Most printers come with some free ink cartridges, however often these are not full size. For most consumers, the problems begin when they run out of ink and learn the exorbitant price of the cartridges. The ink market now applies the some business practices as King Gillette used to dominate the Razor Market. It can leave you enquiring if it s cheaper to buy a new printing machine. As a result of the steep costs, compatible inks are catching on.
It is often said that printer makers do all they can to make it difficult to develop compatible inks. It is very common for ink cartridges to contain small electronic data chips in them. If the printer cannot detect a valid chip it will not embark on printing. There are often patent issues related to the electronic chips. This makes it very difficult for manufacturers of compatible cartridges. Even with the bigger technological requirements of chip manufacture, there are still a big number of compatible cartridges available. Not all compatible cartridges are totally compatible with the entire range of printers. Always check that the ink cartridge function with your printer model.
Printer makers have often sought legal redress against compatibles manufacturers. In a landmark case printer manufacturer Lexmark took legal action against ink compatibles maker Static Control Components. Lexmark controls its own Toner Loading Program where the company refills client cartridges. Lexmark brand printers contain a technology that makes the printer stop when it detects that the cartridge was not refilled by Lexmark. By creating chips that got around Lexmark s systems it was suggested that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act had been violated. The legal battle lasted seven years with the result that the Lexmark toner loading program was pronounced not to be copyright-able, opening the doors for compatibles manufacturers. After seven long years of legal wrangling and appeals, Lexmark lost the action.
As ink has become more expensive need for compatible inks has jumped. The numbers of compatible ink makes has also multiplied. Some compatible inks can have very poor performance, whereas with others it is hard to seen any difference between them and the original ink. Check out the makers of compatible inks carefully before purchasing. With the price differences it is surprising how many people have not changed to compatible ink. Just as there are large price differences between compatible and original ink cartridges there are also big price differences between compatible brands.
There are big deals on ink cartridges out there, if you have the time to find them. Price comparison web sites can be a very good way to do this. This is a great way to save money on ink.