HP ink cartridges
HP ink cartridges
Most printers require two HP ink cartridges, one that contains black ink and the other containing each of the primary colours although some printers may have a dedicated cartridge for the primary colours.
HP Ink cartridges are usually quite expensive and this is a substantial additional cost when considering purchasing any printer. Which? magazine even stated at one point that some cartridges had ink that cost seven times more than vintage champagne! This has led, in the UK, to the Office of Fair Trading demanding companies like HP to provide some kind of transparency on cost of ink.
There are compatible HP ink cartridges available at a cheaper price from third party vendors as opposed to HP itself but they do not always match the quality of the HP cartridges. This is usually due to the whether or not the third party vendor is able to duplicate the formulation of the ink exactly, as some printers now use a pigment based ink which is water insoluble. As HP printer cartridges cost so much, there have been many cases of fraud where certain suppliers have stated that their cartridges are made by HP when in fact they are not. Another issue for HP are companies that sell alternatives such as refilling existing ink cartridges using a specific kit, or modifying the original cartridge with the use of continuous ink systems that refill the tanks using an ink bottle or even a syringe. Sometimes it is possible to print up to 38% more pages with these solutions, even when the chip states that the cartridge is empty!
Refilling cartridges can be relatively easy and instructions for most cartridges are available on the web however it can be a very messy process until one has experience. Some third party resellers offer refillable cartridges with chips that can auto reset to simplify the refilling process however, solutions of this kind can be risky. Some may be successful but others could deliver poor quality prints or worse, damage the printer.
HP among other companies often do not make money on the sale of their printers, instead making a profit on the purchase of the ink cartridges. This has therefore led them to take action against counterfeiters and others who attempt to either defraud or sell aftermarket solutions. If you generally wish to be safe and not damage your printer, your best bet is to purchase HP manufactured cartridges!