Printer cartridges are a vital component of any home or office printer. They provide the ink and toner that creates the image printed on the page, but they can also be expensive. Choosing the right cartridges for your needs can save you money and keep your print quality high. Cartridges differ in size, price, page yield, and performance. We’ve made it easy to compare them based on the factors you care about most.
When shopping for ink or toner cartridges, it’s important to consider the page yield. The page yield is an estimate of how many pages a cartridge can print before running out of ink or toner. The higher the page yield, the less you’ll spend in the long run. However, be aware that the actual number of pages you can print will vary based on how much ink/toner is used for each job and how large your prints are.
In addition, it’s important to consider the cartridge’s cost per page. This metric is calculated by dividing the cartridge’s price by its page yield. A higher cost per page can be more expensive in the short term, but it may end up saving you money over time if you use the cartridge for high-volume printing.
Regardless of which type of cartridge you choose, it’s important to store them properly. Ink and toner can degrade over time, which could lead to smudges and poor print quality. You can extend the life of your cartridges by keeping them sealed in their original packaging until you’re ready to use them, and storing them in a cool, dry place.
Another way to extend the life of your cartridges is to recycle them. Up to 97 percent of a cartridge can be recycled, which keeps used materials out of landfills and helps protect the environment. In fact, you can even purchase remanufactured printer cartridges, which are thoroughly inspected and cleaned before being reassembled. Plus, using remanufactured cartridges won’t void your printer’s warranty.
If you decide to go with remanufactured cartridges, be sure to read the manufacturer’s specifications carefully. Some remanufactured cartridges are only compatible with certain models of printers, so you may end up purchasing a product that doesn’t work with your machine. Luckily, genuine cartridges offer a high level of compatibility with a wide variety of models.
The most common type of cartridge is the OEM cartridge. This is the one that is made by the company that designed your printer. These are more expensive than other types of cartridges, but they are usually higher-quality and more dependable. They’re also likely to have a longer lifespan than third-party or alternative cartridges. In fact, some original equipment manufacturers even offer a warranty on their cartridges.