7 Common Mistakes When Buying Inkjet Cartridges & Toners

Printer ink cartridges and toners are not cheap; during the lifecycle of printing devices, most consumers shell out more money for buying replacement inks and toners than they did for buying printers. Today, inkjet and laser printers have become common devices in homes and offices worldwide but millions of people continue to make the same mistakes they did many years ago when shopping for replacement ink cartridges and toners.
The top seven mistakes people make when buying inkjet cartridges & toners are:

1. Ignoring Cartridge Number or the Printer Model
2. Not Verifying the Page-Yield Of the Cartridge
3. Buying Standard-Size Printer Cartridges
4. Not Buying Low-Cost Compatible Printer Ink Cartridges & Toners
5. Buying Printer Cartridges One-At-a-Time Even When You Print Frequently
6. Buying Low-Quality Remanufactured Printer Cartridges
7. Buying A Matching Cartridge that You Don’t Need Right Now

Mistake #1: Ignoring Cartridge Number or the Printer Model

Printer cartridges are identified by unique cartridge model numbers printed on their labels. Many models of ink cartridges will fit a list of printers; however, just knowing that you need a replacement ink cartridge or toner for an HP or Canon printer is not enough.
An inkjet or laser printer model is uniquely designed to work with a specific cartridge only.
If you do not have an old printer cartridge to refer to, you can always check the printer model number. on the front, backside or bottom of the device or glance through the owner’s manual.
At InkjetsClub, we list numerous printer models, mapped to their appropriate cartridges in order for customers to easily find the correct model of cartridge they need for their printer.

Mistake #2: Not Verifying the Page-Yield of the Cartridge

How do you know if an ink cartridge or toner can print a few dozen, 100 or 1000 pages? Most consumers have no idea of how long a printer cartridge they are buying can actually last.
Each printer cartridge has a standard ‘page-yield’ – an estimated number of pages that it can print when the print-coverage area is 5%. This figure is clearly indicated:

• In product descriptions online,
• In product titles online or
• On cartridge labels

How many pages can an ink or toner cartridge actually print?
Well, it depends on the nature of the print job. For instance, if you print documents having lots of images, graphs or background colors, your printer cartridge is likely to deliver fewer prints than the expected page-yield.
In any case, standard page-yield figures let you know which printer cartridge variant holds more ink/toner and will last longer.

Mistake #3: Buying Standard-Size Printer Cartridges

Standard-capacity printer ink and toner cartridges are cheaper because they hold less amount of ink. Many consumers jump the gun right after looking at the sticker price of a matching printer cartridge, only to learn a few days later that they need to replace printer cartridges once again.
Printer models sold by most vendors nowadays support high-capacity replacement cartridges that guarantee a much lower cost-per-print in comparison to standard-capacity cartridges. Be it Brother, Canon, HP, Epson, Dell or any other brand, you can always hope to find a high-yield (XL/XXL) replacement cartridge unless your printer is really old.
There is no reason to buy standard-capacity printer cartridges except when you print rarely (say, a few prints every month). With high-yield replacement inks and toners, you can save 20-30% in running costs.

Mistake #4: Not Buying Low-Cost, Compatible Printer Ink Cartridges & Toners

Are you confused about whether you should buy expensive OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) cartridges or low-cost compatible ink and toner cartridges?
You are not the only consumer to be in a dilemma when it comes to OEM and non-OEM printer cartridges. Many consumers are taken aback by manufacturers’ warnings to strictly use OEM cartridges.
Sold by printer manufacturing companies, OEM ink & toner cartridges are of the highest quality as they are specifically designed to work with various printer models. However, OEM inks are more expensive as printer vendors tend to offset their marketing and R&D costs by selling replacement printer cartridges at higher prices. They even tend to sell printers at low initial prices and earn profits by selling expensive OEM replacement cartridges later on.
Compatible or generic ink and toner cartridges are manufactured by third-party companies. These ink cartridges and toners too are engineered to work with various printer models. Since these companies do not have to offset R&D or marketing costs, they are in a position to sell compatible printer cartridges at a lower price.
For instance, when you shop for compatible ink cartridges and toners with InkjetsClub, you can save up to 50% ink or toner costs. We are an ISO certified printer cartridge manufacturing company. We have our own manufacturing facilities and offer guarantees on all products we sell. Therefore, you need not have any qualms about the quality of compatible printer cartridges.

Mistake #5: Buying Printer Cartridges One at a Time Even When You Print Frequently

If you print frequently, you should consider buying printer ink and toner cartridges in bulk. Many online sellers of printer cartridges offer healthy discounts on multi-packs.
In case you print more than a few hundred pages each month, you may consider buying a multi-pack. When you buy a multi-pack or value-pack at InkjetsClub, you can save up to 20% in replacement ink/toner costs.

Mistake #6: Buying Low-Quality Remanufactured Printer Cartridges

Remanufactured or refurbished printer cartridges are old OEM cartridges re-engineered, repaired and re-filled to work with various printer models. Buying such cartridges can sure help you save a great deal on running costs but you should be careful not to buy from a bad source. You should strictly avoid anonymous sellers and companies that are neither ISO certified nor offer product guarantees.

Mistake #7: Buying A Matching Cartridge that You Don’t Need Right Now

Many printers use a separate combination of 3, 4, 5 or more ink cartridges or toners. Make sure you order the one which is actually empty.
Some printers generate screen alerts that provide accurate information on specific cartridges that need replacement.
You can also check cartridges manually to find out if they are low on ink by placing them in front of a light source

Final Words

The printer-cartridge-buying-mistakes we discussed above can cost you both time and money. If you are running a small business, the unavailability of a replacement inkjet cartridge or toner can disrupt your workflow.