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Ink Printer Cartridges and a Review of Four Printers

Saturday, November 28th, 2009

It is not unusual to hear the question, ” What is the best laser printer for me and what ink printer cartridges should I use?” This isn’t an easy inquiry to answer for the reason that it depends on what you need your printer to do and how much you can afford to spend on ink printer cartridges. Do you require an all in one laser printer, a very minimal single function inkjet printer or a small photo printer?   How much are you ready to spend? There is also an after sale expense that a lot of customers are unaware of; the expense of replacement ink printer cartridges. To help you, we have reviewed 4 different printers.  This starting point should assist you in your quest. If you’re interested in individual categories or products, you will at least have a base level of data with which to begin.

 

Canon Pixma MX7600  

The Canon Pixma MX7600 is a multifunctional printer and this model is a big improvement over the last one. With new features such as an upgraded control cockpit, auto duplexer and a large number of faxing options, the MX7600 is a very good value.

HP Color LaserJet CP2025n

Even though the HP CP2025n doesn’t have a USB direct printing and wireless capabilities and it is slow to print black documents, it is still a very good machine. The output quality of the color laser shines and it provides a very easy to understand and use tutorial through the software that cuts down on the learning curve. For anyone who needs a high monthly duty cycle, we recommend the CP2025n for anyone looking for a hardy printer to fit right in with a hardy work environment.

Brother HL-4070cdw

Printing text at 20 pages per minute, this Brother printer is great for office use and it also has wireless networking capabilities. This is a printer that will produce high quality output in a compact case for under $500. The instructions are easy enough to follow. This is a very user friendly laser printer and the color indicators are pretty straightforward and easy to understand making it one of the easiest laser printer models to use. Like most Brother Printers, the setup for this model was also very simple.

Samsung CLP-600N Color Laser Printer

This color laser printer will make a great addition to the home or small office. It is network ready and has the speed and duty cycle and printing quality that is needed. The Samsung CLP-600N prints at 20 pages per minute in both color and black and white. With a 2400×600 dpi resolution and a duty cycle of up to 45,000 prints per month makes it a good value. The only downside is that the duplex printing is manual, but manual is better than nonexistent.

Ink Printer Cartridges And The Environment; What Will We Do?

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

It is probable that there are up to 525 ink printer cartridges being tossed away every minute in the U.S. More than 28,000 per hour! It is time that something is done about all of the waste. Environmentalists claim that there is a need to recycle or reuse ink printer cartridges to be able to help conserve the environment.

The small business sector is recognized as the most frequent consumer of ink printer cartridges. Businessmen are over and over again the ones who are using a lot of ink since they have to print out documents for their offices. Next, after the businesses are households, which change ink printer cartridges nearly two times each year.

Used printer cartridges can be recycled in a lot of different ways.

To start with, reuse your very own ink printer cartridges. The consumer can refill their own ink printer cartridges. You may perhaps make your mind up to invest in refilling kits, which possibly will help save on cartridge for printer costs. Such kits should contain every one of the items you need. A needle will be included, therefore the consumer can insert the ink. It is also ideal if that kit could contain pairs of synthetic gloves which may perhaps be used to help keep hands from having dust or stains. The instruction manual will be rather simple to catch on because this isn’t that difficult of a process. Be informed that when a photo printer cartridges is refilled, the ink output and quality is precisely similar to the original ink, but frequently at half the cost.

A second method of saving the environment might be sending the cartridge for printer back to the manufacturer or business where you actually bought the products. Most producers of photo printer cartridges should give you direction on how to recycle your printers cartridges. By visiting the makers website, you should be able to find out more about how to recycle your inkjet printer ink cartridges. Several firms are requiring users to send back to the headquarters empty or old inkjet printer ink cartridges. In such instances, costs of handling and shipping are usually shouldered by the involved businesses.

If you would rather, you can return the printer cartridges to the store where you purchased it. Doing so could be a post sales strategy that may well be introduced to clients or consumers. Loads of stores these days are offering trade ins. Such stores offer basic incentives like store coupons, discounts, and free products on photo printer cartridges that you might get from them.

In summing up, reusing old printer cartridges can help salvage the earth. The individual can either refill them manually and utilize them over and over or shoppers can send them to the manufacturer and let them do it.  Not merely will you be serving the ecosystem, you will be saving dollars. The ecosystem will be a much better place because of your effort.

Benefits of Using Soy Ink for Your Ink Printer Cartridges

Sunday, November 8th, 2009

The environmental impact of Soy Ink

The ink printer cartridges industry’s solution to the major concerns of environmental health and safety might just be soy ink. This has been confirmed by a recent study that reveals that soy ink reduces environmental burdens created by the printing industry. Oil is also derived from soybeans which, is a renewable source. Soybeans are also readily available at minimal costs. Soybean agriculture only uses ½% of the entire energy required to make soy ink for ink printer cartridges. About fifty percent of all soybeans grown in America require no irrigation. While soybeans grow, they remove carbon dioxide, a damaging greenhouse gas, from the earth’s atmosphere.

Soy ink, naturally low in volatile organic compounds (VOC’s– which are chemical compounds react to sunlight and evaporate); can reduce emissions causing air pollution by its usage.

Western Michigan University researchers discovered that soy ink is able to be removed more easily from newsprint than petroleum ink during the de-inking process, which results in brighter paper and less paper fiber damage. Additionally, its waste is not thought to be hazardous and can be more easily treated, completely and cost-effectively. Residue waste ink is an industrial liquid waste which requires proper disposal. Many newspaper companies and big commercial printing companies recycle their ink by mixing inks (black ink with unused color ink). This mixing process can reduce waste and results in a more efficient use, and cost effective use of ink.
Soy ink is readily accessible and easily obtained for newspapers, commercial printing, magazines, packaging, business forms and several other uses. Each type of ink printer cartridges requires a different form of ink and ink manufacturers have made efforts to comply with the demands of consumers. Soy ink also has the benefits listed below:

  • Rich, bright colors – Soybean oil’s clarity lets pigments reach their full potential, which results in very vibrant colors. Additionally, if soy ink is used for newspaper ink, it reveals an outstanding result of pigments. Switching from petroleum based inks to soy ink gives visibly high quality prints for ink printer cartridges.
  • Low rub off – Soy ink delivers greater rub-off resistance. Specifically, this is of great importance to newspaper readers.
  • Cost effectiveness – The prices of soy ink are generally very competitive with that of conventional inks since the majority of the cost associated with colored inks is due to the pigments used and not the hardware of the ink printer cartridges. Because it provides such vibrant colors, printers may require less quantities of ink resulting in more material printed with less ink which reduces costs.
  • Laser printer proof – The boiling point of soy ink is less than conventional inks. This means that it stands up better to the heat generated by laser printers, or copy machines. Also, this means that the ink stays on the paper better and isn’t transferred to the parts of the printer, or copier.
  • Lithographic stability – Soy ink also maintains its stability throughout the entire print process so the printer, or press operator, makes fewer alterations during printing and rejects fewer copies because of poor quality.

Brand Name Ink Printer Cartridges or Generic?

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

One might discover that buying new, brand name, ink printer cartridges quickly becomes quite an expense. However, there are several alternative ways to obtain the same quality standard for a much lower price. Your primary options are: brand name (OEM) ink printer cartridges, compatible generic ink printer cartridges or remanufactured ink printer cartridges.

When purchasing replacement ink printer cartridges; consumers do have a choice. It is commonly believed that shoppers are required to buy the expensive, brand name, ink printer cartridges from the printer manufacturer, or the printer’s warranty will become void. This belief simply isn’t true. By law, the use of compatible replacement ink printer cartridges does not void the printer manufacturer’s warranty. In fact, you can opt to purchase less expensive compatible ink printer cartridges, or remanufactured cartridges, often with a realized savings of between 50% and 75%. All major inkjet printer cartridge brands have compatible versions, including Canon, Apple, Hewlett Packard, Brother, IBM, and Xerox.

Brand Name Ink Printer Cartridges

Most major manufacturers of printers also manufacture the replacement ink printer cartridges that are best suited for their own printers. This option is usually the most expensive, and in some cases it is the only option available if you happen to purchase a newer printer whose manufacturer embedded computer chips inside the ink printer cartridge. The purpose of this chip could be to regulate the ink flow, limit the cartridges use, or to regulate the cartridge in alignment. However, if you choose a compatible, or remanufactured, ink printer cartridge, it might not be able to communicate with the printer and can damage the printer or cause it to not work at all.

Compatible Generic Ink Printer Cartridges

When thinking about buying an ink printer cartridge for your printer, the main factor you need to consider is cost. Purchasing a new inkjet printer cartridge will depend upon how much you are willing to pay. You can buy a new brand name ink printer cartridge, or you can purchase a new compatible (generic) ink printer cartridge. Both types of inkjet printer cartridges will provide you with the same quantity, quality and performance you expect from your printer. The main difference is in cost: a brand name ink printer cartridge can easily cost around twice the price of a compatible ink printer cartridge.

Compatible (generic) ink printer cartridges are manufactured to meet OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) specifications. These manufacturers usually set very high standards of reliability and quality and also offer high quality results, often exceeding the quality specifications established by the OEM. These ink printer cartridges are manufactured with new components and are a cheaper alternative to expensive brand name ink printer cartridges.

You may also be surprised to notice that the generic compatible cartridge will print the same amount of, or more, pages than the original OEM cartridge. Mainly, this is because some original OEM ink printer cartridges are not filled to capacity. In this case, a compatible inkjet printer cartridge can give you twice the advantage: it reduces your cost per cartridge and cost per page by printing more pages.

Remanufactured Ink Printer Cartridges

As suggested by the name, remanufactured ink printer cartridges are rebuilt from empty, used cartridges. The process of remanufacturing is not only about refilling the ink printer cartridges; these cartridges are disassembled, repaired, and then are refilled with ink.

High standards in quality are maintained during the process of remanufacturing to ensure the quality of the ink and any replaced part conforms to the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) quality standard. These remanufacturers go through several recycling and reprocessing steps to maintain their quality, and are also tested after manufacturing in real time printing.

If processed correctly, remanufactured cartridges can easily meet, or exceed, OEM specifications.

How to Order Ink Printer Cartridges

Often, generic ink printer cartridges are the exact same ink cartridges you buy with brand name on the packaging. There are various entrepreneurs who purchase ink printer cartridges in bulk from the major manufacturers and repackage them under a different name. Because these cartridges are purchased in bulk, the entrepreneurs obtain them for a lower price, which allows them to pass the savings on to you.

When choosing which ink printer cartridge to buy, be sure to select the correct compatible or remanufactured ink cartridge for your specific printer. To minimize the chances of choosing the wrong type of ink printer cartridge, there some things that you need to be aware of prior to shopping for replacements:

You have to know the brand and model number of your printer.

You also need to know if your printer has chips embedded in the ink printer cartridges that don’t allow the use of compatible ink printer cartridges.

The internet is always a good source for buying ink printer cartridges. Thousands of customers reduce their printing costs by purchasing high quality compatible ink printer cartridges and other printer supplies online, which saves time and money. Your best option is to spend a little time comparison shopping prior to your purchase. A reputable vendor will sell only high quality replacement cartridges and offer fast shipping so there is no risk to you. After you have found a reliable merchant you can trust, be sure to order in advance and keep spare ink printer cartridges on hand.

Ink Printer Cartridge Storage

Depending upon several factors, the lifespan of an ink printer cartridge varies from a couple of months to a couple of years. The primary factor is whether the ink printer cartridge is opened or sealed. Ink printer cartridges that are sealed in the original packaging and stored in a cool dry place should last up to two years. However, the ink cartridges must be protected while in storage, because even a tiny pin prick in the packaging will break the seal causing the ink to dry out.

The lifespan of an ink printer cartridge also depends on the wear and tear it receives over the time period it’s in use. If you do high volumes of color printing, the ink printer cartridges will empty much quicker. The lifespan of ink printer cartridges can be maximized by refilling, recycling, or refurbishing them.

The ink that flows through each one of the nozzle assemblies functions as a lubricant and coolant for the nozzle so that it does not get damaged. It is of paramount importance to never attempt printing with an empty ink printer cartridge. The print head may burn out if the ink printer cartridge is not replaced, or refilled promptly. The effect of damage can range from poor quality that will be visible in the form of lines across the page, blurring, and patches of light or dark on the page. Eventually, this can be fatal for the printer.

In Summary

The choice is yours to make, however, I usually use brand name ink printer cartridges when I am printing high quality color documents, or photos, and I use compatible (generic) ink printer cartridges for other projects where the quality of color is important but photo quality isn’t required.