the ink and the knowledge of the person carrying out the refilling. However, as far as his company's service is concerned, and based on the assumption that a cartridge is in good condition, he claims that it is possible to achieve the same quality as an original cartridge, and that the prints created by this cartridge will last as long as those printed using an original. He cites a Dutch Consumer Association test, which concluded that, while the longevity of prints from many refilled cartridges was shorter than those made using original inks, inks from Ink Station (the Dutch franchise of Refill24) are better in this respect than original HP inks.

Cartridge World's Mark Holland says that his company can guarantee that "the quality of its remanufactured laser cartridges will mirror that of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM)". He adds, "Components provided by key suppliers are matched to the OEM performance. Coupled with a clear remanufacturing process, Cartridge World can ensure a quality product. Finally, to provide ultimate peace of mind each cartridge, once remanufactured, is print tested." With regard to refilling, Holland explains that the company uses suppliers that match the performance of the OEM cartridge. Inkjet cartridges are cleaned before refilling to ensure the best performance.

He refers to an independent test carried out in the UK that evaluated a range of refilled inkjet cartridges, third-party compatible cartridges and printer manufacturers' branded cartridges using printers from Canon, Epson, HP and Lexmark. The Cartridge World refilled cartridges came top for print quality in three out of the four printers when printing photographic images.