The printer manufacturers claim that the retail cost of replacement cartridges is not “high” at all, rather “fair”. They back up these claims by stating the costs reflect the billions of dollars spent on the research and development of the science behind the ink and cartridge technologies. The reality is that the “printer consumables” product lines, which includes replacement ink and toner cartridges, are some of the most profitable product lines for printer manufacturers. The cost of printer consumables (ink and toner) has risen due to a very high consumer demand for these cartridges.

Facts Every Consumer Should Know About Ink and Toner Cartridges
Fact #1: Using Remanufactured Ink and Toner Cartridges Will Save Consumers Money
“Remanufactured” and “New Compatible” replacement ink and toner cartridges can be used by consumers instead of using “Brand New” OEM (original equipment manufacturer) cartridges.

* Remanufactured cartridges from reputable suppliers typically consist of a “re-conditioned” cartridge that has been given new parts (wipers, blades, drum, toner, ink, etc). These cartridges are subjected to quality control testing, performance testing, and then sealed and packaged for sale.
* “New Compatible” cartridges are actually manufactured new cartridges and not re-conditioned cartridges. They are considered “generic” versions of their respective OEM cartridges.

Remanufactured and new compatible ink and toner cartridges cost much less than their OEM counterparts. Most reputable vendors of these cartridges offer them at discounts of 50% – 80% less than the new OEM cartridge would cost.“Our customers typically save 50% or more when they buy remanufactured cartridges from us instead of visiting their local office supply store.” states Anthony Allen, President of PrinterExperts.com, a Dayton, Ohio based internet retailer that sells remanufactured and compatible ink and toner cartridges. “We have one customer that operates 48 auto parts stores across Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio that started buying remanufactured toner cartridges from us, which resulted in annual savings of $36,000.”

Consumers who replace ink and toner cartridges just once or twice annually can save hundreds of dollars, while consumers who replace their cartridges more frequently can realize annual savings in the thousands of dollars.

Fact #2: Using Remanufactured Ink and Toner Cartridges Does NOT Impact the Warranty of the Printer

Consumers are often misinformed and led to believe that using remanufactured or compatible cartridges in their printer will void their printer’s warranty. This is completely false. Ink and toner cartridges are “user replaceable” parts and consumers have the right, under US Federal Trade Commission Law, to use non-oem or non-branded parts when replacing them. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act is a United States of America Federal Law that states “Warrantors cannot require that only branded parts be used with the product in order to retain the warranty.” Enacted in 1975, it is the federal statute that governs warranties on consumer products.

Consumers are encouraged to research this law and get a better understanding of their rights as consumers.

Fact #3: Remanufactured Ink and Toner Cartridges Perform “As Well As” New OEM Branded Cartridges

The ink and toner “aftermarket” is made up of many companies selling remanufactured and compatible printer consumables, mainly ink and toner cartridges. To put it in perspective, a recent study valued the global toner cartridge and toner supply industry at $40 billion annually. Aftermarket toner cartridges and toner supplies make up 25% of the market or $10 billion annually.

The reason behind this growing figure is simple. The $10 billion “Aftermarket” toner cartridge and supplies market exists because these products work and offer consumers lower cost alternatives to buying new oem branded supplies.

Consumers considering the purchase of aftermarket toner products should seek out a reputable vendor. Reputable vendors of these products typically offer 100% satisfaction guarantees on their products that will allow consumers to return the products if they are not satisfied with the performance of the supplies. Business accreditations, such as Better Business Bureau, and other company accolades should also be investigated when trying to determine a company’s ability to supply quality products and services.

Remanufactured ink and toner cartridges purchased from reputable vendors and suppliers are going to work in the printers they were designed for. Print quality, color quality, and page yields should be equal to that of the oem version of the cartridge or product.

In conclusion, consumers are encouraged to increase their own knowledge of the facts stated above as the printer manufacturers don’t promote this type of information. Understanding the information in this article and your rights as a consumer will lead to making better purchasing decisions and hopefully save you a few bucks during the process.

Via; news.yahoo.com

Pivotal represents the top of the line in Print-Rite’s toner cartridges. Products at this top level of quality have been in high demand by Print Rite’s most demanding customers. Additionally, more enquiries for top quality toner cartridges were received in the last six months, notably from companies offering managed print services, which drove Print Rite’s decision to introduce these products as a separate and distinct line of products.

The Pivotal line represents the state of the art of remanufactured cartridges and Print-Rite has leveraged its extensive expertise to produce these premium cartridges. A dedicated team of veteran product developers reverse-engineers each cartridge in the Pivotal line. Using tools and techniques designed to assure superior performance, the cartridges are then remanufactured by a specially-trained team at Print-Rite’s technically-advanced, 1.2-million-square-foot, vertically-integrated manufacturing facility.

At World Expo, printers equipped with Pivotal cartridges generate print samples in Print-Rite’s booth along side machines using toner cartridges from a number of other well-known brands. “When it comes to premium quality, seeing is believing,” says Mr. Ho. “There is just no disputing the superior performance of the Pivotal cartridges,” he says. “And regardless if they come in the morning, or in the afternoon, or the next day, visitors to our booth will see the same great performance–sheet after sheet and cartridge after cartridge. More important, that’s what end users will experience too.”

Each Pivotal cartridge is made from an ultrasonically-cleaned virgin core and refilled with customized toner that has been matched to a proprietary OPC drum. The drum-toner combination ensures precise color matching and area fills with the highest optical density. Pivotal cartridges feature other proprietary components such as doctor blades that eliminate streaking and wiper blades that will not flip when cleaning.

Quality control is key to ensuring each Pivotal ink cartridge delivers consistent, superior performance. Individual components are tested and certified before they are included in the remanufacturing process. Finished cartridges are then tested using protocols that establish high-quality baselines for both horizontal and vertical print jobs. Additional testing of characteristics such as print quality and color consistency as well as optical density and edge acuity guarantees all match those of the best cartridge in the market. Tests are performed under various environmental conditions including high- and low-humidity. Pivotal cartridges also undergo page-yield testing that complies with established ISO standards.

The strict product safety management system at Print-Rite Unicorn warrants each Pivotal cartridge is safe to use and environmentally friendly. Print-Rite Unicorn is the world’s first printer cartridge factory accredited the IECQ QC080000 certification for Hazardous Substance Process Management, which provides a framework for the responsible control and management of hazardous substances. The cartridge is compliant with the EU’s REACH and RoHS initiatives regulating the use of hazardous materials, and also satisfies the requirements of the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.

Although Pivotal cartridges are premium products, they do not carry a premium price tag. Pricing for the new line will be competitive with other premium products currently on the market. Pivotal cartridges for popular Hewlett-Packard color and monochrome laser machines will begin shipping in the third quarter of this year. Cartridges for equipment from other OEMs are expected by the end of the year. Print Rite is currently taking orders.

Via: earthtimes.org

Duplex printing saves cost
Double-sided, or duplex printing is an effective component of a properly managed print policy, Lim said. Referring to the Gartner study, he said organizations can potentially reduce annual paper costs by at least 30 percent across their output by printing on both sides as part of the standard work process.Kasai noted that before an organization can enjoy such cost savings, all printers deployed in a company must support duplex capability and there must be a policy enforcing the use of duplex printing. “In some companies, this policy is forcibly imposed by IT administrators who set their printers to print duplex by default,” he said.

For HP, duplex printing helped the IT vendor cut its paper use by 25 percent during a pilot test, Liang said. The company is further tweaking its printing infrastructure to achieve the best cost savings, and expects to reduce its paper consumption by 800 tons annually when it has completed this initiative, she added.However, Graeme Philipson, research director at Connected Research, noted that while duplex printing may have its place in some circumstances, it may often be inappropriate in others. He added that it may even add to printing costs and the organization’s carbon footprint.In an e-mail interview, Philipson said studies have shown paper consumption represents only about 10 percent of total print costs. “That means duplex printing is addressing only 10 percent of the problem,” he said.He added that printers that support duplex printing also cost more, which may negate the cost advantage over the lifespan of the printer. Since their mechanisms are more complex, they are more likely to fail and need added maintenance that could be more expensive, said Philipson.

Reuse and recycle
Another avenue to save costs is through recycling, a practice that major printer vendors are advocating through their green programs.

Epson, for example, runs collection and recycling programs in 25 markets including Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Canon also has in place a global recycling program for used toner cartridges. In Singapore, for example, the company has four recycling locations for customers to drop off their used cartridges. Alternatively, businesses can arrange for used toner cartridges to be collected from their offices, provided they have at least 10 printer cartridges.

Via: zdnetasia.com

Via: nyc.gov

You may end up saving more money by choosing a printer which is more expensive at the on-set but will offer cheaper printer ink cartridges in the end.  Consider how often you are going to be printing before you actually make a purchase.  Keep in mind that printer ink cartridges will dry up as well over time, which means that you are going to have to buy new printer ink cartridges periodically if you only print occasionally.  The printer ink cartridges themselves are going to be a key factor when you set out to buy the best possible printer that you can find.

These recycled printer ink cartridges are built by recycling parts from old printer ink cartridges.  The plastics that were originally used to form the first printer ink cartridge are melted down and remolded into a new printer ink cartridge shape.  Up to 70% of a recycled printer ink cartridge will be made from previously used materials, which can be one small way that we can start making a difference.  Once more people start turning to recycled printer ink cartridges, this area alone can start having a major impact into helping to reduce, reuse, and recycle all of the natural resources that we, as a culture, uses.  We’ll still have all of our normal printing ability but the printer ink cartridges themselves will be helping us to make one small but significant impact on the world.

It is possible to not only harness remaining ink in the cartridge before throwing, but we can get almost half of the cartridge! All one would need to do is reset the printer ink cartridge using a pin. One would need to locate a hole above the circuit at the back of the cartridge and reset it easily. This would allow you to use the ink that you would otherwise have thrown in to the dustbin.

However, before you throw the printer ink cartridge away, do try this trick just in case it helps! This would not only save us from spending more on printer ink, but would also give us the pleasure of doing something that big corporations do not want us to do.
Source: walyou.com

To illustrate this battle let us take HP printer ink for example that on Wednesday shared their financial news. Their printer and ink division has been severely wounded, with sales falling 19 percent to $6 billion. That includes a 7 percent decline in supplies, a typically strong area that includes things like printer ink cartridges, which are among HP biggest moneymakers.

Thus showing us the battle is being won due to several factors. One, consumers find the prices for OEM cartridges substantially higher than cheaper generic or remanufactured cartridges. Two, with more technological capability to store and share documentation and information the need to print has become less. Three, there a definite increase of online retailers and stores providing a comparison stand point thus giving the consumers the tools to shop smart

Source: articlesnatch.com