You are still smiling when your new inkjet printer runs out of ink. You head for the nearest office supply store, scolding yourself that you didn’t pick up a few extra ink jet cartridges when you purchased the printer.

You linger in the paper aisle, perhaps pick out some new print paper, and then begin searching for the replacement cartridges. And, if you are still like the average consumer, you are no longer smiling by the time you are reaching for your wallet at the checkout counter.

Suddenly, that inexpensive ink jet printer has become a bit more expensive than you thought. You put back the print paper.

While it is true that a small percent of ink jet cartridges (about 5 – 10%) cannot be refilled or do not have compatible or generic options due to patents, a vast majority of the millions of inkjet cartridges sold each year have remanufactured and/or compatible inkjet cartridges.

Another claim to watch out for is that all cartridges can be refilled. For example, within ink jet cartridges there is a wide range of success. Certain cartridges can be refilled successfully and frequently, while other cartridges cannot be refilled even once. For those cartridges Ink ReStore sells high quality compatibles.

When researching remanufacturing services, make sure the company you are purchasing from honestly portrays the success and failure rate for individual cartridges. And, keep in mind that once you start having Ink ReStore remanufacture your inkjet cartridges, you'll eventually have to buy new cartridges and Ink ReStore has those cartridges as well.

The print head and the circuitry perform most of the work on an ink jet printer. And, in most cases, these are not permanently installed in the printer – they are contained on the small ink jet cartridge itself. Today, there can be anywhere from 48 to 320 nozzles or “jets” on a print head located at the bottom of your inkjet cartridge.

Each of these nozzles is smaller than a human hair and each is connected electronically to a heater (or resistor) that actually heats and cools the ink inside the cartridge. When the ink is heated, a bubble forms. When the heat source is removed, the bubble bursts and sends dots of ink through the nozzles and onto the paper in the printer. This heating and cooling process happens at very high rates of speed, creating dots that form print characters on the page at rates of up to 6,000 drops per second.

It was previously believed that the heaters in ink jet cartridges would only last for one use. Now manufacturers realize that the heaters continue to do their work and the nozzles continue to fire beyond one use on most inkjet cartridges. In fact, the heaters on most cartridges will continue to fire until they burn out completely or weaken significantly. On the average, that happens somewhere between the fourth and sixth time the cartridge is used.

For consumers, this information is useful in three ways. One, remanufacturing services can extend the life of a cartridge without fear that the ink jet printer itself will be ruined. If the “workhorse” of the printer is the print head and circuitry contained on the printer cartridge itself, then the most a consumer would risk is the minimal fee involved in remanufacturing the cartridge. Secondly, purchasing a compatible ink jet cartridge instead of a brand name cartridge cannot ruin a printer that does not contain a print head. The print head and circuitry is on the cartridge, not in the printer. Therefore, the consumer would again be risking only the amount one paid for a generic inkjet cartridge – not the cost of replacing an inkjet printer. And lastly, it emphasizes the importance of purchasing compatibles from a manufacturer that produces inkjet cartridges to the same specs (ISO standards) as brand name manufacturers, and backs that up with a strong guarantee.

Eventually, all ink jet cartridges will wear out. You should know that this does not always coincide with when your cartridge runs out of ink. If you start seeing horizontal bands, white streaks, or incomplete areas with no ink – that could be a sign that your inkjet cartridge is nearing the end. There are some common inkjet cartridge problems that can cause these same conditions. Check our list of common fixes and if these don’t correct your print problem, it is time to replace your inkjet cartridge.

Although ink jet cartridges won’t last forever, purchasing economical compatibles and using remanufacturing services will extend the life of most inkjet cartridges without harming the inkjet printer itself. Compatible ink jet cartridges are another economical option. These are original, new ink jet cartridges that have not been remanufactured, but instead, are produced by a company other than the printer manufacturer. These cartridges can be purchased at lower prices than their brand name counterparts, and then refilled. There are patents protecting some brand name cartridges, and compatibles will not be available for those model. However, suppliers of compatible inkjet cartridges often offer brand name cartridges as well, usually at a significant discount. Compatible EPSON cartridges cannot be refilled with much success. They have a very porous sponge in the cartridge which fills with air as the ink leaves.

Compatible ink jet cartridges vary greatly in quality. Ink ReStore only uses the best manufacturers and if there are any problems that are cartridge related we will fix them. We only use suppliers that manufacture their cartridges using the same ISO standards as brand name manufacturers. We have a “no questions asked” return policy to assure you we stand behind the products we sell.

Finally, if you are worried about a generic ink jet cartridge voiding the guarantee on your printer warranty, or even ruining the printer completely, learning more about how an inkjet printer works will help you allay your fears.

Read "What Others Say" about the remanufacturing industry

Read about the Ink ReStore Remanufacturing Process

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