Printer Cartridges

On the market today there are two basic types of printer cartridges, there are those for inkjet printers and then there are toner cartridges for laser printers. These are the two main categories that people use to when shopping for ink but these types can be broken down even further. Each category can be broken down into one of the following three types, remanufactured cartridges, OEM cartridges and finally compatible cartridges.

OEM cartridges, also known as Original Equipment Manufacturer cartridges are the original type of cartridge as they have been on the market since the beginning. These are the cartridges that are produced specifically for brand name printers and therefore the cartridge also carries the name of the printer that it is designed for such as Canon, Epson and so on. The makers of these printers and ink cartridge say that buying brand name ink will produce the best quality when printing. However, these ink refills can be quite costly as they are brand name cartridges.

Compatible Cartridges are designed the exact same way as the OEM cartridges and they produce the same quality of printing as their brand name counterparts. However, the compatible cartridges do not carry the brand name and therefore more than one cartridge can be used in a particular printer. These ink cartridges are usually cheaper to purchase as they are generic brands. However, when purchasing compatible cartridges you have to keep in mind that they are not specific to one type of printer and they have been known to cause damage to the printer if they are not refilled or used properly. In some cases it is a good idea to simply use the brand name cartridge.

Remanufactured cartridges are also known as refurbished ink cartridges. These are usually both OEM and compatible cartridges that have been bought and used once and that have been returned to the manufacturer to be recharged and refilled and put on the market again. People are often weary about buying anything that has been refurbished but refurbished is almost as good as new. When ink cartridges are refurbished they are thoroughly cleaned and old worn out, broken parts have been replaced with new ones. Therefore these cartridges are just like new.

If you would like to buy printer cartridges online we highly recommend 4Inkjets.com.