The Essential Guide to Inkjet Cartridges
1. Introduction
Thank you for buying this guide i hope i have presented the information in a clear,concise and easy to understand way. I hope you will find it informative and that it will aid any future decisions that you make when making your next purchase of a printer or ink jet cartridges. This Guide to Ink jet Cartridges has been written to try and explain clearly the differences between different types of ink cartridges, and to set out clearly the advantages and disadvantages of each particular type.
These ink jet printer cartridges can be categorized in to three types, mainly
1.OEM cartridges (Original Equipment Manufacturers)
2.Compatible cartridges
3.Remanufactured cartridges.
2. OEM cartridges (Original Equipment Manufacturers)
Original cartridges are the brands of the printer manufacturers, many of the cheaper models are only half-filled or even less. Original Equipment Manufacturer(OEM) A brand name ink jet carries the brand name of the manufacturer on it, usually the same as the printer manufacturer, for example, Epson, Canon, Hewlett Packard, etc. The manufacturer sell the printers he makes very cheaply knowing that he will make much more money from the replacement cartridges that must be bought to make the printer work. He can charge whatever he wants to for the cartridge. In the life time of a printer the cartridge might be changed seventy times dependent on its use. This is of great advantage to printer manufacturers.
2a. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)
This act was signed into law by the American Congress 28/10/1998 to update the copyright laws for the digital era and basically makes it illegal to circumvent anti-piracy Wonka oil measures that are built into commercial software or to make or sell devices that can crack the anti-piracy measures and therefore copy the software. It also limits the liability of Internet Service Providers that are only transmitting the information, but they must immediately take down material that seems to infringe copyright
2b. Business Models
The printer manufacturing industry has chosen for its business model the Gillette business model that is it sells its products very cheaply or if necessary at a loss to ensure the after market sales of its blades. Cartridges can be worth many times more than the cost of the printer over the life of the printer. This is why manufacturers often contend with companies who they see as eating into their profits and are always trying to push them out.
2c. Lexmark and Static Control Components
Lexmark the second largest manufacturer of printers claimed that Static Control Components had reverse engineered their chip in order to provide lower priced cartridges. They cited that the DMCA covered their chips copyright and Static Control Components chip was therefore illegal. The copyright office of the United States ruled that a company cannot use DMCA to shield itself from healthy competition.
2d. Epson Succeeds
Epson is one of the largest manufacturers, if not the largest in the world. It too like lexmark has its own interest at heart when it also goes for the aftermarket inkjet manufacturers , but unlike Lexmark and other manufacturers it is not pursuing the DMCA route. What Epson is doing is simply charging these companies with patent infringement of two of their patents namely 7,008,053 and 7,011,397. which cover minor technical changes in the way that the cartridges are produced, todate they are having a lot of success as many companies are choosing to settle rather than fight it out. which is not good news for the consumer and may sound the death knell for inexpensive cartridges. Epsons vice president recently said "We will continue to pursue the ITC action and the pending District Court lawsuit vigorously and take whatever other action may be necessary to protect Epson from unfair competition through patent infringement or the distribution of counterfeit ink cartridges." It will not be long before the other manufacturers follow this line.
3. Compatible cartridges
Compatible cartridges are generic ink jet cartridges which are manufactured to meet or even exceed original equipment manufacturer (OEM) standards. Compatible cartridges are extremely popular most computer users are familiar with ink jet printers, as they provide relatively high quality printing and can be used in a variety of industries. Compatible cartridges are reservoirs of ink which connect to a series of small nozzles called the print head that are used to create very small dots of ink. Compatible cartridges cartridges are much smaller than toner cartridges and operate a different technology. Compatible cartridges allow higher quality images to be produced than toner cartridges for a lower unit cost. Compatible cartridges are a genuine economical alternative to the expensive OEM ink jet cartridges on the UK market today. Compatible cartridges may also contain a chip (like the original); these are called Chipped Compatible Cartridges. Compatible cartridges are mainly available for printers that use simple reservoirs as ink cartridges Compatible cartridges are not available for every printer; if a Compatible cartridge is not available then a remanufactured one maybe. Compatible cartridges are those not manufactured or sanctioned by the printer makers. for a great selection of compatible ink cartridges at prices to go to court and sue for DMCA infringement. You will get at least the same number of printed pages from compatible Ink jet cartridges as you will get from an OEM Ink jet cartridge (such as Canon and Epsom)
4. Remanufactured
Remanufactured cartridges are recycled ink jet cartridges that have been disassembled, inspected, cleaned, reassembled, refilled with ink and individually print tested to meet or even exceed original printer cartridge specifications. The majority of re manufactured hp ink jet cartridges are refilled to maximum capacity and contain more ink than the original hp ink jet cartridges. Remanufactured toner and ink jet cartridges offer clear advantages over new cartridges in cost, waste reduction, and sometimes even in product quality. Remanufactured cartridges commonly cost 30 to 50 percent less than new cartridges. this therefore has spawned a whole industry specializing in third party replacement printer cartridges these can be classified into two different types compatible ink jet cartridges such as epson ink cartridges or recycled or remanufactured . Recent research by the Rochester Institute of Technology, released in November 2004, found remanufactured printer cartridges provide the same print quality and page output as new cartridges. Buying locally remanufactured toner and inkjet cartridges, and recycling empty cartridges, is an easy way for government agencies and public institutions to reduce the environmental impact of these discarded products, while also making substantial savings and bolstering the local economy. Buying remanufactured cartridges saved the country a considerable amount of money in these budget conscious times. Primarily you will only find remanufactured Ink jet cartridges for Hewlett Packard, Lexmark and some Canon printers, as they have patented their inkjet cartridge designs. By using our remanufactured or recycled HP ink jet cartridges, you can help to save environment by conserving the natural resources and by reducing the pollution
5. Recycling
In the UK alone it is estimated that more than 30 million empty ink jet cartridges are thrown into landfill sites every year. Start by saving your own empty ink jet cartridges and by asking all your friends to do the same. Find an empty box and simply save each empty cartridge as and when they become empty. Most people given the choice, would rather dispose of their empty cartridges in a way that would benefit the environment. Help the environment and save on your next ink cartridge purchase by recycling your ink jet cartridges. Recycling ink jet cartridges decreases the amount of waste that is put into our landfills. Recycling is a good thing and so is raising money for your cause. Recycling cartridges is environmentally friendly and you can feel good about supporting sustainable development for the planet's limited natural resources and not adding to our already overloaded landfills. Recycling ink jet cartridges and mobile phones is free, it wont cost you a penny and will help raise money for charities such as Tommy's, Save the Children, Handicap International, The British Heart Foundation and many more. Recycling cartridges allows you to help charities, reduce the amount of natural resources required to make new cartridges, helps reduce the amount of space taken up by landfill, reduces CO2 emissions and you even save money from your own pocket. Recycling or reusing our ink jet cartridges is something that all of us can do quite easily to make a difference and it needn't require a lot of effort, its simply a matter of choosing to do the right thing. Did you know that by recycling one cartridge you are helping to save three quarts of oil and reduce waste. In the last six months alone, ink jet cartridge recycling has saved more than 50 million liters of oil.
