There are as many varieties of printer ink as there are manufacturers. There is no standardization in the composition of printer ink. All manufacturers of popular brands of printers develop their own variety of printer ink, which works well only with their products. The formula of the printer ink is a closely guarded secret, and is patented by these manufacturers. Epson, Hewlett Packard and Canon spend huge amounts of money in developing their own brands of ink, which are supposed to give superior prints on any type of media.

Printer ink is either dye-based or pigment-based. Pigment-based ink is superior to dye-based ink, with respect to fade resistance and water resistance properties.

Once the cartridge in the printer runs out of printing ink, a replacement has to be looked for. The options are many. Along with the manufacturer