Peripherals: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills?
- 7/17/09 2:48 PM
Good remanufactured cartridges are equal to OEMs
by GiggityGiggity - 7/12/09 5:46 PM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
4-5 years ago I started my own business out of my apartment and did a lot of color printing for marketing materials and enrollment packets along with a massive amount of black and white printing. At $70-75 for a set of cartridges it was really adding up, so I invested some time (since I didn't have any money) and thoroughly researched the refilled/third-party inkjet cartridge market. Here's the bottom line...If your printer is under warranty and you use cartridges other than OEM, the manufacturer will void your warranty and blame whatever problem you have on the 3rd party cartridges. I personally experienced this with HP. They had me run a diagnostic and were able to tell by the codes the printer generated that ink cartridges other than their OEMs had been used.
Now the good news...I've been buying refilled/third party cartridges from Meritline.com for over four years (approx 150 cartridges) and have never received a cartridge that performed any differently than OEM cartridges. The inkjet cartridges have been of excellent quality, shipping takes 3-4 days and they cost about 1/3 of what OEM cartridges sell for. Go for it Joel!
Third party ink veresus OEM
by Armin Sachse - 9/26/09 8:24 PM In reply to: Good remanufactured cartridges are equal to OEMs by GiggityGiggityI have been connected to Island Inkjet since it origin and was the president for a couple of years. The problem with the question is there is very little in the way of standardization in the industry. The general answer is all depends upon where you buy your ink and when.
Where. Well like most things go withe the experience.
When: tricky one. Since the business is based on a decentralizewd refill process, each store has it level of competence. The people who have been there the longest know when to refill and when to say no. If it is rooky, he will try to fill everything.
In some cases, the refillers policy is to refill the cartridge until it gets the customer mad whenit finally fails in the middle of a job.
Not the best strategy. We figure 3 is max for most and then the customer is told the next one may not make it.
Some reillers they use Universal Inks and as 80 percent of the printing done is lw voluume black text with out the need for high quality imaging, the product generally works.
OEMs are designed for the average taste by continent. and the colors aere different. As more inks are not coming from Asia, there will be a noticable color difference. We don't use asian inks for that reason. All of our inks are manufactured in North America.
When we acquire third party remanufactured carteidges, seems like we have the same issues as to batches. The quality control is there but generally it is not order specific. What i mean is that if gthey check 10 out of a 1000 and they all work, we might order 90 and get a bad batch that was in between samples. Happens in all businesses.
We tend to stay with one large supplier and work with them to correct and defect we notice. Our expwerience is that we continue to see improvements in quality as the r&d finds new processes to imporve the reemanufacturing process. the industry is rationalizing and the consolidation results in bigger r&D departments.
The chinese have improved their processe but our main supplier has a quality person on site to manage our batches. makes a big difference. They make a full range of products and service the needs of countries where quality of image is not important. The also produce a highn quality product for oue selves. At times, we have seen competition selling $25.00 toners. They work for some applications where customers can live with a high failure rate. In most cases we find that the competitive nature of day to day business really can't afford a lot of cartridge problems.
No business can give value added service and survive. |it is like breathing air without oxygen. its okay for a while, but it eventually kill you.
There has been some changes at island inkjet as a result of the financial failure of the franchisor. The franchisees realized the fragility of the franchisor and created an associate program that quickly filled the void when the franchisor failed last month.
It is a success story as in most cases, when the franchisor fails it takes the franchisees with it. We are happy to say this did not happen.
...you'll probably find they're saving you little or no mone
by Ken Lawyer - 7/12/09 5:48 PM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I refer to a study done a few years back by a major consumer research magazine...I'm guessing their results still hold true. Their summary:
Off-brand cartridges often cost much less than brand-name cartridges. Based on our tests, you'll probably find they're saving you little or no money when you calculate per-photo costs. And most off-brand cartridges haven't matched the excellent quality and fade resistance we've gotten using brand-name ink. But some off-brands are worth considering when very good photo quality is good enough and economy is your top priority.
That was then, and now is now.
by hemedinger - 7/12/09 6:00 PM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
From the Benton Computer Doctor: Perhaps at one time you may have had a problem because re-inking technology was not as good, some inks were not the same as ORIGINAL (Consistancy, Weight,and Flow)and thus print heads clogged and failed. You MUST use a reputable company, and not always the cheapest. For the most part, you can do it yourself for only a few dollars by getting a Color and B&W Kit with all you need to do the job. Nukote company makes good refill equipment, tools, inking containers, directions, and all you need to fill any cart. I get cheap Rubber gloves (not plasic cause they are too sloppy) that fit tight and keep my hands ink free. Use them over and over by washing them and use baby powder when dry, and they are like new. Now! if you really want to get busy, purchase pint size ink in all colors and get free syringes from the doctor with blunt needles. I use a dremmel sander and take down the point. If you use a cutter it may CRIMP the barrel and no ink will come through.Have fun,Do It.
compatible cartridges
by wscott21 - 7/12/09 6:35 PM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Well, I would look and see if the techie that said not to use compatible ink cartridges had a interest in OEM cart's, I've been using Cannon Compatible carts for years, no problems except a fatter pocket book, OEM is a attempt to make money, no more no else.
OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges
by BlogHawk - 7/12/09 7:12 PM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I am using the third-party cartridges for almost 2 years, so far I find the ink is much better then the original, not sure about Canon, but I use HP printer with Sepom ink.
The original will not dry fast, it still takes sometime to dry and even it is dried, with a wet finger, it will imprint you fingerprint on the photo. But not with the Sepom ink I am using now. The print out color is also much richer.
More over the ink is much cheaper than the original ink, and it produce richer photos.
OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and ref
by muffindell - 7/13/09 3:19 AM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Well in my view OEM carts are much, much better when it comes to colour accuracy. You would not believe how much wasted paper and ink I've used while using third party inks trying to get photos correct! However this come at a price. Basically, decide if you just want to print photos (in which case use Canon inks) or anything but photos (in which case use third party ink and save the money). I've never had any physical problems with either and if you go to a good third party supplier like IJT then they guarantee their carts wont damage your machine and if it does they will repair it FOC.
Non-brand ink cartridges
by ksmithco - 7/13/09 6:53 AM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hello,
I work at a University, and our department started using non-brand re-filled ink cartridges for all of our printers and fax machine. We obtain our refillable cartridges from Cartridge World. We have not experienced any problems.
Karen
Chicago, IL
Bite the bullet and spend the money
by barnessusan - 7/13/09 7:28 AM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi, Joel,
I also am always looking for a better deal on OEMs, but after several tries with remanufactured and compatibles, that's all we use now. My worst experience - I fell for a sales pitch from a local reman dealer, who assured me that in the unlikely event that one of his cartridges should fail, I would have immediate response to whatever my problem was. When a cyan cartridge failed (thereby shutting down the network printer) and I called for assistance, I was told to bring in the cartridge and they would see if they could fix it. Apparently, the sales pitch's promised onsite service or delivery of a replacement were not options agreed to by the service team. We were without a printer for the 24 hours it took for me to order an OEM and have it delivered overnight, never mind the hit my budget took for the expedited shipping. When I took the reman back for a refund, I also took back a yellow one I'd purchased as a back-up, and was charged a $30 restocking fee because "there wasn't anything wrong with that one."
I recently gave it one last try and purchased a compatible from a reputable vendor. The cartridge works fine, but the color mix is wrong and all my blues look green. I will be sending that one back for a refund today.
Thanks to C-Net Shopper, I now use a vendor who's prices are consistently near the bottom if not the lowest out there, and which also provides excellent ship times and packaging.
Oem and Third party ink
by DanaRowe - 7/13/09 7:30 AM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Worked on Canon printers for a dozen years and found that third party has a real problem with leaking into the purge units and ink absorber pads. Some third party ink would clog up the purge units. Ink is cheaper than a repair technician. Canon has probably hundreds of R&D professionals making sure their ink works and that it is propriatory. Patents galore would probalby attest to that.
3rd Pary Inkjet cartridges and refills.
by rm300 - 7/13/09 7:45 AM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
This is a very good question, but it has some things that need to be pointed out. As a former tech support for a printer company, which I will leave nameless, I can tell you this: If your printer is still within warranty, and you use a 3rd party cartridge or refill and something happens to your printer because of this substitution, you will find that, in most causes you will have voided your warranty. Guess who is left holding the bag for repairs??
However if your printer is past warranty I would suggest trying a local shop that specializes in 3rd pary cartridges or refills. I think you will find the printing you get comparable and certainly less expensive, or as somebody that was wise than me, said " A penny saved is a penny earned!"
Have a good day.
Using 3rd party w/ no problems
by dave421sol - 7/13/09 7:55 AM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I've switched most of my printers over to 3rd party ink and I've had no issues. The main reason was for my Laser Printers (2 Dell 3110cn, 1 Dell 5110cn, 1 Dell 1720dn, and several old HPs) at my office. They are lasting just as long as the Dell toners, I've had no adverse affects/wear, and I save over 50% in some cases. I don't get as much savings on the inkjets so what I buy varies. It usually boils down to whether I'm ordering anything else when I need ink.
My parents do have issues with their Dell inkjet (942 I think, photo all-in-one). My father bought several cartridges that don't work with the volume sensor so it constantly says that it's out of ink and now it won't print faxes (says it's out of ink) even though it prints & copies fine. It's more of an annoyance than anything since they don't receive faxes very often but your situation may be different.
Been using for 10 years
by mssoot - 7/13/09 8:16 AM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
We have saved tons of money utilizing after market cartridges for several epson printers at our office. We did however run into a group that was bad one and it ended up clogging all of the printers. That being said we were able to clean all but one of them with warmed up windex and a syringe and patience. A little messy but beats throwing away an otherwise good printer. Since then we have begun installing CISS systems and saving even more money (1.00 per cart equal) on dye based inks and have been fine. This is even easier yet and doesn't require replacing cartridges where allot of the problems start at.
Inkjet cartridge refills
by Charlie Brown 10 - 7/13/09 9:36 AM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have a Lexmark P6250 printer and have been using refills of my cartridges (Black & colour) for 4 years. So far, I have a black cartridge which is on its 12th refill and still working well. Others sometimes need replacement after 4-7 refills (due to leakage or poor printing) . My success has been with Island Inkjet in my local mall.
HSimonB
OEM inkjet cartridges
by redrose451 - 7/13/09 9:58 AM In reply to: OEM inkjet cartridges vs. third-party ink cartridges and refills? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have a Brother MFC 240C All-In-One. I have been using the OEM cartridges for a year with great results! My favorite place to buy is databazaar.com. Free shipping and cheap prices!!
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