Many people often ask me this question: 'Why is my printer producing such poor quality prints?' The answer, of course, is that even the highest quality, most expensive printer will not perform at its best unless you invest in good quality printer ink.

Take this analogy, for example. A good artist will paint his pictures on high quality canvas. He does this because he knows that it offers the best surface for a beautiful painting. However, this is all for nothing if he uses bad paints - and if a painter wouldn't use poor quality paint, why would you use poor quality printer ink?

In this article, we'll discuss the different types of printers available, the reasons you should avoid buying poor quality ink, and how making the right choice of ink cartridges will allow you to get much higher quality prints – for the lowest price.

Modern printers employ extremely complex technology in producing prints. Gone are the days when we all used chunky old dot matrix printers at home. The average printer today produces extremely high quality prints through the use of laser and inkjet technology. Here are the two types of printing technology most popular for home use: -

Laser Printers

Laser Printers use precision lasers to cause toner to adhere to the paper. They are known for producing high-resolution prints at a high speed - along with a very low cost-per-copy. Laser printers work in much the same way as photocopying machines – using a laser to create an electrophotographic image on a photoreceptor surface, applying powdered toner to the photoreceptor and then pressing or rolling it over the paper, creating the print. As laser printers can produce high-resolution graphics and text quickly, they can print anything up to 200 monochrome prints a minute, or 100 color prints. Despite the low cost per print, the printers themselves can be very expensive when compared to inkjet printers. They are therefore most commonly used in offices, where speed and quality of prints are of vital importance.

Inkjet Printers

Inkjet printers are the most popular printing medium for home use. They use water-based inks that are forced by an electrical charge to form bubbles, which are then applied to the surface of your printer paper. Inkjet printers tend to be less expensive than laser printers, but they can be prone to lower quality prints – especially if you use poor quality ink. In addition to this they take much longer to print each page, and the cost per print can be much greater than laser printers.

The reason inkjet printers have such a high cost per page is because the user must replace the ink cartridges more frequently. It is a well-known fact that printer manufacturers often sell their printers at enormous discounts and then mark up the price of the cartridges. OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) cartridges are often vastly overpriced.

The Problem

Several problems that may occur when using poor quality printer inks include streaked images, missing colors and ink bleeding. While these problems can be very frustrating to experience, they can usually be avoided simply by using good quality inks.

Unfortunately, since OEM cartridges can be prohibitively expensive many home users choose to opt for the cheapest cartridges available. While this option offers good savings, the customer may suffer from poor print quality.

The Solution

Fortunately, there is an ideal middle ground to be found between high-priced OEM cartridges and poor quality options. Many businesses now offer the option of extremely high quality remanufactured OEM cartridges - and new third party manufactured cartridges - at considerable discounts over the manufacturer's own product – often up to half the manufacturer's price!

Remanufactured Cartridges

These are simply spent OEM cartridges that have been cleaned, refilled and tested for quality. Due to the fact that they are rigorously tested before sale, this type of cartridge is essentially identical to the manufacturer's variety, offering the same high quality prints - but with vastly better value.

OEM Compatible Cartridges

These are entirely new cartridges produced by a third party manufacturer. They are designed to be 100% compatible with their designated printer, so there is no requirement to make any modifications to allow their use.

While OEM compatible cartridges are manufactured by a third party there is no reduction in print quality. They are considerably cheaper simply because the customer is not paying for a brand name product.

So, you have three options:

1) Buy an OEM ink cartridge at the manufacturer's inflated price;
2) Buy a recycled and refitted OEM cartridge at a much lower price, or
3) Buy a third party OEM-compatible cartridge, offering the same print quality as an OEM cartridge but without the brand name price tag.

With these options, there is simply no reason why any consumer should pay the artificially high prices for the manufacturer's product. It makes infinitely greater sense to be smart – choose a high quality remanufactured cartridge or a third party product. You won't be disappointed by the quality.