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What they do |
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are the cartridges containing the ink for our printer. |
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Quality to consider before purchasing one |
When an inexperienced buyer purchases a cartridge for the first
time, s/he is usually astonished by the elevated cost. From here the
need to look for (1) compatible cartridges that are less expensive
or (2) kits to recharge cartridges yourself.
Price is obviously what makes the difference: if an original
cartridge costs 40 Euros, a compatible one (of an unknown brand or
re-charged) costs around 20 Euros, whilst if we buy a kit for
recharging cartridges ourselves, we'll spend about 4-5 Euros per
re-charged cartridge (but you have to do the recharging yourself,
with all the risks and problems that go with it).
As you can appreciate, the difference in price is considerable (even
more so if the original cartridge is more expensive than 40 Euros!)
For those who possess an Epson printer with fixed heads, there is
the added risk that if you buy low quality ink, the printer nozzles
may get obstructed resulting in a poor printing quality. In this
case, you either are successful at cleaning the nozzles using the
appropriate cleaning kit, or you'll have to take the printer to get
fixed (and thus pay for it).
The positive side with Epson printers is that it is much easier to
recharge cartridges than with HP printers, and the same cartridge
can be recharged several times (a little accessory needed to reset
the cartridge chip is also provided in the recharging kit; resetting
the chip is very important as the cartridge may not work otherwise).
With HP printers you haven't got the risk of damaging the printer's
heads as these come with each new cartridge. However, recharging the
cartridge is more difficult. In addition, you have to be careful not
to recharge the cartridge too many times (which is a very tempting
thing to do) as the ink has a tendency to leak (it is generally good
practice to leave the cartridge upside down for a few minutes after
recharging). The reason why the cartridge cannot be recharged too
many times is that the heads deteriorate after a while and therefore
the printing quality deteriorates too.
You can otherwise follow the path of the compatible or recharged
(commercial) cartridges. However, be aware that in some cases the
use of non-original cartridges is badly considered by printers
manufaturers and that your warranty may be compromised (if this is
the case, this will be stated in the booklet that comes with the
printer).
Nevertheless the benefits are so great (financially) that many users
are willing to take the risk.
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Ink cartridges sale |
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