Electronics

[Allegedly]

I have purchased both color and black ones from Office Max. The black one worked but the color one did not at all. I followed all the tips to try to help (rubbing the metallic end with an eraser, etc) but apparently sometimes the remanufactured cartridges have electronic problems. I returned it for a new one and it appears to be okay.

Make sure you can exchange or return wherever you purchase from.

[shesallthat]

that is all i ever buy for my HP printer! i find them on ebay - and my printer is over 10 years old and never had a problem!

[Madisson]

I have never had any problem with them. However, the last time I went to get them filled at our nearby Office Max/Office Depot, they told me they were not refilling them anymore due to too many problems. They also told me that the Walgreen store nearby was not refilling them anymore either. I ended up ordering some from eBay. They work fine for us.

[deb5555]

No...their not as good, bad quality is my experience!

[wagirl]

I buy ink all the time on Ebay--NEVER had an issue. My printer is a funky Kodak that is about 5 or 6 years old , nothing special, and I've never had any problems. I think I paid under $12 for both the black and color cartridge this time, plus free shipping. Otherwise, it's over $50.

[hckynut]

When my full manufacturers ink tanks run dry I always replace them with a generic brand. I've bought them from several different online retailers and I have not had a printing or a printer problem with any of them. I am talking "individual ink tanks" not a 3 color cartridge and a black a white cartridge.

I bought 10 ink tanks for my 5 color printer a couple months back from a company that sells generic ink for my Canon All in One. Total cost was under $35 delivered. Now were I to purchase genuine Canon Ink Tanks? Probably cost me that much for just a couple tanks.

Never have cared about the "warranty will be voided" because to me printers are an expendable peripheral these days. Just replacing one set of 5 tanks saves me enough money to buy a new printer.

Before I change an ink tank I print a color copy of a photo in the best print setting with glossy photo paper. After replacing the tank I do the same after printing a few smaller copies to make sure the ink is completely changed. Then I print a the same photo with the same settings using the same type of paper and compare the 2 of them. If there is a difference it is not discernible to my wife or myself.

Have yet to have a printer quit on me and I go way back to filling my own 3 color and black and white cartridges myself with generic ink and syringe. Messy, but cheap and had the same results with the printing and no printer failure.

[Shelbelle]

I get them cheap on ebay, but always genuine HP.

[gardenman]

Before I bought my new printer (an Epson XP 310) I shopped for cheap but well reviewed ink. I discovered that the generic Epson 200XL cartridges were cheap and very well reviewed so then I found a printer that used those cartridges. My printer tells me I'm using a generic cartridge and asks if I want to continue and I do and it works fine.

[Kjelle]

Be sure not to do this while your warranty is still on.It will void the warranty. If they check the log, it may show, and they wouldn't honour a claim. I don't do it at all myself. I shop around each time and get the best deal I can on original manufacturer's products.

[gardenman]

On 8/17/2014 Kjelle said: Be sure not to do this while your warranty is still on.It will void the warranty. If they check the log, it may show, and they wouldn't honour a claim. I don't do it at all myself. I shop around each time and get the best deal I can on original manufacturer's products.

With the relatively low price of printers (mine cost $59) and the relatively high price of manufacturer inkjet cartridges (typically $15-$20+ each) and compared to the low cost of many generic inkjet cartridges (as low as $1 each) the cost savings offset any risk to the warranty pretty quickly. I've saved enough money from using generic ink to replace the printer if need be with no trouble and still come out ahead. Even at $15 each cartridge a printer that uses four cartridges would cost $60 to replace the cartridges once. The generic ink I bought costs about a dollar each cartridge so I'm spending about $4 instead of $60 to change the ink and that's a $56 savings each time I replace the ink for a printer that only cost $59 brand new. Because of that, I'm not overly worried about voiding the warranty. After one set of generic cartridges you've pretty much broken even and every dollar saved after that is pure profit.