Electronics

[glb613]

Where do you get your generic ink?

[dooBdoo]

On 8/17/2014 gardenman said:

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.

This is so true, gardenman, but I wish it weren't so. Printers have become so cheap and expendable and it's tragic news for our landfills and the environment. I'd much rather see the printers become more valuable and reliable and the supplies to be less expensive. But I know that scenario doesn't create the same financial profit, so it won't change.

[gardenman]

On 8/17/2014 glb613 said:

Where do you get your generic ink?

I got mine through Amazon from a company called E-Z Ink. These were the Epson 200 XL generic cartridges and I got five black and two each of the cyan, magenta, and yellow for $6.14 plus $3.49 shipping. That's less than $1 a cartridge. Those cartridges had over 160 reviews with an averaqe review of four stars. A single black Epson brand 200 XL cartridge at Amazon is $29.99, so the savings are pretty enormous and, so far anyway, the generic cartridges are working just fine. The colored Epson brand 200 XL cartridges are $17.99 each at Amazon. Five black and six colored Epson 200 XL cartridges at Amazon's prices would cost me around $257.89. Me, I'd rather pay $9.63 for the same cartridges and take my chance on the warranty.

I was tired of paying a lot for ink and while looking at a Canon printer I saw that there were some very well reviewed generic inks available for it. I then started looking at generic inks in general and found the Epson 200 XL cartridges to be among the best reviewed, so then I found a printer that used them and bought it. It's kind of the backward way to buy a printer, but most printers are pretty comparable in printing ability, so shopping for the cheapest ink made sense to me. Now some of the generic inks get miserable reviews, so you have to be careful, but mine are working fine so far.

[lovinglife]

Costco refills ink cartridges.

[Silkeej]

We have a HP printer and have always just ordered our ink cartridges from HP online. It ships free and you can get pick how quick you want it. They also have discounts for repeat customers. They always include a packet for you to send the old cartridges back so no disposal problem and they are recycled properly.

[Hoovermom]

On 8/17/2014 lovinglife said:

Costco refills ink cartridges.

Yes, they do and I used this service for the first time last night. I refilled two cartridges for my HP printer, costing me less than $20. I have had no problems with these refills other than an alert from HP telling me that they were not authentic HP cartridges LOL.

[sunshine45]

bad experiences with refills and with knock offs......they have definitely messed up my printers. i now prefer to just get the name brand ink refills when i have coupons for office depot, quill, or staples usually. i dont want to have to replace my printer every year or two and i have three students who use printers frequently. have you ever had a printer go crazy when a paper or project is due the next day? LOL i have had enough of that. i currently have an HP and a KODAK. luckily they are a business expense!

[adoreqvc]

Some HP printers will not work with re manufactured or generic cartridges.

I have an HP eprint wireless printer and it will not take anything but genuine HP ink cartridges.

Years ago my other older printers took cartridges I refilled with a refill ink kit with no problems, as well as generic and re-manufactured cartridges.

Today these sophisticated newer technology e printers have software embedded inside which auto tells them if the cartridges being installed are genuine HP cartridges or not.

[glb613]

On 8/18/2014 adoreqvc said:

Some HP printers will not work with re manufactured or generic cartridges.

I have an HP eprint wireless printer and it will not take anything but genuine HP ink cartridges.

Years ago my other older printers took cartridges I refilled with a refill ink kit with no problems, as well as generic and re-manufactured cartridges.

Today these sophisticated newer technology e printers have software embedded inside which auto tells them if the cartridges being installed are genuine HP cartridges or not.

That is happening with more printers. I looked at Amazon.com for generic ink for my Canon and there isn't any. There are cartridges for other Canon models but not mine.

I don't print much but when I do, I use the fast or draft mode. It uses a LOT less ink and the quality is fine. If I am sending an important document, I'll use the regular setting. You can find the setting within the print dialog box that shows up when you print. I also turn my printer off when not in use. I find the ink doesn't dry out out when I do that.

[adoreqvc]

ITA glb613.