Genuine, Compatible or Remanufactured Cartridges - Which one is good for you?

The question is not about which one is good, but it’s about choosing the best one for your printing needs.

Genuine Vs Compatible printer cartridges! This is an interesting topic of discussion.

If you are relatively new to printers, inks and toners, this article will help you learn the basics and it will also help you make the right buying decision.

Are you amused by how the manufacturers are able to sell printers at throwaway prices? The real struggle is to find high quality cheap cartridges for your printers. Ask printer owners and they will accept that printers are a one-time investment but the ink and toner cartridges are the costliest expenses that are associated with owning a printer. Your wallet needs some relief from these escalating prices and that’s why you’ve got multiple options!

How do you determine the right choice suitable for your printing needs?

When your printer runs out of ink, you’ve got different options to buy ink and toner cartridges. You can buy genuine (OEM) cartridges, high quality compatible cartridges or opt for refilled and remanufactured cartridges.

Are you still puzzled with the choices you have? Learning the key differences between the printer alternatives will help you make an informed decision and it will also help you save hundreds of dollars over time without compromising the quality of your prints and the page yield.

The table below will help you understand the differences between genuine, compatible and remanufactured cartridges.

Genuine cartridges

The original cartridges are made by the Brand manufacturer. Brother, HP, Epson, Canon and other printer manufacturers design cartridges that are suitable for their printer models. Undoubtedly, when genuine cartridges are paired with the right printer, they provide excellent print results. The cost of the genuine cartridges is decided by the manufacturers.

In a huge office environment, it is important to consider the price of the cartridges if you wish to save more.

Compatible cartridges

They are designed by the third-party manufacturers to work with your printer model. They are the replicas of original cartridges. They are manufactured under strict code and quality control that may exceed the page yield of normal cartridges. High end graphics printing of compatible cartridges are often not as good as genuine. There are many manufacturers of compatible cartridges and quality can sometimes be an issue. We at Ink Depot have aligned ourselves with major importers of compatible cartridges and the brand we sell are of the highest quality.

Compatible cartridges at Ink Depot

In our experience, 1% of compatible printer cartridges are not compatible with specific printer models even though they should be. This is due to chip incompatibility. We have also found that 1% of our customers are unhappy with the print results of the compatibles as compared to genuines. In both the cases, our customers are protected with a full money back guarantee.

Remanufactured and refilled cartridges

Remanufactured cartridges are manufactured by a third-party manufacturer who collects used cartridges, clean them, process them and refill them with high-quality ink or toner powder. They are often more expensive than the generic cartridges but cheaper than genuines. It is a big saving for your business and also helps the environment.

Do you wish to recycle your cartridges? Read our article Keep calm and Recycle

Recommendations

• Use genuine cartridges if you want high end graphic prints.

• If you want to reduce your print spend and still achieve very good prints, compatibles and remanufactured cartridges may be worth trying.

Final words,

The quality and performance of the cartridges are greatly determined by how it’s used. Genuine cartridges are suitable for those who do not want to think of the compatible alternatives. Before you permanently swear off the compatible and remanufactured cartridges, it is highly recommended to consider running a few print tests to compare the performance. If you’re satisfied with the results, you can continue using compatible and remanufactured cartridges.

Hope this helps you decide the right choice of cartridges suitable for your home and office needs. What’s your choice? We’d like to hear from you!