Getting the Best Deal on Printer Ink

Not so long ago, hardly any home had a printer. But things have changed rapidly and today, high quality printers are available in most homes. You can now print documents, pictures and photographs in your home without any problem.

It is possible that you had a harrowing time when you had to replace the cartridge of your printer the last time. It might have been expensive, time-consuming, confusing and full of hassles. Such an experience would definitely have left you unwilling to face the tension of buying a cartridge in the future. If you are looking for alternative solutions, the following options will be helpful.

An easy and cheap alternative is to buy a kit from a department or office supply store and fill the printer ink yourself. Just remove the cartridge from the computer and inject the ink into the cartridge with the help of a syringe. You can then put the cartridge back into place. Besides being a bit messy you stand the chance of losing the manufacturer's warranty if you use an off-brand printer ink cartridge.

If you want to prolong the life of your printer ink cartridge you should take care of the following:

* Set your printer option to draft print till such time as you are ready to print your final document.
* If the document that you want to print does not contain any colors, you should set the black and white print option always till you need to print a color document.

In spite of the above tips, you would still have to change the cartridge at some time or the other. Given below are a few more tips to help you save money while buying replacement ink cartridges.

* A non-branded compatible inkjet printer cartridge would be cheaper and would still serve the purpose as most reputable manufacturers make printer ink cartridges and sell them at very low prices as compared to the prices of the printer manufacturers' own ink. There is also not much difference in quality.
* Refilled cartridges can also be used, as there are many manufacturers who collect used ink cartridges, refill them and then test them. These cartridges will be much cheaper and of good quality.
* Avail of discounts from online vendors if you buy in bulk.

The cheapest and the best option, however is to buy ink refill kits from any store. You can use these kits to refill your own printer cartridge. You can refill one ink cartridge about ten times. It is not difficult to refill a cartridge but you should take care that the refilling process is done before the ink cartridge dries out fully. Besides being the cheapest option, it is also environment friendly, as refilling existing ink cartridges will mean that less number of cartridges will be made and dumped in landfill sites.

It is always best to shop around for the best deals before buying any product. You should check the prices in the local stores and compare them with those available online. You can then take the help of the above tips and decide the best course of action.

You must see what is best for you and then decide. However, you will have to take into consideration all the factors such as the life of your printer. You might be tempted to save money by refilling the cartridges and/or using low quality replacements but the damage to your printer can prove to be more costly. Weigh your options and then make up your mind.