Print Ink Continued…

Depending on your printing needs and the type of printer that you have, print ink cartridges will generally print about 250 pages for black cartridges and often about half of that amount if you're using color printing. For some that means several months of printing, while others may have to buy print ink every couple of weeks.

When purchasing a printer, it's important to price the ink before taking the printer home with you. There can be a significant difference in print ink prices between the printer models. If you know that you're going to be doing a lot of printing, make sure that you know how much future print ink costs are going to run.

Cartridges vs. Refill Kits

You basically have two options when purchasing print ink for your home or office printer. Pre-packaged cartridges that are packaged and ready for you to add to your printer or refill kits that allow you to add ink to your empty cartridges yourself. There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods.

Pre-packaged Ink Cartridges – Pre-packaged print ink cartridges are the most popular. They are sold in office supply stores throughout the country. The cartridges are very easy to place in your printer and begin printing right away.

One of the negatives of purchasing pre-packaged cartridges is finding the exact cartridge for your model computer. You may need to special order if they do have the type that fits your printer. The major drawback to cartridges is the price. They are often much more expensive than buying print refill kits.

Print Ink Refill Kits – Print refill kits are becoming more and more popular with both home and business users. The primary reason for their popularity is the amount of savings that can be realized by purchasing these kits, sometimes saving more than 50% off of pre-packaged ink cartridges.

The major drawbacks of using refill kits are the time and mess that they can create when refilling old cartridges. Instead of being able to simple drop the cartridge in your printer, you actually have to refill the ink yourself. This can be messy, and if not done right, can cause problems with your printer. Refill kits can also dry up if not used in a reasonable time, making them less attractive for consumers.

By Chris Saunders