Printing has come a long way since the early days of writing. Our ancestors didn’t have the luxury of printers with ink cartridges. Nowadays we have it all, we can simply go online to find ink cartridges containing ink with the correct viscosity for our brand of printer.

In early times inks were made up of lampblack or soot mixed to a usable consistency with animal glue or vegetable oil – no printer cartridge at hand here. Earthen colors were introduced in the 11th century, by the Chinese to compliment their printing style.

A printer in the early days made his own ink with lampblack and linseed oil, according to his own secret formula. It wasn’t until the discovery of coal tar that more colors were introduced into the printing process. This is unlike today’s range of printer ink cartridges that are made to a specific standard and contain the right viscosity for your printer.

Making ink for today’s printing requirements is a multi billion dollar industry with special ink formulas for each printing process and purpose.

The degree to which ink resists flow when it is under force is known as viscosity. Ink that flows easily has a low viscosity and ink that does not flow easily has a high viscosity.

Printer manufacturers have cartridges containing inks that are specifically formulated and the ink characteristics are specific to the different printer models within their range. The ink characteristics are based partly on ink viscosity (thickness), PH (acid or base), drying times, UV (light fastness), etc.

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A remanufactured laser printer toner cartridge is a used cartridge that has been checked, cleaned and then thoroughly tested to ensure it meets the same standards as an OEM toner cartridge. Not only will you make great savings if you purchase a remanufactured laser printer toner cartridge you will also be helping to reduce the amount of waste in our environment.

A laser printer toner cartridge has two parts which will deteriorate with use – the toner and a drum known as the OPC. The OPC is designed to last as long as the toner in the cartridge. When the toner is used the drum deteriorates to an unusable level.

When you purchase a recycled laser printer toner cartridge ensure that the merchant indicates that the drum has been replaced in the remanufacturing process or that they use long-life drums. You are only wasting money otherwise.

You can purchase a remanufactured laser printer toner cartridge with the comfort of knowing that its use will not void your printer warranty. Legislation in the US prohibits a company from forcing you to purchase their product.

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Printer inks are expensive. In some instances they are so expensive that you can purchase the printer for less than the ink cartridge itself. But why is this so? Why have printer ink companies decided to place such a hefty price on their printer inks?

Printer inks are available in a variety of formats including inkjet cartridges and laser toner cartridges. Each of these is expensive but only if you purchase the OEM versions. OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer cartridge. When you purchase an OEM cartridge you are purchasing an original cartridge manufactured by the manufacturer of your printer.

Printer manufacturers will often reduce the cost of their printers knowing that the purchaser will generally buy OEM printer ink. What manufacturers may lose on the printers they will make up on the printer inks that they sell.

To reduce the amount you spend on printer inks you may consider purchasing remanufactured ink cartridges, compatible cartridges or refill kits. Each of these is a viable alternative if you are trying to save money.

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Are you looking for discount printer ink and don’t know where to start? With the price of printers at their lowest you may find that the cost of your ink cartridge is almost as much as the printer itself. This is because printer manufacturers essentially make most of their profits from the sale of printer ink than they do from the printers themselves. So instead of buying expensive OEM printer ink, look instead for discount printer ink online.

Discount printer ink is available in many forms. Your first option is to purchase compatible printer ink cartridges. These are what you might call generic ink cartridges. They are cartridges manufactured by a company other than the original manufacturer of your printer and are manufactured to the same standards as an OEM cartridge. Assuming you buy from a reputable merchant you will have a product that does exactly the same job as the original manufacturer’s cartridge.

Another way of buying discount printer ink is to buy a Refill Kit. A refill kit is essentially a bottle of ink that is injected into an empty ink cartridge. They should always come with instructions and with a little practice is an easy and cheap way of refilling your ink cartridges.

Ensure that if you after discount printer ink that you don’t get caught by unscrupulous merchants who are just out to get your money. Look around for a merchant who sells quality products and provides good back-up if you find yourself with any problems.

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Have you just run out of printer ink and are looking to replace your ink cartridge? If you have shopped around you have probably realised that ink cartridges are not cheap, particularly if you are looking for OEM cartridges.

But have you ever thought about using a refill kit? Refilling an empty ink cartridge is not difficult and not only will you save money but you will help to save the environment by recycling your empty cartridge.

Ensure that when you purchase a refill kit that it is the right ink for your ink cartridge. Choosing a universal refill kit that claims that it will suit all printer brands is not a wise choice. Purchase a refill kit that is compatible with your printer.

A refill kit will be more effective if you refill your ink cartridge before it becomes completely empty.This will help to prevent the cartridge heads from drying out which can result in inferior quality prints.

Always refill an empty ink cartridge slowly to prevent bubbles forming and tap the cartridge a few times to release any bubbles that have formed. Ensure you refill your cartridges over a sink or other protected area as printer ink can be extremely difficult to remove.

Refilling an ink cartridge can be a little tricky on the first try but once you get the hang of it you will never look back. The money you will save will make it all worthwhile.

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An OEM printer cartridge is an Original Equipment Manufacturer cartridge. What this is, is a printer cartridge that is manufactured by the original manufacturer of your printer. So if you have an Epson printer for instance and you buy an OEM ink for your printer, you are in fact, buying Epson ink cartridges.

If you have purchased an OEM printer cartridge then you know that you are buying the right printer ink for your printer.

The only problem with buying OEM cartridges is that they can be enormously expensive. I am sure you have heard stories of people who have purchased a printer only to find that the printer ink is more expensive than the printer itself.

So what is the solution? One solution is to buy a compatible printer cartridge. This is basically a generic brand that does exactly the same job as an OEM printer cartridge. This assumes that you are buying from a reputable company that only sells quality products.

And don’t think that buying a compatible cartridge will void your warranty. This is no longer the case due to legislation known as the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act.

Another way you can save money is to buy a Refill Kit. This is basically a method of refilling your printer cartridge with ink. Check out our Refill Kits homepage for more info and our list of Best Offers.

Our suggestion is to buy OEM cartridges – if you can afford it! But to save money go with a compatible printer cartridge or refill kit.

Click Here to shop for OEM Ink Cartridges or  Refill Kits