Debunking Ink/Toner Myths

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Posted on October 28, 2021 by Rawan

Inks and Toners can be a tricky thing to solve before buying them, there is a lot of misleading information on the internet about what works with what. Regardless, there are many myths that have been debunked. The most common myth examples asked are ‘What is cheaper?’ ‘What’s better quality?’ ‘What will fit in my printer?’ I am hoping that deflating these myths about Inks/Toners and elaborating on them make it much clearer for you. Today we’ll be debunking all these myths, so hopefully you know what’s true and what isn’t.

‘Compatibles are cheap; they will not work as well.’

Compatibles or ‘remanufactured’ Inks are the most questioned in this Industry. They are also misinterpreted. Compatibles have a long shelf life and have similar- if not the same quality as an original. Yes, the best quality in the industry are Genuine Originals however, remanufactured cartridges do not create poor quality prints. The only difference between the two is the price. They work just as good and you would not need to break into your wallet for them.

‘Cartridges are not worth buying, they run out so fast.’

Ink and Toner Cartridges only run out so fast because many people avoid searching for the ‘page yield’ when buying their Inks. They assume that buying the Inks or their toners blindly will result in them just being able to print however many pages they want. This is a very common issue and can be frustrating. Ink Cartridges only run out so fast when you print a lot of images and text that do not have enough spaces in between. The most efficient way to save your Ink is to check the page yield before you buy your inks, make sure you are not printing out unnecessary copies and always make sure to print in low resolution or in black and white if you are only printing text. If you decide to print some text out, make sure that the text font is small too.

Top Tip: Buy multipacks, twin packs or XL’S if you want to save more money!

‘My cartridges always need replacing’

Most of the time the only thing your cartridge is in need for is care. It is so easy to not know the best method to print. The best method is to have your cartridges cleaned if they are leaking. Another method to prevent yourself from always needing to replace your cartridge is; instead of recycling your cartridges, try to get them refilled more often as this will save you time and money.

‘My Inks or Toners will mess up my printers warranty’

Your Inks are most definitely not the reason why your printers might break and affect your printers’ warranty, especially Non OEM cartridges. If you have the right printer and the right Inks or Toners for your printer, than you should be fine with warranty. If you are unsure than it is always best to ask. Our phone number and live chat is available to use on our website if you need any assistance with this.

The Truth About Compatible Printer Cartridges

Posted on January 31, 2014 by aalim

Money – is the driving force behind everything we do nowadays. But when such conversational subject as “Original against Compatible cartridges” is in question, quality becomes equally as important. As a “printerer” (person who prints) all you can ever wish is for is a high quality cheap ink cartridge. Who cares what box the cartridge is in? As long as it fits the bill – you will go for the “kill” and purchase the cartridge again and again. Right?

Well, not quite. Not always anyway. In order to understand the truth behind the complexity of the issue there are 4 printer consumables commandments that almighty Toni B came up with in order for you to be a wise “Printerer”

4 Toni B Commandments for Printerer’s who actually want to save cash.

Buy originals only if the quality of the prints is paramount. If you are printing photos or highly important presentation documents then just stick to the original, if not then continue reading.
Never buy compatibles of eBay. Mostly likely its some “cowboy” in his garage pumping the cartridges with ink without any proper equipment. It’s just not worth the risk.
Ensure compatible ink/toner cartridge satisfaction by checking the returns policy of the company. Are they willing to give you money back if you are not satisfied with the quality of the compatible cartridge?
This one might be a bit pushy but avoid the risk and buy compatible ink/toner cartridges from Inkntoneruk. Cheap high quality compatibles are sold on a daily basis at Inkntoneruk with thousands of happy customers.

The Truth About Compatible Printer Cartridges for our 'Printerer' — compatible 540 ink cartridge

The problem is not the problem. The problem is the way you perceive the problem.

Manufacturers are telling about the damage that compatibles can inflict on to your printer. Beware!!! This is total bollocks!! It’s the same cartridge just without the brand name printed on it.

So there you have it folks. Money saving tips right here! The ball is in your court. You can choose to save or let go of your precious sterling.

Now that you are a clever printerer please also remember that nothing will save you more ink than not printing at all. So print only when you must.

If you didn’t learn anything from this article at least remember one thing. The compatible cartridge from Inkntoneruk will do a stellar job, guaranteed.

If you wish to contact us about anything, you can visit our store or see our Contact Us page here. You can also call our number or get in touch with us on our Social Media Accounts. All links and information will be provided at the end of this Blog Post.

We really hope this Blog post was useful to you and we encourage you to come back every Friday, when we post new content on our Blog!

Our social media accounts: Twitter | Facebook @Inkntoneruk

Address: 61 East Barnet Road, Barnet, EN4 8RN

Tel: 020 8216 5571

Over and Out

Sincerely Yours

Ink Cartridge Remanufacturing Process

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Posted on May 3, 2013 by aalim

Buy Cheap Remanufactured Ink Cartridges

At Inkntoneruk we are passionate about what we do. We know for a fact that, it is not what you do, but how you do it that matters. That is exactly what today’s post is about – “How do we remanufacture ink cartridges?” So how do we do it? It’s simple, buy the ink, pour it down the empty cartridge and your are ready to print. Unfortunately, it is not as easy as that. It takes skill, patience, appropriate equipment and a lot of testing before remanufactured cartridges can go onto the consumers shelves. In order to explain the ink cartridge recycling process in detail, I have teamed up with a few experts in the world of remanufacturing ink cartridges, Chris and his assistant Josh (pictured below) to guide us through eight remanufacturing stages and to produce a compatible Canon PG-540 Black ink cartridge at the end of it.

It really is a smart move to go for compatible ink cartridges (recycled ink cartridges and remanufactured ink cartridges). To appreciate what it takes to produce a recycled ink cartridge, we figured it would be a good idea to share the remanufacturing process with you. This is a grey area for a lot of consumers and we hope you will find this information useful.

8 Steps to Remanufacture an Ink Cartridge

Step 1 – Weigh the Canon PG-540 ink cartridge

First things first. After we receive a used PG-540 cartridge from you, we have to weigh it first to see which cartridges still have some ink left in them. We separate the cartridges with ink in them and the ones without.

Step 2 – Spin the PG-540 cartridges

The ink cartridges which still had some ink in them have to go through a spinning process for the sponge inside the ink cartridge to dry out. It is slowly being prepared for that all important ink refill. After spinning the cartridges, it is necessary to weigh them again to ensure that all the ink has been removed from the inside of the cartridge.

Step 3 – Spray the Ink Cartridge

In the third stage of ink cartridge remanufacturing, Chris has sprayed the ink cartridges and the cartridge head in order to remove excess ink so the cartridge can communicate properly with the Canon printer. After spraying it, a clip is attached to the PG-540 ink cartridge for extra protection.

Step 4 – Fill the Cartridge with Ink

The fourth stage is where the major magic happens and the ink gets a refill into the clean and empty cartridges using the needles that insert into the cartridges (picture above). Firstly, you have to be extremely careful not to fill too much or too little ink and follow precise cartridge capacity guidelines. Once the ink is in, it is time to weigh them again to ensure that all ink cartridges are the right weight.

Step 5 – Suck the Ink Cartridge

This is a vital part of the process, “sucking” the ink cartridge. All cartridges have to be “sucked” in order for them to start the ink flow, so when you insert it in your printer the ink is ready to be transferred to your printer.

Step 6 – Leave the cartridges for 7 days

Now, the ink cartridges have to sit for a minimum of 7 days, for the ink to sink into the sponge inside the cartridge.

Step 7 – More Testing

After the ink cartridges have been on the shelf for a minimum of 7 days, Chris has to carry out a few printing tasks and also print a couple of test pages to ensure the highest quality prints for your home or office.

Step 8 – Ready To Go

Now the ink cartridges are on the shelf, with the correct labels and ready to dispatch, as soon as the orders comes in.

Bear in mind that this is not the only way to remanufacture cartridges and some cartridges need to boil before they can get a refill and others such as compatible HP Photosmart ink cartridges, compatible Canon Pixma ink cartridges and compatible Epson Stylus ink cartridges go through the remanufacturing process in a factory in China. If you’d like us to refill your cartridges, select your printer model using our quick finder, then if the refill option is available for your cartridge, click on the refill option. After paying for your refill, you’ll get a free post address to send your ink cartridge to us, which we’ll refill and send it back to you shortly.
Need Printer Ink – Think Ink‘N‘TonerUK

Click Here To Go To Inkntoneruk

Author: Donatas Ivaskevicius

Battle: Original vs Compatible

Posted on December 7, 2012 by aalim

Matrix of the Problem

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) such as Canon, HP, Brother and Epson etc – take years to design, develop new technology and manufacture their printers. Apparently, it takes up so much of their resources, that by the time the printers fully develop and are ready for selling to the consumers – the OEM companies are in a loss. The only way for the OEM to get their investment back and make profit, is to sell ink and toner cartridges at higher prices and try to prevent the public from buying the compatible ink and toner cartridges, although the latter is unnecessary. It’s a difficult battle for many companies, big or small. What does the competition look like today, and what tactics are used? Let’s get started and get into the details of every battle constantly fought by huge companies.

Dirty Tactics

One of the latest moves by HP in the battle of original vs compatible ink and toner cartridges, is to install new software drivers on to your computer after you bought HP inkjet printer. Once it is time for you to get your replacement inks, you decide to go for the cheaper compatible HP ink cartridges. Your cartridges arrive swiftly and It is all fine, but after you inserted the compatible ink cartridges into the printer, the software installed by the HP confronts you with the following messages:

“Counterfeit or Used Cartridges Installed”

Warning

Your printer warranty does not cover repairs or service due to use of non-original ink cartridges
Information about ink levels will not be available
This is not a genuine ink cartridge to continue click OK, to cancel the print job click Cancel (no OK button provided)

The false information displayed such as “counterfeit ink cartridge installed” can really put the consumer off and make them feel as if they are doing something wrong. The Remanufacture Industry invested time to develop compatible ink and toner cartridges and OEM such as HP bombard the consumers with unnecessary information, in some cases causing the consumers to send the 100% fine compatible ink cartridge back where they bought it from.

Original or Compatible Ink Cartridge for me?

When I first got into the printing industry, I was not aware of compatible/remanufactured/aftermarket ink and toner cartridges. The consumer awareness is a vital part that determines, what we purchase and who we sponsor. While multi-million companies base their success on profit, sometimes the consumer is lost in the middle of all the “palava” but facts remain facts regardless of the OEM companies trying to tell you otherwise. Advantages of purchasing the compatible ink cartridges instead of originals are huge and undeniable. By purchasing the compatible inks you save bundles of cash on your printing costs, while the effect on printing quality is only slight, you also contribute to a cleaner planet.

Mark Twain, American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer once said “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes”. I hope Ink’N’TonerUK helped you to put on your “wise printing shoes” to determine what ink and toner cartridges are best for you.

Need Ink or Toner – Think Ink‘N‘TonerUK

Author: Donatas Ivaskevicius

How To Store Your Compatible Ink Cartridges

Posted on April 20, 2012 by aalim

Every so often our customers request information about the shelf life of their cartridges and how to store them correctly. Generally, the fresher the cartridge the better, but they can be kept for a while if stored correctly.

With this is mind, how long can an inkjet cartridge last for if stored correctly?

There are two types of compatible cartridges; they are called compatible and remanufactured. Generally these two types fall under the same heading on our website (compatible). For the purpose of this article, we must distinguish the two different types as different rules apply to these cartridges.

First lets start with compatible inkjet cartridges

Compatible cartridges are brand new copies of original cartridges. They were made by a different company other than the original manufacturer. These cartridges, often referred to as ink tanks, feature a simple design which consists of an ink reservoir, computer chip and ink exit hole. Because these cartridges have no print head they can last for at least a year. Some compatible cartridges come with an expiry date of two years. These cartridges last longer than remanufactured cartridges because they do not have a print head which can become blocked over time. The ink stays completely in the reservoir chamber of the cartridge which removes common problems which can be found with remanufactured cartridges.

Normally, compatible cartridges come with a vacuum sealed ink valve at the bottom of the cartridge and sealed vent on the top which you take off when unpacking the cartridge. The cartridge itself is either sealed in a plastic or vacuum polyethylene or anti-static plastic bag for extra longevity.

Remanufactured cartridges

Now lets take a look at remanufactured cartridges which have a shelf life of about three to four months if you’re looking to get good quality prints. Remanufactured cartridges can last longer in storage but it depends on the quality of the cartridge as there are many grades of remanufactured cartridges. Remanufactured cartridges have a more complicated design than compatibles as they have a printhead integrated into the body, sponge and electrical strip. The printhead is normally sealed over with tape and comes with a protective clip for storage and shipping. These cartridges have small vent holes at the top of the cartridge are necessary to allow ink flow. Remanufactured ink cartridges come in a sealed plastic bag to prevent accidental ink contamination during shipping.

Because of the addition of a printhead in remanufactured cartridges, ink which sits near or in the printhead can block the printhead nozzles as it becomes thicker due to water evaporation from the ink. This results in poor print quality and will eventually prevent the cartridge from printing at all.

How to store your compatible and remanufactured cartridges.

Keep them out of direct sunlight and away from heat. A desk drawer could be ideal depending on temperature.
Be sure to store your cartridges in the upright position. This keeps remanufactured cartridges in ideal condition.
Keep them in their original packaging until you need them.
When possible, avoid storing your cartridges for extended periods of time to get the best results from them.