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General discussion

Poll: If you use an inkjet printer, what do you use?

Jul 17, 2009 6:27AM PDT

If you use an inkjet printer, what do you use?

- Original manufacturer ink cartridges. (Why you choose to do so?)
- Remanufactured inkjet cartridges. (How has it worked out? Any recommendations?)
- Aftermarket third-party ink cartridges. (How has it worked out? Any recommendations?)
- Do-it-yourself ink cartridge refill kits. (How has it worked out? Any recommendations?)
- I get my cartridges refilled by reputable retail stores. (How has it worked out? Any recommendations?)
- Others. (What is it?)

Discussion is locked

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It's cheap enough and easier than other methods.
Jul 17, 2009 11:12AM PDT

And I get the desired results.

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the Dell monopoly
Jul 17, 2009 11:16AM PDT

I have a Dell AI0 printer A940, and really the only issue I have with it is that I cannot by cheaper ink cartridges or refill the Dell cartridges (I tried). If I could just get black generic cartridges and save the $$ for the brand name color ones it would still be a big money saver. Those little suckers are expensive.

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Replacement ink cartridges
Jul 17, 2009 2:07PM PDT

Hi,

I agree the cartridges for your Dell Printer are outragosuly high, try going to www.meritline.com to buy your cartridges.

Good Luck.

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OEM Only
Jul 17, 2009 11:30AM PDT

I am a Canon printer user. I use a Pixma 6000 for my best print jobs including pictures and an MP830 combination business printer/fax/scanner for faster printing. Because the cartridges in my MP830 are lit up to show when one is empty, I have not looked for aftermarket brands. I have tried aftermarket replacement cartridges on my old Canon and in my Pixma with no luck. None that I have tried seat completely in the holder and they are always popping out of place. A major inconvenience in a large print job.

For me, I'll pay the extra dollars for the correct fit and proper color mix.

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We use only HP original cartridges
Jul 17, 2009 11:40AM PDT

My wife's first inkjet was an HP 500C so we go a long way back. We have only used original carts on the dozen or so printers we've owned. I have seen too many people have jams, spills, sudden loss of printing, etc with refills. We depend on our photo printers and don't want to sacrifice print quality to save a little money.

Warning: I worked for HP but not in small printers for a long time.

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Go Continuous if you print a lot.
Jul 17, 2009 11:40AM PDT

The cheapest way is to buy a continuous ink system and buy bulk ink from anyone you like I installed one on a canon ip4200 inkjet 2 and 1/2 years ago,replaced the printhead last year and it is trouble free.Just look at the 100ml clear plastic containers for the ink levels.They each hold 100ml of ink

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Refilling Your Own Inkjet Cartridges
Jul 17, 2009 11:43AM PDT

I did this for my Epson Printers.
Never again.
It clogged up the printer heads.

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I use refill kit
Jul 20, 2009 1:58AM PDT

I have been refilling my own for years and use mostly HP printers (and their cartriges). I get 6+ refills on a B&W cartridge, then have to buy an new HP cart and then refill again until it won't work any more. I don't use a lot of color but they are easy to do too, jut take a little longer and the color looks comparble to me...

I have never experienced a printer problem from the refill ink. I ignore the ptinters periodic out of ink warnings and ink levels.

Doing it yourself can be messy, but I don't have trouble any more and can do a refill in under 10 minutes with no mess and save $$$.

Bob

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3rd party ink jet cartriges
Jul 17, 2009 11:46AM PDT

About 20 years without a problem.

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HP printer HP ink
Jul 17, 2009 11:53AM PDT

Because there are no other cartridges available.
But they are mighty expensive and I would use cheaper ink if I could find it.
The ink cartridges cost more than the printer.
Mostly what I print is crossword puzzles so quality is not important

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Remanufactured/3rd party
Jul 17, 2009 12:02PM PDT

The way my wife prints docs, I need to go 'cheep'. For whatever reason, she will not print only the pertinent page or pages she needs - and sometimes that makes for a lot of use!!!

I use a supplier I found on eBay as well as Cartridge World for my inks. Both of my printers are old but still churning out paper with words and photos printed on them. My Epson 880 (see what I mean about old) would probably print with colored water. The multifuntion Epson 6400 doesn't really like some cartridges and tells me that they are wrong, but after a click does it anyhow.

But......if I'm doing quite a few photos, and neither printer is a great picture printer, I'll pick up a set of Epson (platinum plated!!!) cartridges for that job as the 3rd party carts have never been true to my photo colors.

Canon printers - I recently did some research to replace the 880, and found that besides the "normal??" OEM recognition problems with the PIXMA line, they really don't work right with other then OEM carts so I still am clunking along with the 880 - and it's still working fine after a head cleaning

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HP 6180 Printer use OEM cartidges
Jul 17, 2009 12:10PM PDT

The OEM cartridges are readily available at about $10 each, and for the little bit I print, they last for 3 to 6 months each. The HP 6180 printer is an all in one. This not suitable for anyone that has usage rates for a printer. Haven't been able to find anyone locally that will provide refilled cartridges. Costco refills other HP and other manufactures Cartridges, but not the 02 types used in this printer.

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Printer cartridges
Jul 17, 2009 12:32PM PDT

I've used refills from Inksmile.com for years with no problems with the printer which is an HP 5850

Danny

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Third party cartridges
Jul 17, 2009 12:51PM PDT

After going through Canon pixma cartridges too fast, I decided to take a chance with a re-manufactured cartridge listed on Amazon (Sophia Global) the shipping cost as much as the cartridge but still was less then half Canon's price. Better deal if you buy packaged sets.
Well I was pleased with the results, they were shipped fast, even worked with indicator lights.
FYI: Kept wishing someone would market a black only ink-jet, but never happened. So I bought a used HP Laser printer for gray scale printing, original cost $400, paid $30 with a cartridge, prints lightening fast.

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Reload ink tanks
Jul 17, 2009 12:54PM PDT

I purchase my ink from ACSI Bulk Inks (oddparts.com). The ink is inexpensive, good quality and I've been able to store it for as long as four years. I buy it by the pint and reload ink tanks with a hypodermic. The result is an extremely low cost for ink.

It obviously is not as convenient as buying OEM or after market ink tanks and there frequently is some spillage but Clorox does a great job of cleaning up.

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Remanufactured cartridges
Jul 17, 2009 1:11PM PDT

I have an 8 color printer. At factory prices, that's $120 to refill everything. So when a company called "Cartridge World" advertised remanufactured cartridges identical to the originals, I gave it a try. And they work. There is no difference in color from the factory product. And, there is a considerable savings in cost. So I won't go back to the factory product unless there is a huge problem.
Paul D.

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refilled ink cartridges
Jul 17, 2009 10:42PM PDT

there must be good and bad at cartridge world the one and only time i used it was really dissapointed with the colour I se a cannon pix for everyday printingand use compatible inks but use new cannon printer with orginals if i want results

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If you use an inkjet printer, what do you use?
Jul 17, 2009 1:19PM PDT

I have purchased Epson photo printers for the last 4 years. These printers have 6 ink cartridges. The insane oem price is about $80 per set. If i used oem I would go through 1 set a week. They make Continuous Ink Systems(CIS) for some Epson and Cannon printers . They cost around $50 and they hold about 10 refills in the CIS tanks(which is included with the purchase). I buy refill bottles of all 6 colors for $30. Each bottle has 110ml in it(equivalent to 10 oem cartridges. The photo quality is excellent. I print directly to inkjet printable cd's and dvd's which uses quite a bit of ink. I cannot even measure ink cost. It is that cheap. If I was printimg black only I would use laser. For injet I would only buy printers that could utilize a Continuous Ink System.

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Some problems with recycled color
Jul 17, 2009 1:44PM PDT

I use a simple HP Deskjet 920c inkjet printer, and I've had much more luck with recycled black ink cartridges than with color cartridges. The only problem I've had with recycled black cartridges is that they can inaccurately report ink levels. But, from my experience, recycled color cartridges can be quite a waste of money. First, recycled color cartridges can cost nearly as much as a new cartridge, and from my experience, recycled color cartridges can have many problems with bled ink colors, and sometimes they don't pull the ink through very well. One color works, and one doesn't. I say that it's easier to just pay for a new color cartridge.

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It depends...
Jul 17, 2009 1:55PM PDT

I'll head to Walgreens for refills of my general purpose inkjet cartridges. But if my photo ink cartridge runs out, I'll buy a new OEM cartridge. If I'm printing something other than photos that I deem important, I have a color laser for that. And don't **EVEN** get me started on the cost of color laser toner!!

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Cartridges vs Tanks
Jul 17, 2009 2:03PM PDT

Does this discussion refer to ink cartridges (which include a print head) or to ink tanks (which contain ink, but not a print head)? I use a Canon i-860 in which I replace individual colors of ink (black, cyan, magenta, yellow) as they run out. I have used ink from Inksmile and Carrot Ink with no problems. The i-860 is a photo printer which I also use to print an occasional document. Ink from the third-party suppliers is substantially less expensive and my eyes have noticed no difference in performance. OEM ink is a racket, and those of you who swear by it are slaves to corporate consumerism. In my experience there is no reason not to use 3rd party ink (unless you have $$ to burn).

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Epson Stylus Photo R230
Jul 17, 2009 4:28PM PDT

I am in Australia, Aftermarket third-party ink cartridges. (A Lot cheaper and I can't see any difference in colour over 3 years) I am using PROCOLOR Compatible Cartrdge

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CISS
Jul 17, 2009 4:41PM PDT

I have worn out many epson printers using continous ink supply systems.I buy ink made in USA and print over 10,000 pages a year. I do not buy printers that CISS will not fit. I would say that I save 90% on ink costs. I only use epson printers. I keep 4 hooked up at work with 4 for for spares when I wear the other ones out. Epson R220, R220, R300, R320, R500 and R600 all use the same CISS systems. I have never had a bit of problem with ink quality.
GO CISS all the way.

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Consistent Results Required and unfair Marketing Practice
Jul 17, 2009 4:33PM PDT

I use the manufacturers Inks because I require consistent and accurate results that will not fade within a few years in reasonable viewing conditions. I do this even though the cost is exorbitant. I also believe that Countries should have their individual Competitions Boards, or whatever they call their organizations that examine collusion and unfair pricing practices, look at the selling model that Printer Manufacturers use and examine it for collusion to keep prices artificially high. If one company were to slash the price of inks, without increasing the printer prices, the others would be forced to follow suit.

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original manufacturers ink cartridges
Jul 17, 2009 4:48PM PDT

Some years ago, I had an Epsom printer and was very happy with it; that is until I tried using refilled cartridges using a supplier and tried DIY with a syringe. It caused no end of problems and I eventually replaced it with a Canon Pixma MP760. This printer is just great....that is until I tried cartridges that were not Canon. The colours were muddy, the pictures not sharp and very dark. It was the first and last time that I have tried non Canon inks. Fortunately the colours are almost as they should be but I have put quite a few cartridges through to get back to how the colours should be.

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inks for epson printers
Jul 17, 2009 6:06PM PDT

I have been using alternative cartridges for about eight years without problems on EPSON printers rx585, R300, C48 and several others. Some makes were poor in the early days but JET TEK were always consistant and but I have found that it is probably better to use OEM on the RX585 for quality prints as the EPSON humming bird ink is superior at this time

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Lasers are the new inkjets!!
Jul 17, 2009 6:56PM PDT

Hi,
Inkjets are a total waste of time, especially for serious colour printing, and colour lasers are so cheap now!
Forget about stupid little ink cartridges, lasers have massive toner
cartridges, yes they cost as much as the printer, but if you get a good
printer the cartridges last for ages, and the vast majority are refillable for about a third the cost of a new cartridge.

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If you use an inkjet printer, what do you use?
Jul 17, 2009 7:01PM PDT

I use only original HP inks, the reason being I have had two HP printers ruined by leaking so called 'compatibles' Never again will I use them!

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OEM for Epson...always
Jul 17, 2009 7:02PM PDT

I've always used Epson printers after my first bad experience with a Lexmark X83. I like the convenience of individual cartridges for each colour, including black (I know...black isn't a colour). Part of the reason I used OEM cartridges originally, is that a friend owned an Epson repair depot, so I got my cartriges for the cost of postage to mail them to me. But now I have to buy them, and I have found that if I use aftermarket cartridges, the print heads seem to clog up, and I get blotchy pictures and documents. I had a CX 4800 all-in-one, which worked beautifully for several years and I now use an NX 400.

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(NT) OEM
Jul 17, 2009 7:02PM PDT