Last week was a quiet week here at the Ink Blog. I wish I could say I was away on vacation somewhere, but that was not the case. I was actually working in our warehouse. A jack of all trades I guess. Anyway, some help was needed to I jumped in. Interesting week. Definitely very different than sitting here in front of a computer typing.

Okay, back to the topic. This is a question we hear quite often. As customers gather information to make an informed purchasing decision, they almost always want to know how many times they can refill their ink cartridge. Refill in this case means using a refill kit or a refill service.

Unfortunately, there is no definite answer for this. The best we can give is an average. So, on average your printer ink cartridge can be refilled 3-4 times (and still print). In some cases you won’t be able to use your refilled cartridge at all, in other cases  you’ll be able to refill and reuse upwards of 10 times. Why so much variance?

The variance is caused by the cartridge’s print head, that shiny copper colored strip on the bottom of the cartridge. The print head facilitates communication between the printer and the cartridge. A damaged print head means no printing! Even a small scratch will cause your printer to be unable to recognize your refilled cartridge. If you think back to when you originally purchased your cartridge you should remember that the print head was covered (typically with tape) and had instructions that you should never touch it. Even finger prints on the print head could cause cartridge failure.

There are other parts of the cartridge that will wear out over time, but none cause as many failures as the print head.

Another factor that will determine the success or failure of a refilled printer cartridge is how often you used it, while it still had ink in it. The less often you use a cartridge, the more likely it is to fail when refilled. Ink dries inside the printer nozzles and impedes the amount of ink that can flow out of the cartridge. Once the clogging process starts, each successive print will cause more clogging.

So, to increase the odds of having your refilled cartridge successfully print, remember to treat the print head with the utmost care and to use your printer cartridges on a regular basis.

Do you have any cartridge refilling tips you would like to share? Take a minute to let me know. Thanks!

I was quite surprised when I came across Dell’s newest initiative, NextLife ink. Before we get to that, let’s do a little background.

NextLife is a company the specializes in partnering with other companies to assist in implementing sustainability measures within the partner companies. In short, they are ‘green’ consultants.They come in to your company and help put programs in place that make you more environmentally friendly.

We all know Dell, computer manufacturing giant turned printer and printer cartridge manufacturer, so we don’t need to go in to much depth on them.

Together NextLife and Dell will be producing a product called ‘NextLife Ink by Dell’. They tout NextLife Ink as one of the most sustainable printer ink cartridges available in the marketplace.

The press releases and blogs throw around a lot of fancy adjectives to describe this printer ink cartridge, so what on earth are Dell and NextLife REALLY talking about?

NextLife is taking this opportunity to debut a new package label. The describe the new label as:

Our proprietary “Environmental Facts” label (soon to be as ubiquitous as the FDA’s “Nutrition Facts” and “Drug Facts” labels).

A bold statement, as ubiquitous as the FDA’s, but very cool to think about if it happens to be. I would like to know the environmental footprint of a product I use. Hopefully they are able to provide some real information and not just some general fluff. According to the label for these cartridges, NextLife cartridges:

• Have a 30% lower carbon footprint than newly manufactured cartridges.
• Have a higher percentage of recycled content than competitors: 43% – 62% is reclaimed.
• Have packaging that is comprised of 50% post-consumer waste and is 100% recyclable.
• Will print up to 20% more pages compared to branded ink cartridges.
• Will save users up to 20% compared to branded ink cartridges.
• Will be available for about 70% of the most popular inkjet printers in use today.

Time for my opinion . . . Glorified remanufactured cartridge.

Yes, understand this, Dell and NextLife are getting in the printer cartridge remanufacturing business (Dell specifically refers to the cartridges as remanufactred in their blog). I am not exactly sure which company is doing what, but my guess would be that Dell is the marketing and distribution arm. NextLife adds more credibility because they business is ‘green’. No, not green as in money, but a good guess (I’ll explain what I mean shortly). It is possible that neither of them will be doing the remanufacturing (that is my speculation).

I call them glorified remanufactured cartridges because someone with some serious money is finally giving remanufacturing a shot. For that reason this is very interesting to me. To date there really have not been any large companies, with substantial  financial resources, to make a serious run at properly advancing the status of remanufactured cartridges. Both Dell and NextLife are seeing ‘green’ (explanation of my reference in previous paragraph) at the possibilities. Green refers to profits . . . money.

But I am left wondering why  Dell is doing this. We saw them take, what was estimated to be, a 13% share of the printer market share in just about one year. Huge number in such a short amount of time! Then we saw them fall off the printer map. We also saw them draw the ire of HP and fight some legal battles for just becoming a threat in the marketplace.

Now what do they think will happen when they are financing the production of cartridges that threaten the profits of not only HP, but also Lexmark, Epson  and Canon. HP, Lexmark, and Epson have already shown a propensity bring law suits to those that threaten their ability to earn money in the printer cartridge arena. Are Dell and NextLife soon to be added to the list?

NextLife stands to gain, or suffer, depending on how the cartridges are received. Dell, on the other hand, seems to be set up to fail. They are drawing the attention of the other big printer manufacturers and they are cannibalizing their own line of printer cartridges. They’ve spent millions of dollars promoting their Dell brand ink cartridges, but are now pushing a cartridges that costs 20% less and prints 20% more pages than their cartridges do. I’m confused.

Oh, but here’s a kicker. NextLife cartridges are not yet available for Dell printers . . . Read that again to be sure you understand. Dell is offering remanufactured cartridges for HP, Lexmark, Canon, and Epson but NOT Dell. Sneaky! They claim they will be adding remanufactured cartridges to replace Dell cartridges in the very near future. Can anyone else see a HP and Epson lawyers furiously working away on this right now.

Okay, let’s wrap this up.

Dell is going in to the business of distributing remanufactured cartridges. This might be a really smart move. This might be a really dumb move. Either way it is very interesting.

Take a minute to let me know what you think about this. Like it? Have you had a chance to use a ‘NextLife by Dell’ cartridge yet? Share your thoughts. Thanks!

Here is a list of the top selling All-in-One printers at Amazon.com during January 2010. If you are in the market for a printer, these are some of your best choices.

	HP Officejet 6500 Wireless All-in-One Inkjet Printer Speed Up to 7 ppm Black and Color, Maximum 32 ppm Black and 31 ppm Color 2 Line Text LCD Display and Embedded Wireless 802.11g Networking Color Print, Color Copy, Color Scan, and Color Fax 250-Sheet Input Tray, 50-Sheet Output Tray, Automatic Two-Sided Printing, 35-Sheet ADF 32 MB Memory and Processor Speed 192 MHz
	Canon PIXMA MX860 Wireless All-In-One office Printer Fully-Integrated 35-sheet Auto Document Feeder for rapid built-in two-sided document copying and scanning Super G3 High-speed fax with memory to store 100 coded speed dials and up to 250 incoming pages when receiving ITU-T No. 1 Chart Various security features including password protected PDFs
	Canon PIXMA MP560 Wireless Inkjet All-In-One Photo Printer (3747B002) Keep it Green – Built-in 2-sided printing helps the environment and cuts your paper usage by 50% Amazingly compact printer with both wireless and built-in 2-sided printing Maximum 9600 x 2400 color dpi2 for exceptional photo quality Use the new “Auto Photo Fix II” to automatically adjust and correct your photos Easily print your photos from compatible memory cards3 and USB Flash drives
	HP Photosmart Premium All-in-One Printer (CD055A#ABA) Print, scan and copy from a single, energy-efficient device with 3.45-inch touchscreen for printing directly from Snapfish Connections include Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) and Ethernet networking, Bluetooth, USB, and PictBridge Rotate and crop, adjust brightness, or apply color effects before printing with TouchSmart control panel–no PC necessary Up to 33 ppm black and 32 ppm color print speeds; scans up to 4800 x 4800 dpi (8.5 x 11.7 inches) Borderless photo printing up to 8.5 x 11 inches; 125-sheet input tray and 20-sheet photo tray
	HP DeskJet F4480 Inkjet All-in-One Printer (CB745A#B1H) Print, Scan and Copy Up to 28 ppm black and 22 ppm color 29 Second 4×6 photos Borderless photos up to panoramma Uses HP 60 Series ink cartridges

If you own one of these printers, please take a minute and give us your review of it. Thanks!

Back in December I wrote about HP and Kodak’s war of words (HP Kodak At War – Low Printer Prices!) over Kodak’s advertising claims and the low cost of their printer cartridges. Here’s an update to the saga.

When Kodak started advertising for their line of printer cartridges they claimed consumers could save, on average, $110 per year on the cost of ink. HP took exception to this and commissioned some research to find out if the claim was true. The study found that a person would have to print at least four pages per day to realize the kind of savings Kodak touted.

In December the Federal Trade Commission forced Kodak to alter their advertising campaign to include the four printed pages per day. Ah, but are they now correct?

Nope.

The average home printer user only prints about two pages per day (Source: Lyra Research). I focus on the home user because that is who Kodak’s advertising was targeting. Kodak’s cost savings claim is based on a number that is twice as high as the actual number of pages printed. To realize the savings Kodak claims you would have to be printing almost 1500 pages per year. If the average home printer user prints two pages per day they will print 730 pages in a year.

To date, Kodak has had not response on this.

Here’s another interesting tidbit. Kodak’s inkjet cartridges are getting more expensive.

What? The company that built its printer marketing on cheap ink cartridges is raising their prices! It’s true.

The standard model in the printer cartridge industry has been based on inexpensive printers and higher priced printer cartridges. Kodak deviated from the model but looks to be coming back around with their 10B (black) and 10C (color) cartridges. The black cartridge is priced the same ($10.99) as the last generation black cartridge, but it contains less ink. The 10C cartridge is $3 more expensive than its last generation counterpart. In both cases . . . More expensive ink.

Further evidence of Kodak’s shift. Their marketing for these cartridges. They want you to think you are getting a better deal than before. One print ad claims:

“Now prints 10% more pages”

According to Lyra Research this is not the case. They’ve shown that the 10C color cartridge has a 9 percent higher cost per page, and the 10B black cartridge has a 25 percent higher cost per page.

So, yes, Kodak still offers some of the lowest priced printer cartridges on the market. But is their advertising really relaying the correct message? Are we really saving as much as they say we are?

Let me know what you think. Thanks!

Here’s a follow up to a January post titled, Ink Cartridge Regulation Is Useless.

As discussed, The National Conference on Weights and Measures decided they want to push for tighter restrictions on the way printer ink cartridge manufacturers must label their products. Their Florida cheif, Max Gray, was quoted as saying, “All of this lack of clarity into what should be required to be labeled on a printer ink cartridge or a toner cartridge used in copiers led me to feel that maybe this should be addressed.”

Well, The National Conference met in late January to discuss the issue championed by Mr. Gray. What did they decide? Nothing! According to reports there is no vote due on the issue. Keep in mind that any vote would just be a vote to decide if the group should, or should not, begin examining the issue of labeling on ink cartridge packaging.

Not getting the feeling that anything is going to get done here. It made for some nice Internet reading material and got all critics pumped up, but I think this group might have some bigger issues to deal with.

Let me know what you think. Thanks!

Time to answer a question a lot of folks probably wonder about, but rarely ask about. Why? Probably because it is just not that interesting, but I’ll provide an answer any way.

First, this information only pertains to HP printers.

HP uses a combination of up to eleven different lower case letters at the end of the their printer number. Each letter represents a different feature on the printer. I don’t think they may single printer that has every one of these features, so you don’t have to worry about having to figure out what the HP 932dfhiknrstwx is!

d  =  Duplex
f   =  Fax
h  =  Hard disk
i  =  Imaging (card slots)
k  =  Stapler
n  =  Network
r  =  Folder
s  =  Stacker
t  =  Extra tray
w  =  Wireless
x  =  Duplex, extra tray and network (formerly dtn)

If you have the HP Color LaserJet CP3525dn, your printer number is CP3525 and it has duplex and network capabilities.

Pretty cool, huh? Head out and amaze your friends with your new knowledge. Before you do, leave a post and let me know if you knew this already or not. Thanks!

Ah, the 3 R’s of the printer cartridge world . . . Remanufactured, refilled, and recycled. These terms are used interchangeably when it comes to referring to cartridges that are made by someone other than  your printer maker. Should we be using them interchangeably? Probably not. The only thing the three have in common, when it comes to printer cartridges, is that they are a lower cost alternative to the OEM brand cartridge.

Definition time.

Remanufactured
Remanufactured cartridges are used cartridges that have undergone any of the following processes.

• Disassembly
• Cleaning/Inspection
• Repair or replacement of worn parts
• Refilling of ink or toner
• Reassembly or resealing
• Testing
• Packaging for resale

Remanufactured cartridges are also referred to as “aftermarket cartridges” and are the best option for those making a choice between the three different “R” cartridges. Most remanufactured cartridges go through a few of the above steps. A remanufacturer that is concerned about quality (not all are) will do through all of the above steps.

Refilled
Refilled cartridges are used cartridges that have been refilled with ink or toner for reuse. They are often called “Drill and Fill” cartridges because you often have to drill some sort of hole in to the cartridge in order to get the ink or toner inside. These cartridges are not as good as remanufactured cartridges because the refilling process does not involve any of the testing or cleaning components listed above.

If you want to argue semantics, you could effectively say that refilled cartridges are actually remanufactured cartridges. Look down the list of criteria for a reamanufactured cartridges. Refilling of ink or toner is on the list. Don’t miss the point though, refilled cartridges are just that, cartridges that have had their ink/toner refilled. Nothing more. Remanufactured involves processes of cleaning, testing, and sealing.

Recycled
Recycled is a broad term that could be used to explain both of the above types  of cartridges. I think I would prefer we use the, less glamorous, term REUSE. The word recycle has a few different definitions, but most refer to “the treating or processing of an object to make it suitable for reuse”. Recycling is a process of making things reusable so nothing ends up in a landfill.

So, when you use a remanufactured printer cartridge, you are reusing an existing cartridge along with some new components.The new components could be made of recycled materials. The empty cartridge is inspected, cleaned, then paired with new parts to reform a working printer cartridge.

Refilling is the ultimate in reuse, and by definition, not recycling at all. You are taking the same cartridge yo used before, filling it up with ink, and using it again. No components are replaced. Nothing is disposed of. Environmentally, refilling is the best way to go. You just keep using the same cartridge until it cannot be used any more. You have no need for new materials.

Did you know that OEM cartridges can also be considered recycled cartridges? For as much slack as the OEM’s get they deploy empty cartridge collection programs that allow them to grind up the materials that make up a printer cartridge and then use those materials to make new printer cartridges. The OEM cartridges you buy all contain a certain percentage of post consumer waste materials.

So there you have it, the 3 R’s of printer cartridges . . . Remanufactured, Refilled, and Recycled. Don’t let people use these terms interchangeably and assume they mean the same thing.  They all refer to a different type of product.

Let me know what you think of the 3 R’s. Thanks!

We added 25 new printer cartridges to our product line this week. This brings the total number of cartridges we offer to 3,502. The highlight of the additions were a series of black and color cartridges for HP Color LaserJet Printers. The CP4025 series, CP4520 series,  and CP4525 series.

HP Color LaserJet printers contain black, cyan, magenta, and yellow toner cartridges. The different colors of toner are placed on to your paper, as it moves through the printer, then heat fused on to the page. Color laser printers are great for high print volume environments.

The toner cartridges used in these printers are:

HP CE250A Black Toner Cartridge
HP CE250X Black Toner Cartridge, High Yield
HP CE251A Cyan Toner Cartridge
HP CE252A Yellow Toner Cartridge
HP CE253A Magenta Toner Cartridge

This series of printers has a price tag that starts at about $1200.00, and goes up from there. At this price this is definitely a business environment type of printer.

Do you own one of these HP Color LaserJets? If so, please take a second and let me know what you think of it. Thanks!

What about print quality? In addition to page yield you have to consider the quality of print you are going to get from a cartridge when you are deciding which type of cartridge to buy (OEM or refilled). This discussion is also based around information I learned while attending an HP webinar last week.

Print quality is probably the most important consideration when buying a printer cartridge. We buy printer cartridges to print text, photos, etc that are high quality. No one wants to print something that looks blurred or faded. We want sharp, crisp, and colorful from the second the cartridge starts moving inside the printer.

The folks at HP spend a lot of time promoting the quality of their cartridges over refilled cartridges. As mentioned in a previous post, HP spends years 3-5 years developing a printer cartridge, and $1 billion a year on inkjet cartridge research. When a company dedicates this amount of time and money to a project they usually have something of quality to present at the end.

Cartridge refillers on the other hand don’t have either this kind of time or money. They make their living by trying to replicate the manufacturers ink formula in a little time as possible. In some cases they do a great  job. In other cases they do not. Remember, HP (and other OEM cartridge manufacturers) hold patents on their ink formulas. A cartridge refiller cannot just walk in and replicate the formula. As mentioned before, refillers also want to get their cartridges on the market as fast as possible. Companies like HP have the product available in stores. The refillers goal is to make a dent in the OEM sales as quickly as possible. This “rushed” mentality has probably prevented refilled cartridges from become a more legitimate choice for many consumers. When you try to do in one year, or less, what took HP 3-5 years and spend a very small fraction of the money you probably aren’t going to produce something of equivalent quality.

When discussing quality, we must also talk about reliability. Reliability can be seen as a component of quality. How reliable are HP cartridges when compared to refilled cartridges?

Well, the HP study (Quality Logic, 2009) discovered that more than 33% of all refill cartridges failed before printing their expected number of pages (as determined by what the equivalent HP brand cartridge would print). Perhaps the worst news of all is that of the more than 33% that failed, 11% of branded cartridges (refilled cartridges that have already been packaged)  failed right out of the box, while 17.8% of refill service cartridges (cartridges refilled at a store or kiosk) immediately failed.

This means that 28.8% of the refilled cartridges tested would not print when you placed them in your printer and clicked the print button. How depressing is that? I can feel the frustration of needing to print, thinking you are set, and then . . . nothing . . . Cartridge failure.

In contrast to this, the HP brand cartridges tested had no failures. Not a single one.

One might think I am trying to make a strong case for HP brand cartridges. I’m not, but the data is. My goal is to pass along the information I learn so you can make informed buying decisions. There are benefits to using either type of cartridge and you have a choice to make.

What are your thoughts on the quality of HP cartridges versus refill cartridges? Take a second and let me know. Thanks!

I am back writing on the top of the cost of printer ink again. Seems like I’ve dedicated a lot of time to this, but it is a hot topic right now. It takes about two seconds to find a plethora of articles, online, that detail the high cost of ink. It takes even less time to find the forums filled with folks complaining.

Remember now, there are alternatives to the “high priced” printer ink we all complain about. Remanufactured/refilled cartridges are plentiful, as are compatible cartridges. For whatever reason, quality being the most often cited, these alternative cartridges have never really hit the main stream. Sure there are a lot of people using them, but the vast majority are still unaware or unwilling to use them.

With the alternatives pushed aside, we are left to discuss the manufacturer’s cartridge, or OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), and we return to the question . . . Why are they so expensive?

The better question might be, “Are they really as expensive as we think they are?”

Since the invention of the inkjet printer, prices have continually decreased. The capabilities and print quality of printers continue to increase, and yet prices still remain steady around the $100-$200 price range. Have you ever stopped to think what the true cost of one of these machines might be? What if we had to pay a real retail value for them. Think of all the years of research and testing (research and development actually costs companies money) that go in to one of these machines. And yet, we can get one for under $100. Manufacturers attempt to recuperate the cost of selling printers at low prices through the sales of printer cartridges.

Despite what most people think, a printer cartridge is not just a plastic case that holds some colored liquid. Cartridges are surprisingly complicated. How would you describe something that fires tiny droplets of ink up to 36,000 times per second and produces the beautiful images we see on paper? Think of the time, effort, and energy it took to make that work. HP claims it spends 3-5 years formulating each new ink it introduces. They test up to 1,000 prototype formulas  and spend $1 Billion a year on inkjet research and development. $1 Billion! HP needs price inkjet cartridges as they do to pay for, and continue to fund, the improvement of inkjet cartridges.

Finally, I think printer cartridges are so often complained about because they are a high priced consumable. Consumable being the key word, something we use and then throw away. Make a quick mental list of all the consumables you use in your life. Most are inexpensive. It’s hard to pay a lot for something you know you are going to throw away. But, that is the wrong way to look at it.

If you print photos, are you really left with nothing when your printer cartridge runs out of ink? No. You’ve got all those wonderful photos to look at. Is it worth the $30 plus dollars you spend on printer ink to have the enjoyment of those photos? Probably so, no one says the happy feeling you get from looking at them is to expensive.

So take a quick second and evaluate your opinion on printer cartridges. Maybe they are expensive, maybe they are not.

After you’ve taken a second to evaluate, take another second to leave some comments below. I want to know what you think about what I have written. Thanks!