With everyone trying to save money these days, you might be tempted to save money on cheap alternatives to replacement ink cartridges. When it comes to replacing printer cartridges, you have several alternatives. You can buy original ink cartridges, but this is usually the most expensive option. At the other end of the cost continuum, you can choose to refill your cartridges yourself. This article highlights the pros and cons of refilling printer cartridges and suggests a suitable alternative.

While some people are drawn to refilling cartridges, due to the perception that it’s cheaper, you may find that it’s not really worth it. Yes, it is possible to refill many of the cartridges on the market, but it is a tricky, time-consuming and complicated business. Sure, you may have perfected the technique, but even then you hear examples where people are desperate for ways to clean their expensive printers, furniture, clothes, etc. as a result of leaking refills.

Two of the main motivations for refilling your own cartridges seem to be 1) to save money or 2) for recycling purposes to help protect the environment. If you want to save money, a better alternative to refilling your own ink cartridges is to buy compatible or non-genuine printer cartridges. Compatible cartridges are virtually the same as original ink cartridges, but without the high exposure mark. An important point is that compatible ink cartridges are significantly cheaper than original cartridges, which saves you money.

To save even more money, customers now have a wide variety of printer cartridge resellers. In particular, you can usually save money by finding a reliable online seller of printer cartridges. You’ll usually find that online retailers can significantly lower their prices as they don’t have the high overhead of high street vendors.

The second motivation for refilling your own cartridges is for environmental reasons. Helping to save the environment is something that should be encouraged and is easily achievable. When your cart runs out of ink, be sure to take it to an organization that recycles old cartridges like Planet Ark. These organizations have programs to recycle and reuse empty ink cartridges, and it’s amazing the type of equipment that cartridges are made on, including municipal park benches, playground equipment, and of course new ink cartridges. So, investigate the benefits of using compatible replacement ink cartridges and you might be pleasantly surprised at the benefit you’ll receive in your back pocket and the good you’ll be doing for the environment.