Aftermarket Ink Cartridge Issues

The prices of original manufacturer's printer and toner cartridges are extremely high. It is no surprise more people are turning to third-party compatible, recycled and refilled cartridges to save some cash. Third-party cartridges can cost as much as 50% less than original cartridges.

But supposing you go to the trouble to find a reputable third-party cartridge dealer, only to find that your new cartridges don't work in your printer? It does happen on occasion-printer manufacturers have a monetary interest in developing printers that reject all but the original cartridges. But that doesn't meant there isn't a way to get around it. Here's how.

When it comes to compatible cartridges, follow directions. Third-party compatible cartridges are designed using the original manufacturer's specifications, or sometimes reverse-engineered using original cartridges as a guide. They're different from recycled cartridges in that they're brand-new and designed to be exact replicas of original manufacturers' cartridges.

When installing them in your printer, make sure you follow the manufacturer's directions for installation exactly. These cartridges should be the same as your original cartridges, so the same directions should be used.

Soak blocked cartridge heads. Some printers will claim your cartridge has blocked print heads. This is more common with recycled cartridges. Prevent this by soaking the cartridges in window-cleaning solution or warm water. Then wipe them gently with a soft cotton cloth. This should take care of any blockages in the ink nozzles. After installing refilled cartridges, turn on the print head cleaning feature to make sure everything's clean.

Avoid air bubbles. If you refill your own cartridges, make sure they're completely filled-any air in the ink chamber will cause problems for you when you print, especially if you have a printer with a built-in print head like a Lexmark or HP machine. Turn your printer off when you're not using it-this will print air bubbles from forming as well.

Top your refilled cartridges off. Refilled cartridges should be filled completely to prevent air bubbles, but also to prevent the printer from refusing to print due to a cartridge circuit failure. Filling your cartridge to the top will sometimes prevent this from holding up your printing.

Be careful not to overfill. That said, you should also be careful not to fill the cartridge with too much ink. If the ink is dripping out of the cartridge, you can contaminate the print heads and stall printing. Make sure your cartridges aren't leaking when you install them.

Choose your vendor carefully. Not all third-party cartridge vendors are created equally. Original manufacturers engineer printer inks to very exact specifications, making it difficult to replicate. Some companies do this better than others, and if your printer ink quality doesn't match up with the original manufacturer's specifications, it may not work in your printer. To avoid this, be careful in choosing your third-party ink dealer. Look for a company that has a long record of business, a thorough testing process, a 100% money-back guarantee on defective products, and plenty of satisfied customer reviews.

Look into finding replacement chips. Some cartridges are built originally with microchips that tell the printer when the cartridge has expired. In rare cases, recycled cartridges may have no cartridge chip-or an expired one. You can get in touch with the vendor to request a replacement-ideally they should have sent you a cartridge with a working chip. Some cartridge vendors also sell replacement chips, which you can buy if your original cartridge is telling your printer it's tapped out and you suspect there's ink left-a common occurrence.

Printer companies work hard to make sure you'll have to buy original cartridges every time you run out of ink. Of course, this can be expensive-and third-party ink and toner cartridges are an ideal solution. Still, original manufacturers are locked in an arms race with third-party cartridge producers to thwart their efforts to build and sell cheap cartridges that will work in their printers. Third-party cartridge companies work hard to develop cartridges that will print despite the original manufacturers' best efforts, but occasionally the original manufacturers get ahead. Follow these tips, and you should be able to find more success in making sure third-party cartridges work in your printer.