If you have a Lexmark printer then it is most likely that you have purchased an OEM Lexmark ink cartridge as a replacement in the past. Buying an OEM cartridge is a suitable option as you know that you have purchased the optimum printer ink for your printer. The problem with purchasing OEM cartridges is that they can be quite expensive and this is particularly so if you do a lot of printing. There are however cheaper alternatives to purchasing an OEM Lexmark ink cartridge that can save you money.

An OEM Lexmark ink cartridge is an Original Equipment Manufacturer cartridge. It is a cartridge that has been manufactured by Lexmark. Although these cartridges are of very high quality they can be expensive. If you can afford to buy all means purchase an OEM cartridge but if you are looking to save money then there are other cost saving alternatives.

One option is to purchase a remanufactured Lexmark ink cartridge. These cartridges are used OEM Lexmark cartridges that have been thoroughly cleaned and refilled with fresh printer ink. They are then tested to ensure that they meet the same high standards as set for OEM cartridges. Not only are you saving money by purchasing remanufactured cartridges but you are also helping to save the environment as you are essentially purchasing recycled cartridges.

Another option is to purchase a compatible Lexmark ink cartridge. Compatible cartridges are new cartridges that have been manufactured by a company other than Lexmark. In other words you are purchasing a generic brand of printer ink.

In the past, some printer ink manufacturers have made you believe that using a compatible or remanufactured cartridge will void your warranty but this is not the case. Legislation has been created in the US to prevent companies from making these claims so essentially you can use these cartridge types without the worry of potentially voiding your warranty.

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If you are about to purchase a replacement printer ink cartridge for your printer then consider purchasing an ink cartridge refill. By using an ink cartridge refill you can save a considerable amount of money.

Refill kits are available for a wide variety of printers. When purchasing an ink cartridge refill kit ensure that you buy the right one for your printer. Not all refill kits are the same. Avoid purchasing a generic refill kit that states that it can be used in any printer. Using a generic refill kit could ultimately cause damage to your printer.

A refill kit consists of a bottle of ink and a syringe which is used to inject the printer ink into the cartridge. Each ink cartridge refill comes with a set of instructions to assist you with the process.

Ensure that you do not refill a completely dry ink cartridge. The process will work at its best if you refill a partially full cartridge. If the cartridge is left to dry out before refilling then it will clog and you will have problems printing. When the cartridge is just nearing empty then it is time to refill the cartridge.

Take your time when refilling the cartridge. If you inject the printer ink into the cartridge too quickly you will encourage air bubbles to form. Air bubbles can result in patchy prints. After you have injected the ink, tap the cartridge a few times to help release any air bubbles that may have formed.

Using an ink cartridge refill kit is not difficult. Once you have mastered the process you will never look back.

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If you have run out of ink for your HP printer and are ready to purchase a new HP ink cartridge you might like to know that there are other alternatives to purchasing a genuine printer ink cartridge. A genuine HP ink cartridge is expensive but there are other options you might like to consider.

A genuine HP ink cartridge is also known as an OEM cartridge. OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. This essentially means that your cartridge has been manufactured by the Hewlett Packard company to meet all the requirements for your printer. Unfortunately, genuine HP ink cartridges are expensive – in some cases you might even pay more for your HP ink cartridge than you did for your printer.

So what are your alternatives? One option is to purchase a compatible HP ink cartridge. Compatible cartridges are generic branded cartridges that do the exact job as an OEM printer cartridge. And there is no longer the problem of thinking that using a non OEM cartridge will void your warranty. This is no longer the case due to legislation known as the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act.

Another way to purchase your HP ink cartridge, and keep costs down, is to buy a remanufactured cartridge. Remanufactured printer cartridges are empty original cartridges that have been cleaned thoroughly and then refilled with printer ink. These printer cartridges are then tested and approved to ensure that they provide the same performance as a new cartridge.

Whichever method you choose to purchase your HP ink cartridge you will find that you will make great savings and buying online makes the process easy.

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If you have ever thought about recycling your ink cartridges but have never gotten around to it, then now is the time to give it further consideration. You can recycle ink cartridges quite easily and it shouldn’t cost you anything. More and more printer companies including Canon, Lexmark, HP and Epson are introducing recycling programs in a way that makes it a simple and relatively painless process.

If you recycle ink cartridges then you are helping the environment by reducing the amount of waste in our land fill. The toxins in ink cartridges are detrimental to our environment and the amount of years required for these products to decompose is phenomenal.

The benefits to recycling ink cartridges are many. Recycled cartridges are either broken down to manufacture completely new products or alternatively they are remanufactured. Remanufactured cartridges are the empty cartridges that have been cleaned, checked and refilled with fresh printer ink.

Remanufactured cartridges can be purchased online and although they are remanufactured to the same specifications as new cartridges they are much cheaper.

So if you recycle ink cartridges then you are not only helping to save the environment but you are also making savings on your next cartridge purchase.

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It’s been an interesting ride. In December of 2002, Lexmark, maker of Lexmark printers and Lexmark printer cartridges, filed suit again Static Control Components. The contention of the printer manufacturing giant was that Static Control was violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act by producing and selling computer chips that used computer code developed by Lexmark. The Smartek chip produced by Static Control allows third party printer cartridges to operate with Lexmark printers.

The code, which Static Control admits was copied directly from Lexmark’s own chips, is designed to ensure that only Lexmark printer cartridges can be used with Lexmark printers. What seems on the surface a fairly simple, cut and dried case of copyright infringement has bounced back and forth from court to court for the past two-and-a-half years. The implications of any rulings made in the case, it seems, extend far beyond the right of third party manufacturers to create printer cartridges that can replace Lexmark printer cartridges in Lexmark printers. It extends beyond the right of printer manufacturers to protect their profits in the lucrative printer supplies market – which conservative estimates place at over 50% of the profits in the entire photo imaging field. According to expert commentators on both sides of the case, what is at stake is a free, open and competitive marketplace – not just for Lexmark printer cartridges, but for ALL products.

You see, the case hinges on a little computer chip that Lexmark installs on some of its printers and some Lexmark printer cartridges. The chip contains a program that allows the printer and cartridge to communicate with each other – more specifically, it allows the cartridge to tell the printer, “Hey, I’m a real Lexmark printer cartridge!” And without that little piece of plastic and metal on the cartridge, the printer won’t work.

In other words, it’s a computer chip that Lexmark installed for the specific purpose of not allowing any third party printer cartridges to work with its printer. And what Static Control did was copy that code for its own computer chips and sell them to third party manufacturers so that their printer cartridges would work in Lexmark printers just as well as Lexmark printer cartridges. Lexmark claims that that is an infringement of its copyright under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that is meant to protect intellectual property. Static Control claims that the DMCA wasn’t meant to enable manufacturers to make it impossible for third parties to create equipment that can be used in their products.

And therein lies the crux of the matter. If the courts rule in Lexmark’s favor, say many critics, they are essentially setting a precedent whereby any manufacturer of any product can use similar technology to prevent competition for end-user business. The eventual outcome, they say, could be a Ford auto chip that locks the wheels on a Ford automobile if the car owner tries to use any tires other than Ford tires.

So far, both sides have claimed victories in the case – small victories. The court originally issued an injunction to stop Static Control from selling the Smartek chip. The Copyright Office refused to issue a guideline that protects the right of third party manufacturers to ‘reverse engineer’ software stating that the right is already protected by a provision that allows for software to be reverse engineered if the purpose is to make it work with other products.

Static Control has since written its own software that interacts with three Lexmark printer cartridges (one more Lexmark printer cartridge than it had provided before). The new software contains no code written by Lexmark, but interacts with the Lexmark printers the same as the chip that’s embedded in a Lexmark printer cartridge. It could make the whole suit moot. Whether Lexmark continues with the suit in light of this new development, the winners are consumers who will have a choice when it’s time to replace their Lexmark printer cartridge.

What exactly does ‘compatible’ mean when you are referring to printer ink cartridges? Compatible means that you are buying printer ink cartridges that are manufactured by a company other than the manufacturer of your printer. What this basically means is that you are buying a generic brand.

So what are the benefits of buying compatible printer ink cartridges? The price would have to be the best reason. Compatible ink cartridges can be a lot cheaper than buying original branded printer ink. In some cases they can be up to 80% cheaper.

What about the disadvantages when buying compatible printer ink cartridges? Nothing really – you just need to be careful where you buy them. Compatible printer ink cartridges won’t damage your printer if you buy from a company who you know sells quality products. Like anything else, if you buy an inferior product then you will get inferior results.

And don’t think that buying compatible printer ink cartridges will void your warranty. Legislation has been passed which allows the use of third party products – this is known as the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act. This means that you can use compatible cartridges without voiding your warranty.

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