I think every business owner and even home business owners will agree, ink is expensive. In the long run, it’s going to cost you a lot more than what you paid for the printer. That’s why you’re probably keen to find ways to cut costs.
So, how do you do it? Well, one popular option that a lot of businesses consider refilling their own ink. First, it’s worth noting you can refill most ink cartridges at a much lower cost than buying it directly from the printer company.
In fact, laws have been passed to ensure that products do allow this option. However, to paraphrase Jeff Goldblum, just because you could, doesn’t mean you should.
The benefit of refilling is obvious to anyone. Particularly, when you peruse the cost of branded ink cartridges on the market. Even the deals are going to cost you quite a lot. But if you have plenty and want to sell unused printer ink, you can sell them to SellToner and earn cash online.
Does It Impact Quality?
The big brands say it does. HP is leading this charge. They claim they’ve run studies that show refills do impact quality.
So, their argument is that they are trying to save you, the customer, from poor products.
However, it’s important to understand that they have a lot to gain from this tactic. First, it means you need to buy more cartridges. But there’s another reason as well
The Question of Recycling
If you don’t refill, you’ll recycle and a lot of brands are now happy to pay you for old cartridges. Don’t get too excited, they’ll only give a couple of dollars. Is it as much as you’ll save refilling?
I’m afraid not. However, the company benefits because they then use the cartridges you give back. This is a green friendly solution.
Now, you might think, wait, surely keeping the cartridge is green friendly too? Well, not so fast. If you are getting poor quality results, you’re likely to reprint and use more paper.
So, you could hurt the planet more by refilling, if there is an issue with quality.
The Pesky Warranty
It’s important to note that using a third-party ink in your printer won’t affect the warranty. This is illegal. However, using this method to get ink could destroy the warranty for some brands.
You could see this as evidence that businesses think a refill will hurt your printer. Or, it may just be another tactic to scare you into buying more cartridges.
The Tricky, Sticky Situation
We do not need to address how you refill a cartridge, because it’s probably not as simple as you think.
You can use a refill service. But, you’ll have to pay for that. So, as well as costing you time, it’s going to cost you more money too.
Refilling it yourself is a possibility, but it’s messy and tricky. You’ll definitely need to make sure you’re set up for spills.
You also need to be careful with how much ink you add, what ink you add and whether you can avoid air bubbles. Air bubbles will cause blockages which again take more time to fix.
So if you’re not a massive DIY fan, refilling probably isn’t for you.
Back To Quality
So, do refills impact quality? It might surprise you to learn that the brands are right on the money here. They do gain from you buying new cartridges but you will notice a dip in quality with this method.
These are refillable. But, you will see a change in the materials you’re producing. The ink is often watery and this can lead to messy final results.
This is at least part of the reason why some brands won’t let you keep your warranty. Ink like this can lead to issues with the machine as well as on the page.
Is Remanufactured Ink The Same Story?
You might think that remanufactured ink is just someone else refilling it for you. This is a common misconception but it’s not the case.
With a remanufactured ink cartridge, you can get the quality. That’s due to the fact that the cartridge will have been carefully prepared to ensure that it works effectively.
Basically, it’s the same process that the bigger brands use when they recycle. It’s cheaper too so you get the price you’re looking for with great value ensured.
You can buy them online from Amazon (it’s tricky to find a reliable and reputable seller, and sometimes it’s hard to find the exact ink that matching your printer) or you can buy them online from Yoyoink, they even ship it to you for free.
This could help you decide whether refilling your ink cartridge is the right choice for you. On the surface, it seems like a great option, but there are definitely issues to consider.
