You Could Spend A Fortune On Inkjet Supplies - But You Don't Have To
When you're buying an inkjet printer, the printer itself is one of the least expensive pieces in the long run. The inkjet supplies such as ink and paper will cost far more over the months or years you own the printer.
The printer manufacturers are well aware of this fact too. They generally either lose money or just break even on the printer when you buy it. They're counting on you to replace your ink cartridges and buy their paper - that's where their profit is.
This is true for many computer suppliers as well. Printer ink is one of the most profitable items they sell. If they didn't need to sell computers and other hardware to get customers in the door, they could survive on the profit from ink alone.
Of course, you're the one at the other end of this deal. You're going to be paying for all that ink and paper over the next few years. There must be some way to save money, right?
Fortunately, there is. Over the last several years, a whole new industry has been created to supply discount ink to all those people with inkjet printers. There are companies that remanufacture empty cartridges, kits to refill your own cartridges and even companies that make compatible - but brand new - cartridges for Epson printers.
The printer manufacturers are not very happy about this, naturally. The money you save by buying these aftermarket supplies is coming straight out of their pocket!
They have all kinds of dire warnings about the consquences of using discount ink and toner - your print quality will suffer, it could damage your printer and it will void your warranty are some of the most common.
Some of these things can be true, but they aren't written in stone. If you choose the wrong type of ink for your printer, it can lead to poor quality printing and possibly even damage your printer. The key is to be sure the ink you're using is compatible with the brand and model of your printer.
You should also be sure to deal with a supplier that offers a good guarantee on their cartridges - and the better ones all do.
The same goes for the paper you use, especially the more expensive photo papers. All the big printer companies sell their own paper, which is designed to work properly with their ink and their printers.
If you use the wrong brand, it can make a huge difference in the quality of your printing. There are plenty of "generic" brands of paper, however - the key is to be sure the one you choose is compatible with the type of printer you have. Don't just choose the cheapest that says it's "photo paper".
Printing can be an expensive part of owning a computer, but with a little effort and research, you can spend less than half of what your printer manufacturer would charge and get just as good results from your equipment.
