Remanufactured Ink carts

[kennethk]

I found a set for $10s shipped and was wondering what the difference between them was? I called my printer manufacture and they said that it's better to use their product (obviously) Then I read another article saying it was better and more environment friendly to use recycled ink carts. But are there any high leaks with these or are they just refilled ink carts?

[SpikeSoprano]

I've used them for years without problems, some printers won't have problems but other brands might not recognize them, I've never had one leak on me.

[cchalogamer]

It really is a mixed bag, I spent years working in an office supply store and have a TON of experience for better or worse.  Most refilled cartridges aren't very good, and a fair percentage leak with the exception of rather old printers due to the design.  Remanufactured on the other hand tend to be MUCH better quality but some are chipped and can't be reset leading to a printer that complains of being out of ink 24/7 and you have no clue what's left in it (for example the HP 920 series) Some newer printers don't care and aren't a huge pain (several cannon and brother machines) but your experience WILL vary between brands and different cartridges.

 

HP and Epson both spend a ton on custom blending their ink for the task so that's a factor for some users to consider.  For example the HP 950 series of inks introduced their highlighter resistant inks so a raman version of those wont have that "feature" of the machine, could be a big deal in it's intended small office setting.  Some Epson printers use very small nozzles and unless similar ink is refilled they are more prone to clogging.  This is one of the few situations where using aftermarket ink CAN void the warranty of the machine. It's really no different than running another brand but same weight motor oil in a car, the manufacturer can't void a warranty for that, but for example my car requires 5w30 Full Synthetic and if I only used 15w40 in it and blew the engine whatever engine related warranty I had would be void.

 

Another thing is older style cartridges with the print head built in (HP 45/60/etc) will degrade the more times they are refilled with ink due to age of the print head even if they are cleaned properly.

 

Personally every newer machine I've had I've used their ink for just to ease my frustration, I just buy a machine designed for higher volume that offers bigger ink cartridges at a lower cost per page from the start.  (Epson WP-4540 can't complain nearly got the full high yield rating out of the STARTER black on this thing)

 

While I'm on the subject, let's talk toner...yeah just refill use a reman etc because other than some companies not filling them all the way and a SLIGHT print quality reduction on some machines they almost always work just fine (pats my HL-5340D with it's 8000 page $12 toner)

[WhenKittensATK]

I refill my own printer ink, but the cartridge will only last so long. So the experience and quality will vary.

[Phil]

I've tried to use remanufactured cartridges, but haven't had very good luck.  Lots of bad ones.  Having said that, I've also had brand new ones that needed to be RMA'd.

Edited January 12, 2014 by Phil

[Scott P]

We bought some Office Max ink for our HP printer and so far it seems to be working fine. I'm hoping to find some reman cartridges for my HP color laser when the starter cartridges dump.

[cirro]

Here is a little story about the life of a refilled cartridge.

 

btw -

Each of the inks that are in refilled cartridges are knock-off ink's made by a third party supplier.

some inks are drastically darker, some of the hue's are actually off in comparison to OEM.

 

most the time a bad refill is a chip error, some printers are more sensitive, some won't even print with a used cart.

 

The cartridges that are returned are.

 

1. electronically tested to make sure the cartridge is alive

2. heated - this is to allow the adhesive loosen and lets you take the labels off

3. stripped of stickers and marked by cartridge type

4. placed in a "boiler" where a sealed pot is filled with hot water, vacuum sealed and "stirred & drained"

5. placed into a centrifuge that spins the cartridges on a 2 step journey, once inward then outward to get all remaining water out

6. electrically tested again, taped and clipped and sorted to be filled

7. filled and tested again, this time the test is a block then bar printout.

8. if passed a new sticker will be printed

9. taped, clipped bagged and boxed.

 

the amount of testing leaves more failures to be on the end of the cartridge, where the chip on it has been marked by the printer as used/old (software update aka "old generation errors").

you will see a lot of remanufactured cartridges with the advertisement of "NEW CHIP" on it for that reason. they