Cheap printer ink sources

Finding cheap printer ink doesn't mean you have to settle for cheap ink quality. When shopping for inkjet printer ink your choices come down to four options:

• inkjet refill kit
• remanufactured inkjet cartridge
• compatible inkjet cartridge
• OEM cartridge

The cheapest option for cheap printer ink is an inkjet refill kit.  You could save as much as 80% on your printer ink costs by using a refill kit. A refill kit allows you to refill your empty inkjet cartridge for reuse a number of times thus saving on the cost of a new inkjet cartridge on each refill. There are compatible ink refill kits available for virtually every inkjet printer on the market today. However, there is no one universal ink refill kit that works for all printers so you need to choose one that is compatible with your printer.

The second cheapest option for cheap printer ink is to use a remanufactured inkjet cartridge or a new compatible inkjet cartridge. However, remanufactured cartridges are mainly found only for HP and Lexmark cartridges since new compatible inkjet cartridges don't exist for these brands. There are two main reasons for this. First, these cartridges are more expensive than most because the print head is incorporated into the inkjet cartridge making it too expensive to build compatible cartridges. Second, HP has certain patent restrictions on their cartridges making it virtually impossible to manufacture and sell a compatible HP inkjet cartridge.

The most expensive option for printer ink is to purchase original or OEM cartridges. These are brand name cartridges manufactured specifically for a brand name printer. These are the inkjet cartridges that your printer originally came with.

Which option is best for you basically comes down to a matter of personal preference. Some consumers buy nothing but original brand cartridges while others claim compatible or remanufactured cartridges are just as good at half the cost. A suggestion would be to try each option and determine which one you feel most comfortable going with over the long run. 

For more information or to find a cheap printer ink source choose from the following: