It is not uncommon to be printing away on a home computer printer and notice stripes, streaks, and faded colors on the printed item. For those who keep a spare ink cartridge on hand, the printing tasks will not skip a beat. Surprisingly, many computer printer owners do not have a spare printer cartridge on hand. Some computer owners don't have extra in cartridges because they underestimate how much they are printing. For others, the expense of print cartridges just doesn't fit in their budgets.
Inkjet printers are very affordable. Almost everyone who owns a computer has an inkjet printer to go with it. Even low-end printers do a very nice job and fulfill most needs of printing at home. Printing at home is less expensive than going to the local printer. At the local professional printer, the payment is made per copy and it may give the illusion of being less expensive than printing on a home computer. Still many printers sit unused on a computer table because the inkjet cartridges aren't always as affordable as the printer. Purchasing a set or two of printer cartridges can easily match the cost of the new printer. The printer manufacturers don't need to make as much money on the printers when they have the future business of the purchase of the inkjet cartridges. Profit is also made from specialty papers to be used with the printer. The more a consumer can do on their home computer for personal and/or business use, the more ink that will be used, and of course, more printer cartridges will be purchased.
How to reduce the cost of printing
Refilling inkjet cartridges can be cost effective. It is important to make sure the ink is compatible with the printer it will be used with to avoid poor quality printing and damage to the printer. If a printer is under warranty, be aware that using refilled cartridges can cause the warranty to be voided. For cartridges that have a print head built in, a new cartridge will still need to be purchased after 2-3 refills.
Third-party inkjet cartridges are becoming more available as the demand for affordable at-home printing increases. Currently, third-party printer cartridges account for about 16% of sales. This number is growing as established third-party inkjet cartridge companies continue to grow and new companies enter the market. Using a cartridge that is not from the printing company can void a warranty on a printer. For lower priced printers, the amount of money saved using a third-party produced printer cartridge would more than pay for a replacement printer in the event a defect shows up during the warranty period. For high-end printers, it's best to use the manufacture's printer cartridges, to maintain the warranty validity.
