Are refilled and remanufactured cartridges as good as new ones?
You can’t generalize across all makes, models, types and families of cartridges. They’re all different and some perform better than others. On the whole toner cartridges purchased from quality minded vendors compare very favorably to originals and cost much less. Drums and failure prone components are replaced reducing the probability of premature failure.
Compatible inkjets also perform well. Compatibles are new cartridges manufactured by 3rd parties that work in place of originals and are much less expensive. Examples include the Brother LC51, LC61, and LC41 family. These cartridges are trouble free and very inexpensive.
Refilled and remanufactured inkjet cartridges are somewhat less reliable. These cartridges can fall prey to flaws in the empty not detected in testing. They can fail electronically–even after passing testing. Print head air bubbles that occur after testing can cut off ink flow the the print head. Heating elements in the print heads can burn out. Clogged print head nozzles may reduce output quality.
But on the bright side, 90% of refilled inkjets do perform reliably and there are many good third party inks that produce high quality text, graphics, and photos. And they are significantly less expensive than originals.
Do refilled and remanufactured cartridges last as long?
We get very few complaints about how long our cartridges last. The ink companies sometimes don’t fill cartridges to their full capacity. We always fill them to their full capacity. In some cases we put in as much ink or toner as the originals. In other cases we put in more. We never put in less. But how long a cartridge lasts depends on what you print. Don’t put too much faith in page yield. Page yield is based on 5% coverage and almost everyone who prints puts more than 5% on the page. Page yield drops dramatically when you add special fonts and graphics.
What can go wrong with refilled and remanufactured inkjet cartridges?
The most common problems with remanfuctured inkjets are clogged print heads, bad chips, and electronic failure. Air bubbles can cut off ink flow to the print head. These conditions account for 90% or more of the complaints we receive. We can fix clogged print heads and air bubbles but we can’t do much about bad chips or electronic failure except replace the cartridge for you. If you print infrequently your cartridge will eventually dry out and the print heads will clog. You should try to print a couple of times a week. Print a test page if you have nothing else to print.
How Many Times Can You Refill My Inkjet Cartridge?
It’s a common question that doesn’t have an answer. Theoretically we can refill it until it stops working but filling cartridges over and over offers diminishing returns. Every cycle (refilling) brings the cartridge closer to its demise. All cartridges eventually stop working. Cartridges that are repeatedly refilled often hold less ink on subsequent refills. If you get a couple of refills out of a cartridge you can say it died a hero. We have a large inventory of ready-to-go cartridges and can replace your existing cartridge at little additional cost.
Can Any Cartridge Be Refilled?
No. My own policy is to outsource (buy for resale) when there are quality cartridges available at a viable price. When outsourcing isn’t possible I refill. One company, Lexmark, doesn’t allow many of its cartridges to be refilled. They put a “killer switch” on some cartridge models. When they’re empty they’re effectively dead and you have to buy a new one. Forcing you to buy outrageously expensive cartridges was the reason for this practice. It didn’t make their customers happy. Lexmark recently announced that they will be exiting the inkjet market in 2015. Here’s a list of Lexmark cartridges that can’t be refilled: 4, 5, 14,15,23,24,28, 29, 36,37,41,42.
Why Are Ink Cartridges So Expensive
I think it has to do with lack of competition. There’s certainly competition in the printer market. You can buy a printer from any number of companies, HP, Brother, Canon, Dell, Lexmark, Samsung, etc., but you have to buy the replacement cartridge from the company that made the printer. Recycled cartridges provide some competition but not enough to hold down the price of originals. The OEMs still have a lock on 70% of the market. They’ve done a good job of convincing consumers not to use 3rd party cartridges and remanufacturers have managed to hurt their own cause by offering, in some cases, inferior products. Competition in the aftermarket is intense with cheap, sometimes illegal clones and compatibles driving down prices.
It’s an interesting relationship between the OEM and recyclers. Original cartridges are just expensive enough and 3rd party cartridges are just disreputable enough, in the eyes of many potential customers, to keep both parties in business.
Will Using Aftermarket Cartridges Void My Printer Warranty?
According to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975, no it can’t. The act states:
“No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer”s using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade, or corporate name.”
Nevertheless, when you call your printer vendor with a problem you probably will be asked whether you are using original cartridges. You should be aware that your answer may affect the service you receive. While your vendor can’t legally void your warranty, printer vendors have been known to automatically attribute printers problems to non-OEM cartridges. They may not always have nefarious motives. Level 1 help desk personal are the low man on the totem pole in terms of technical competence. They’ll look for the answer to your problem in a database and put you through a rote trouble shooting routine that may or may not have anything to do with the problem. I have great sympathy for these people. They’re often badly equipped to solve the myriad problems that printer users encounter. In the absence of an actual solution it’s tempting for them to offer you a “good deal” on a new printer (never, never fall for this) or simply blame the problem on non-OEM cartridges. Stick to your guns. If you have a suspicion that you’re not receiving competent service ask that the call be escalated to a supervisor or a higher level support desk.
I think if you are using aftermarket cartridges it’s always a good idea, before calling the printer manufacturer with a problem, to check with the business that sold you the cartridges. We can usually determine whether the problem is the printer or the cartridges and save you a potentially time consuming and frustrating call.
