Most cartridges have at least a different lid stopping one cartridge from physically fitting in to a machine branded differently and in many cases the cartridge ID code is also different meaning that even if the lid were changed the machine would still reject it.

Unfortunately Dell provides fairly poor discounts to most retailers meaning that users are usually unable to make any substantial savings by shopping around for their original cartridges rather than buying from Dell direct.  They do typically work out to be relatively expensive printers to run for a number of reasons, including:

• Dell inkjet printers typically utilise just one black and one colour cartridge with the result being that if just one of the colours within the colour cartridge runs out then you would have to change the entire cartridge.  For example, if you were printing a number of landscape shots then you would use an incredibly large amount of the cyan colour to reproduce the sky tones meaning you would most likely run out of this colour well before the magenta or yellow.
• A number of Dell printers utilise just the one cartridge; for example the Dell 810 uses a single JF333 cartridge.  This means that the printer not only suffers from a similar problem as a two colour machine when it comes to running out of one colour prematurely but additionally it has to mix all three colours together to create a slightly off black colour.  This method of producing black is not only expensive and inefficient but if you were to run out of one of the colours or that section of the cartridge became blocked then your black would be severely skewed in favour of the two remaining colours.

Many Dell cartridges are available in a number of different sizes and so it is always wisest to purchase the highest capacity you can; although these cartridges will be most likely more expensive the actual cost per page should be lower.

Due to the usual high cost of the Dell original cartridges and the fact that many people wish to buy their consumables from sources other than Dell direct, many users choose to take advantage of remanufactured cartridges as and where they are available.  These are Dell original cartridges that have been completely used before being thoroughly cleaned, refilled, tested then boxed up and sold as a recycled product.  They have the advantages of not only a lower price point but also in many instances they actually contain more ink than their original equivalents.  There is also usually no loss in quality associated with using a recycled product.

Unfortunately Dell Laser Printers are often more expensive to run than many of the alternatives on the market as despite their often high page yield the cost of the originals can be prohibitive to many users.  Those with these machines would again be advised to always purchase the highest capacity they can in order to benefit from the lowest cost per print.  Due to the popularity of many of these machines, remanufactured cartridges are quite commonly available and as with their remanufactured inkjet equivalents these offer significant environmental and cost savings without sacrificing print quality.

There are two primary types of Canon printers, those with the printer head in the cartridge and those with the printer head in the machine.

Machines that have the printer head in the cartridge often suffer from a number of disadvantages:

• These printers tend to utilise just one black and one colour cartridge.  This means that if just one of the colours within the colour cartridge were to run out or become blocked then you would have to change the entire cartridge rather than just the affected colour.
• Due to the printer head being an integral part of the cartridge you are essentially buying a new printing mechanism every time you buy a new ink cartridge.  The result is that the cartridge price is usually more expensive than if you were buying just a simple ink tank and fitting it to a static print head inside the printer.
• The complexity of the printer head also means that it’s not possible to create a legal compatible cartridge without infringing on copyright.  The alternative is remanufacturing the old cartridges however this process is a more costly than creating a new cartridge from scratch.  This results in even the third party replacement printer ink cartridges being relatively expensive.

On the other hand, cartridges that interact with a static printer head inside the actual machine itself tend to be cheaper, can be replaced individually and benefit from the option of cheaper compatibles.

Compatible cartridges for these fixed print head machines tend to be very cost effective due to the simplicity of the ink tanks and as such the low production cost.  Most Canon printers now work on a basis of counting the number of pages printed by the cartridge and storing this information on to a chip embedded in to the cartridge in order to determine when the cartridge is empty.  As such most compatible cartridges now also include this chip as standard.  Those users who wish to reduce their printing costs will undoubtedly appreciate the choice between using the original inkjet cartridges or the compatible ink cartridges.

Unfortunately Canon Laser Printers tend to suffer from a relatively high replacement toner cartridge price compared to some alternatives available on the market.  This coupled with a poor availability on many of the cheaper remanufactured toner units means potential customers would be best advised to investigate the cost per page before making a purchase.

• Cartridges are predominately un-chipped resulting in the printer using all of the ink in the cartridge rather than running out after a specified number of pages.
• Individual colours can be replaced as they run out rather than a tri-colour system which requires the entire cartridge to be changed whenever one colour runs out.
• The cartridges are relatively large compared with competitors’ offerings; for example a LC1100 cartridge contains 20.5ml meaning a full set of four collectively contains a massive 82ml.
• As the print head is actually inside the printer itself, you only ever replace the ink tank rather than the entire printing mechanism every time.  This results in lower buying costs for both original and compatible products.

Because of the simple nature of the printer cartridges it is possible for companies other than Brother to create compatible ink cartridges which are sufficiently different to the originals to remain legal while offering lower printing costs.  Customers looking to save money may benefit from using these compatible cartridges to reduce their printing costs.  A compatible cartridge is a brand new alternative to the original cartridge and should offer improved cost per page prints without sacrificing print quality.

Brother Laser Printers also remain one of the most cost effective options on the market, again due primarily to the reasonable cost of both original and remanufactured cartridges coupled with a relatively high page yield per unit.  A Brother TN135 cartridge for example will produce 5,000 pages out of the black and 4,000 pages per colour which compares favourably with a HP CB540 series cartridge which will produce 2,200 pages out of the black and 1,400 pages per colour.

An alternative for those looking to save money on their printing costs is to start using remanufactured toner cartridges.  These units are original Brother toner cartridges which have been fully used then taken back to a recycling facility where any worn parts are replaced then the cartridge is refilled and tested before being boxed up and sold as a remanufactured product.  These cartridges offer significant cost and environmental savings without sacrificing print quality.

There are several reasons for this, including:

• Lexmark inkjet printers typically utilise just one black and one colour cartridge.  This means that if just one of the colours within the colour cartridge runs out then you would have to change the entire cartridge.  As an example, if you were printing a number of facial portraits then you would likely run out of the magenta way before the cyan or yellow.
• A number of Lexmark printers actually include just one cartridge.  One example is the Lexmark X2350 which contains just one cartridge (Lexmark 18C0781, otherwise known as No. 1).  This printer not only suffers from a similar problem to the two colour machines but as it doesn’t have a black cartridge it also has to mix all three colours together to create a slightly off black representation.   This is not only an inefficient and expensive way of producing black but additionally if you run out of one colour or one section of the cartridge became blocked then the ‘black’ would be skewed in favour of the two remaining colours.
• Lexmark printers work on a process of counting pages in order to determine whether the cartridge is empty or not.  This not only often results in cartridges reading as ‘empty’ if you refill them but additionally in the case of ‘Lexmark Return Program’ cartridges, once the cartridge has printed its designated quota it will cease to function even if there is ink remaining.
• Several Lexmark original cartridges are subject to dubious licensing agreements with specific retailers.  As an example, at the time of writing the original Lexmark #4 and #5 cartridges are only available to companies within the DSG (PC World, Currys, Dixons).  The offshoot of this is that not only are users of affected printers only able to buy from these sources but the lack of any competition means customers are unable to shop around for the best price.

There are a couple of ways to ensure that your printing cost is kept to a minimal when using a Lexmark printer.  First and foremost always choose the highest capacity ink cartridge available for your machine; in many instances Lexmark ink cartridges are available in a choice of standard or high capacity with the former containing less ink than the latter.  While it’s true that a high capacity inkjet cartridge is often more expensive than a standard capacity cartridge, the cost per page is usually lower.

Many customers choose not to buy a cartridge that is part of the Lexmark Return Program as it then gives them the option to continue to use the cartridge until it is completely empty then either have it refilled or return it to a retailer of their choice for recycling.

Many Lexmark ink cartridges are also available as a remanufactured cartridge.   These are original Lexmark cartridges that have been fully used and then returned to a recycling facility.  The cartridges are cleaned out and refilled before being tested and boxed up as a remanufactured product.  These alternatives are not only cheaper, but additionally also often contain more ink than the originals with no sacrifice of print quality.  There is also the obvious environmental savings made by purchasing a recycled printer cartridge.

Unfortunately Lexmark Laser Printers often also work out more expensive to run than many of the alternatives on the market as, although the toner cartridges are often relatively high capacity the purchase price is usually high enough to result in a poor cost per page.  Users with these machines might also benefit from purchasing remanufactured laser toner cartridges for their printer in order to benefit from a lower purchase price without sacrificing print quality.

Some HP Printers rely on a printer head inside the actual cartridge itself and although this does mean that every time you get a new cartridge you also get a new print head, this can also present a number of disadvantages:

-          These printers tend to use just one black and one colour cartridge.  The result of this is if you were to exhaust just one of the colours from within the cartridge you would have to replace the entire unit.

-          The printer head is potentially an expensive piece of technology and as such the replacement costs for these cartridges can be high.

-          The print head is a unique piece of technology, hence it is copyrightable.  Users wishing to purchase a cheaper alternative to the HP originals would be required to purchase either refilled or remanufactured cartridges rather than new, compatible cartridges available for several other machines.  Although remanufactured cartridges are often substantially cheaper than their original counterparts they are usually still much more expensive than buying compatible ink tanks.

Some machines rely on a removable printer heads in the machine which are often replaced several times during the printers life.  In many respects these printers offer the best of both worlds although these are usually high specification machines that command a higher initial price tag.  Those users with these machines usually benefit from the ability to change cartridges individually (so, if the yellow runs out you just replace the yellow) and typically speaking the capacity of the ink tanks are usually fairly high.

As the ink tanks are simple pieces of technology they are usually easy to create compatible versions of without infringing copyright meaning that incredible cheap compatible cartridges are usually available for those looking to save money compared with the HP Originals.  The printer heads are tightly copyrighted and as such only HP originals are available and since they are considered consumable units you would be advised to check out the price of replacing these before purchasing your new printer.

The third printer style which has become quite popular recently is a machine which has a fixed print head designed to last the life of the printer in to which simple ink tanks are placed.  With the printer industry on the whole moving towards a system of allowing users the ability to replace ink tanks individually the traditional approach of HP integrating the print head in to each cartridge isn’t really practical anymore.

It is especially important to consider the cost per page of these individual cartridges before making a purchase as a common sales technique is to sell the printer and quote the cost of the low capacity original cartridges.  Although these are typically very cheap they yield few pages so always base your ongoing running costs on purchasing high capacity cartridges.  As an alternative, compatible cartridges are also usually available for these machines and as well as often being substantially cheaper, they sometimes contain more ink than the HP original cartridges.

Hewlett Packard are probably the most popular brand of laser printer available on the market today and, as such, there is a thriving market for both original and remanufactured toner cartridges for these machines.  Remanufactured cartridges in particular seem to come to market extraordinarily quickly due to the large HP user base then competition drives the prices down quickly.

As with any other laser printer it is important to check the page yields of the cartridges before committing yourself to ownership as they can vary wildly.  A cyan C9721A cartridge for a HP LaserJet 4600 printer for example will typically yield 8,000 pages at 5% page coverage, whereas the same colour CB541 cartridge for a HP LaserJet CM1312 will print just 1,400 pages.

The ongoing running costs of a fax machine vary tremendously depending on the manufacturer of the machine and so rather than looking at the initial purchase price it is often a better idea to the long term costs.

The four main types of printing technology employed in a fax machine are listed below:

-          Thermal Paper – This technology doesn’t require any replacement cartridge whatsoever but instead relies on heating up a special heat sensitive paper which turns darker when heat is applied.  Due to numerous problems associated with this design, not least poor quality of print and the fact the paper tends to darken naturally over time due to environmental heat, thermal paper fax machines are now pretty much obsolete.

-          Thermal Rolls – Unlike a thermal paper fax, a machine which utilises thermal rolls actually uses standard copier paper.  The machine uses heat to then transfer the material from the thermal roll on to the paper therefore creating the print.  The cost of running these machines depends primarily on the cost and length of the replacement rolls.  Some of the more common manufacturers of plain paper fax machines are Brother, Sharp, Sagem, Panasonic and Philips.

It is worth checking the market to see if compatible rolls are available as these can offer substantial savings when compared with the original products; Brother thermal roll fax machines in particular tend to have a thriving market for compatible fax rolls.
Certain manufacturers such as Philips include a SIM Card style device which has to be inserted in to the machine at the same time the roll is changed over.  The chip on this card can only be used the once and the idea is that producing compatible rolls for these machines will be made more difficult as not only will the third party manufacturer have to research a legal way of reproducing the software within the chip but also, each roll will have to be shipped with its own card.

-          Inkjet – Uses the same method of printing as an Inkjet printer and as such the same considerations have to be placed when it comes to the cost of the replacement cartridges.

There are several large players that make dedicated fax machines which rely on inkjet technology in the fax market including Brother, BT, Philips, Sharp and Samsung.  Whereas Brother produces machines that predominately have the printer head built in to the machine the other four prefer to include the printing technology in the cartridge.
As would be the case in any inkjet cartridge, one which has the print head enclosed within it will have the benefit of having the entire printing mechanism replaced every time the cartridge is changed.  The disadvantages are a potential higher purchase price and the fact that, due to the unique nature of the print head, the only third party products would be either remanufactured or refilled cartridges due to copyright restrictions.  Although these third party products would be undoubtedly lower priced than the original cartridges they wouldn’t be as low as compatible ink tanks produced for a machine which contained a fixed print head.

It is also worth checking that the machine you are contemplating purchasing doesn’t require you to provide a unique SIM style card every time you swap a cartridge.  One major manufacturer who utilise these cards are Philips as it is designed to prevent people refilling their own cartridges.  It also hinders the production of remanufactured units as the third party manufacturers have to research a way of legally re-creating the software present inside the chip and provide a unique card with the sale of every cartridge.

-          Laser – Dedicated Laser Fax Machines are increasingly rare nowadays as a relatively expensive technology would in many circumstances be wasted on such a little used machine.

Major manufacturers that have produced toner based fax machines include Brother, Samsung and Panasonic and many do still mass produce multi-function laser printers with fax machines included as an additional feature.

As with any laser printer, it would be wise to check the availability, price and page life of the cartridges.  In many circumstances remanufactured toner cartridges would be available for those looking for an alternative to the manufacturer original product.  These remanufactured units are created from previously used cartridges that have been stripped down, cleaned out, refilled and then thoroughly tested.  As these are produced by a third party rather than the original manufacturer they are usually available at a lower price without sacrificing print quality.

The price of the original Epson cartridges vary quite wildly so it is important to select the correct printer based on your own individual printing needs.  Typically newer printers have the most reasonable original cartridge prices and as the printer becomes discontinued the original prices tend to rise as a result.

As with any printer it is also important to check the capacity of the cartridges that you are purchasing; an SX100 printer for example can take either a 5.8ml T0891 or a 7.4ml T0711 cartridge.  While the price for the latter may be higher, the actual cost per page is likely to be lower.

Some users choose to use compatible cartridges instead of the original Epson ink cartridges.  Due to the incredibly low manufacturing cost of these new units, they typically offer substantial savings when compared with the original cartridges.  Owing to the fact that these compatibles are produced using new parts the quality is usually indistinguishable from the originals.

Unfortunately Epson Laser Printers tend to suffer from a relatively high replacement toner cartridge price compared to several alternative manufacturers.  The popularity of their machines however has resulted in cheaper remanufactured units are made available by various third party suppliers.  These are Epson original toner cartridges which once used have been taken back to a recycling facility where they are cleaned out, any worn parts are replaced before the cartridge is refilled and tested.  These cartridges offer significant cost and environmental savings without sacrificing print quality.

Ink jet printers use one of three main technologies: thermal, piezoelectric, and continuous which we’ll take a look at below:

Thermal Ink Jet
With Epson being a notable exception most consumer inkjet printers work by having a print cartridge with a number of tiny chambers which are electrically heated to induce a steam explosion in the chamber which forms a bubble.  This bubble projects a droplet of ink on to the paper and this method has resulted in Canon naming many of their series of printers ‘Bubblejet’

Once the ink has been propelled on to the paper the surface tension of the ink pulls another droplet of ink in to the chamber in preparation for this one to be transferred to the paper.

The ink used is usually water-based, pigment-based or dye-based and please note that this is not the same thing as a thermal printer which is often found on some fax machines and ATM’s.

Piezoelectric Ink Jet
All Epson printers and most commercial inkjet printers use a piezoelectric crystal in each nozzle instead of the heating element found in thermal inkjet machines.  These work by applying a current which causes the crystal to change shape or size which then forces a droplet of ink through the nozzle and on to the paper.

Continuous Ink Jet
Continuous ink jet is one of the oldest ink jet technologies in use and is used commercially for making and coding of products and packages.  The technology works by using a high pressure pump which directs ink though a microscopic nozzle hence creating a continuous stream of ink droplets.  These droplets are then broken up at regular intervals by a piezoelectric crystal.

The ink droplets are subjected to an electrostatic field which results in a controlled electrostatic charge on each droplet and these are then separated by one or more uncharged droplets which minimize electrostatic repulsion between neighboring droplets.

The charged droplets are then directed to the media by electrostatic deflection plates, or are allowed to continue on undeflected to a collection gutter for reuse.

When compared to more expensive technologies on the market such as laser printing inkjet printers have virtually no warm up time.

Disadvantages
The disadvantages of inkjets include print heads which can be prone to clogging and often expensive inkjet cartridges.  Of course money can be saved by using lower cost compatible or remanufactured cartridges.

Another disadvantage is ink bleeding which results in the ink being carried sideways away from the desired location by the capillary effect.

Because the ink used in most inkjets is water-soluble, care must be taken with inkjet-printed documents to avoid even the smallest drop of water, which can result in the smudging of documents.  The exception to this is when using pigment based inks which are a lot more water resistant.

Pigmented inks use small particles suspended in the base solution to provide the colour and then to keep the particles from setting out of the solution the pigment particles are coated with a polymer material to generate a static charge around the particle which then keeps the particles from clumping.