Inkjet printers are great for high-resolution jobs, but they are expensive to use with manufacturer’s supplies. Despite competition from budget-friendly brands, giants like HP are still charging customers handsomely. The UK market offers a plethora of products for money-savvy consumers. Follow our tips to choose the best cartridges for your inkjet machine.
How Much Can You Save By Choosing Other Brands?
If you own an HP Officejet 6958, a standard pack of cartridges from Hewlett-Packard will cost £47.99. In comparison, the independent Smart Ink store sells a new chip 4 pack of HP 903 ink for £27.99 — almost half as much. What’s more, these compatible cartridges have XL capacity, so each prints 825 pages instead of around 300 in the standard yield. On average, savings amount to 20%-70% per replacement.
What Is The Difference Between Compatible And Remanufactured Cartridges?
Independent shops sell two types of supplies. Compatible ones are technically original. Despite being designed and built by smaller companies, they fit the same models as their OEM counterparts.
Remanufactured items are recycled. They contain shells of OEM cartridges that have been refurbished and filled with fresh ink.
How High Is Print Quality?
In this regard, both categories show impressive results. Recycled cartridges work like new due to thorough testing and replacement of worn elements. Print quality is guaranteed by compliance with international standards like:
- ISO;
- CE;
- STMC;
- Reach.
This means that any differences in performance are slight or completely indistinguishable. On the flipside, these shops are not created equal, and substandard products are also being sold. You need a bit of due diligence to identify a trustworthy supplier.
Where To Shop?
Take typical shopping precautions: research the background of potential suppliers, check feedback on Trustpilot and other platforms, test the quality of customer service, etc. In terms of guarantees, look for this combination:
- A money-back guarantee on all products (comprehensive 2-year warranty);
- Quality confirmed by compliance certificates (ISO and others);
- The latest version of cartridge chip on every product (this prevents recognition issues);
- Ink level tracking (if the model includes it);
- Free shipping across the UK;
- 24/7 support;
- Sustainable policies (recyclable products);
- Reliable packaging.
Check the return policy and other terms and conditions. Honest providers have transparent procedures. Ideally, you should also find XL or XXL cartridges for your printer with additional discounts for purchasing two or more items.
Final Word
Buying compatible or recycled cartridges is the first step to printing efficiency. Reconsider when and how you use your equipment, too. Switch to the greyscale mode for black-and-white documents to prevent the use of colour cartridges. Switch to fonts that require less ink (e.g., Times New Roman or Century Gothic), use the Draft mode and print web pages in Reader View, which strips them of ads and images.
