Need new print cartridges for your printer? The first thing you need to do is identify what consumables your specific printer uses. For most people, a desktop printer will either be a laser or an inkjet-based machine.
Inkjet printers use wet ink and laser printers use toner, which is a fine dry powder. Sometimes, the model name of certain manufacturer’s printer ranges will provide a clue. It doesn’t take too much skill to work out that the Canon trade name “Bubble Jet” uses wet ink print cartridges and is an inkjet-type printer. The HP range of LaserJet printers have the word “laser” in the model designation and will clearly take toner-filled units.
Once this first hurdle has been crossed, you will quickly realise that you have only begun your journey up the decision tree. Print cartridges may be original equipment manufacturer (OEM) units or compatibles. OEM units are made by the same company that made your printer, while compatibles are made by a third-party manufacturer that may not manufacture printers at all, focussing solely on the production of print cartridges.
Both OEM and compatible print cartridges are also offered under synonyms to add even more variables for the consumer to deal with. OEM cartridges, for instance, are also called “genuine” or “original” cartridges, while compatibles may be described as “generics” or “aftermarket” units.
Generally, to compete against OEM print cartridges, compatibles have to be cheaper than OEM units, which often means that cost, as opposed to quality, becomes the overriding production consideration.
Print Cartridges – Even More Choices
Aftermarket print cartridges add another level of choice to the mix, being offered as new, remanufactured, and refilled options. A new compatible is a copy of your printer’s OEM cartridge made by a third-party manufacturer to fit your printer. Remanufactured cartridges are empty, end-of-life units that are collected, cleaned, refurbished, provided with new parts where necessary, repackaged, and returned to the marketplace.
Some aftermarket companies market refilled units. These are empty, end-of-life units, which are not refurbished but simply collected, given a perfunctory clean, and refilled with the relevant print consumable. These are the cheapest choice of all but often deliver very poor-quality results.
“Chipped” Print Cartridges
When a warning message pops up on your PC, informing you that your printer’s ink or toner is low, the message comes from a smart chip on the print cartridge. The chips are used by printers to monitor the levels of the consumables in the cartridge. The chip also communicates with your PC to provide warnings when certain issues arise.
The downside of these chipped print cartridges is they often cause frustrating compatibility errors where your printer refuses to recognise a replacement ink or toner cartridge. A printer not recognising a new ink or toner cartridge is one of the more common problems experienced when changing or replacing a cartridge, irrespective of the type of printer.
While OEM chips can also cause problems, it is far more likely to experience issues when replacing compatible, remanufactured, or refilled print cartridges. Typically, after installing a new cartridge, a message is displayed, indicating “printer cartridge not detected”, “cartridge error”, “cartridge protection enabled”, “no cartridge installed”, or “cartridge not compatible”.
While there are several things you can try to clear the problem, it will sometimes need you to use another cartridge and throw the problem cartridge away. This is not only frustrating but also wasteful and expensive.
Remove the Hassle of Buying Printer Consumables
While it is easier to choose the correct consumables for your printer if you are an individual with one printer, the more printers you have, the more difficult the managing of printer consumables becomes. Companies with numerous printers seldom optimise their consumables purchases. Consumables are bought on an ad hoc basis with no thought given to what the most cost-effective choice would be. You don’t need to become a printer cartridge expert. Let the true experts streamline your print environment.
At Raydian, we can provide all your office and home office printer and print consumables requirements. We have an established track record with the supply of printers and print consumables. Make controlling your printing costs easy by taking one of our printer service contracts. Contracts include parts, call-out, and print consumables, and are reduced to a cost-per-print.
We conduct an analysis of your existing printer fleet, at no charge, and establish which printers (if any) need to be replaced. We also offer advice on cost savings achievable by improving operational efficiencies. We will even include existing devices on our service contracts. Our service contracts cover laser printers, copiers, fax machines, and multifunction printers. Get control of your printing costs and contact us today.