Discount Ink and Toner refills and replacements: Buying Guide
Anyone who uses a inkjet or laser printer knows that the biggest long term cost comes from buying replacement ink and toner cartridges. These can range from $10 or so for a single color inkjet cartridge to $50-$75 for a laser toner cartridge. There are several options when it comes to replacing your cartridges: inkjet refill kit, where you use a little needle device to refill your existing empty cartridges with new ink - this can save you a few bucks, but can be messy and the quality of ink cannot always be guaranteed to meet manufacturers specifications; compatible inkjet and toner cartridges - these are made by third parties, not the original equipment maker, but are designed to be compatible with the original cartridges - these usually cost about half of an "official" new cartridge from the manufacturer.
Another option is remanufactured or recycled inkjet and toner ink cartridges - empty containers are returned and refilled and recycled by trained technicians - these will also save you money. The last option is buying the OEM cartridges, brand new from the manufacturer. This is what you find when you go to any computer or office supply store.
Are Cheap inkjet cartridges a good deal?
A lot of consumers wonder why a $50 printer need $50 ink cartridges - seems like a lot to pay. To be honest, today's inkjet printers are highly engineered and place extremely tiny droplets of ink through very tiny nozzles, and you don't want these getting clogged. But most user reviews show they are happy with compatible ink replacments - print quality is considered to be the same, while the savings can be substantial. If you are buying a high-end $500 photo printer, you might want to stay with the OEM ink replacements. But if you are using a free printer that came with your PC, or a low-cost $40-$70 inkjet printer, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised when you pay just $10 for compatible or refurbished replacements instead of $30 or $40 - suddenly, there is no reason NOT to print out all those digital pictures you have been taking!
Where to buy cheap printer ink cartridge refills online?
What's the best place to buy injet and toner refills? Since most retail stores carry only OEM ink replacements, your best bet is looking online if you want low cost, inexpensive inkjet and toner cartridge replacements. Here are some of the leading inkjet supply online stores.
PrintPal - carries compatible replacement cartridges for Apple, HP, Canon, Lexmark, Compaq, Epson, Brother, Sharp, Panasonic, Xerox. Savings of up to 80% off OEM supplies.
123refills.net - this is a recent addition to our list. They sell compatible inkjet cartridges for all the major printer makers - Brother, Canon, Sharp, Kodak, HP, Dell, etc. They make it easy to find the right cartridge for your printer by listing all the models by manufacturer - just find your make and model, and you can choose from ready-to-go compatible cartridges (at VERY low prices, up to 70%-90% off what you'd pay at retail) or inkjet refill kits (they make the Uni-Kit refill kits). Be sure to check them out.
4 inkjets - "Since 1999 we have strived to offer our customers inkjet and toner cartridges with discounted prices, fast shipping, high quality, and great customer service. We strive to bring you the highest quality printer ink cartridges and cheap inkjet refill kits at the best prices! Our high quality compatible brand printer ink cartridge and laser toner cartridges are built to the highest standards (ISO-9001)." They offer high quality 100% compatible inkjet cartridges for Epson, Canon, Brother, and Xerox printers. Black inkjet cartridges from $3.99, color cartridges from $5.99. Free shipping on orders over $50.
123 Inkjets - 0ver 5 years in business and 5 million cartridges sold, 123 Inkjets carries compatible inkjet and laser toner refills and replacements for all the leading printer manufacturers.
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