It is astonishing to see the cost of a new printer inkjet or toner cartridge. Today, more and more of us are using PCs and laptops and choosing to print our own documents and images whether it be for work or personal use. 

Buying the Right Printer

A very important thing to consider when purchasing a new printer is future running costs. There are so many different types available – inkjet printers, All-in-One printers, laser printers, scanners, photo printers. Lots of printers that can do lots of things. Beware!  Buying the cheapest printer in the shop can be the biggest mistake. A printer can last for years but it’s ink cartridges do not. Ink cartridges are consumables, they run out of ink and this is when large printer manufacturers make their money. They make very little profit when they sell a printer. They do however make a lot more when you purchase original inkjet cartridges. 

1. Check the cost of replacement ink cartridges.

Check the cost of the cartridges required by the printer as these can vary greatly.

2. Check the volume of ink contained in the cartridges.

Look at the actual ink volume of the cartridges.  The ink volume is stated on most of Badger Inks products.  In many cases, the ink volume on our compatibles is far higher than that of the originals.

3. Does the printer have individual ink cartridges?

Some printers have individual ink cartridges containing the different colours. Some have four which contain black, cyan, magenta and yellow. Some have six which have the ones just mentioned plus a light cyan and light magenta. Some have photo cartridges. Some printers use just two ink cartridges, a black and a colour. The colour cartridge usually has 3 or 5 colours in it. The problem with this is that if you like printing pictures that contain a lot of cyan (blue) ink, as soon as you run out of cyan ink, the cartridge is useless. It tells you that it is empty and you will need to replace it – even though you probably still have lots of yellow and magenta left inside it. Therefore, printers with individual ink cartridges give you more options when printing. eg.If you run out of cyan, you can just buy cyan. This is more cost effective.

4. Prolonging the Life of a Laser Toner Cartridge.

If you are using a toner cartridge and your print quality becomes poor, simply remove the cartridge and shake it from side to side. This releases more toner powder inside the cartridge and normal printing quality will resume.

5. Remanufactured and Compatible Ink & Toner Cartridges Versus Original OEM Products.

Compatible and refilled cartridges offer a much cheaper alternative to using original manufacturer’s cartridges.  Not only are they cheaper, they usually contain more ink.  At Badger Inks we believe the print quality is as good as the originals and so offer a full satisfaction guarantee on all our products.

Most printer manufacturers highlight warranty problems if you don’t use their ink and toner cartridges in their printers which is typical of all manufacturers warranties.  However, keep in mind that the ink does not touch any part of the printer or internal parts other than the cartridge and print head. The ink is applied to the paper as the paper is fed through the printer. 

By using compatible or remanufactured cartridges you are cutting into their primary source of profit. Because of this, they will threaten to void your warranty if you use compatible or remanufactured cartridges. They are simply trying to protect their own interests anyway they can. It is however strictly ILLEGAL for them to do so, they CANNOT VOID YOUR WARRANTY simply for using compatible or remanufactured cartridges.

6. What are we doing?

Where possible we are now minimising our packaging to help the environment, so less cardboard, less printing and more savings for you and the planet.

We offer a cartridge recycling service in our Seaford Store.  If you have purchased cartridges online, we urge you to recycle them responsibly at your local recycling centre to prevent them from going into landfill.

7. Find out how our Jettec cartridges are remanufactured.