When it comes to quality printer ink cartridges, HP truly offers the best products. HP ink cartridges have a reputation that surpasses the competition in terms of reliability and brilliant color. When printing images on quality photo paper, consumers have confidence the images will preserve for several future generations. And as more consumers become increasingly concerned about the future, it is comforting to know HP ink cartridges are designed to be environmentally friendly. HP recycles plastic from used cartridges and other sources, and has re-designed their packaging in an effort to minimize waste. Their recycling program also allows their cartridges to be recycled at no cost to consumers.
Remanufactured Ink Cartridges
Of course, price plays an important role in every consumer’s buying decision. HP offers a variety of options when buying replacement cartridges, in order to strike the right balance between price and quality. Ink cartridges are sold in twin packs and multi-packs, allowing consumers to save money by purchasing in larger quantities. Also, HP offers high capacity ink cartridges, which are designated with an “XL” on the front of the package. The high capacity cartridges contain more ink, meaning cartridge changes are required less frequently and result in fewer trips to the store. Additionally, HP offers photo value packs that make it more affordable to buy ink and photo paper at the same time. Each of these packs contains supplies for a specified number of prints, which helps consumers know what they are getting before they buy. Collectively, HP’s product offerings satisfy the trade-off between price and the high quality HP has built its reputation on.
Keep in mind that it is imperative to purchase an original HP ink cartridge from a reputable retailer. Sometimes consumers focus so much on price, they consider purchasing inferior products from less reputable retailers. Consumers must recognize that total cost is not just what an item costs when first purchased, but also includes other cost factors. For example, buying in bulk reduces the fuel cost of driving to the store to buy another cartridge. Purchasing an inferior product may mean having to return the item, buy a replacement immediately, re-printing work already performed, and even having the print heads in a printer professionally cleaned. All of these represent costs associated with the ink cartridge purchase. Suddenly, the cost of buying the inferior product skyrockets, and it would have been better to purchase the reliable, high-quality HP ink cartridge to begin with.
Remanufactured Ink Cartridges
One of the most common traps consumers fall into is purchasing remanufactured ink cartridges from discount retailers. While remanufactured ink cartridges cost 30 – 70% less initially, they typically exhibit all the classic signs of inferior product. For starters, only original HP ink cartridges are filled with HP ink. Therefore, even if a discount cartridge is packaged with HP branding it is simply not the same. Additionally, remanufactured cartridges often fail right away. When loaded, the printer does not recognize the cartridge. Some estimates indicate this occurs with 25 – 33% of remanufactured cartridges. An even larger percentage experience leakage. These cartridges may leak in the package, which means they are a filthy mess when opened. Aside from the aggravation of wiping ink off the cartridge and scrubbing one’s hands, it may also splatter and stain clothing and carpet because consumers do not expect loose ink when opening the package. Even if it does not leak in the package it may leak in the printer, splattering ink throughout the cartridge bay and on the print head nozzles. This may cause long-term printer damage that requires professional cleaning, parts replacement, or even printer replacement. If successfully installed in the printer without incident, one may still expect diminished performance with respect to poor color intensity, rapid fading, or streaking on prints. The old adage, “you get what you pay for” comes to mind when thinking about these characteristics. Save the headaches. Rather than buying discount remanufactured ink cartridges, only purchase an original HP ink cartridge.
Consumers desire reliable merchandise, ease of use, convenience, and high print quality. Print quality gains importance when printing photographs that should last for many years. Despite the move to digital photography, a distinct need for printed photography still exists and each photo must have permanence. Image quality and permanence consist of three fundamental ingredients – hardware (printer), ink cartridges, and paper. If any one of these components is inferior, the quality and permanence are immediately compromised. HP has spent millions of dollars on research intended to optimize the performance of each individual component and the overall performance when used together. Using an HP printer, an original HP ink cartridge and HP paper guarantees a consumer will achieve the best results possible. HP engineers its product with the end result in mind to ensure superior performance.
All of these factors combined tell one story. HP has built its brand on consistency and quality. Consumers feel confident HP products will deliver the results they need, and HP ink cartridges are the star of the show. Original HP ink cartridges offer brilliant color at an affordable price. With a very low defect rate, the cartridges are reliable. Reliability guarantees the product will work as expected and reduces frustration caused due to failure. Because the HP product line offers twin packs, multi-packs, and high capacity cartridges, larger ink quantities may be purchased for greater savings. When used with HP printers and HP paper, extraordinary results are possible. On the other hand, remanufactured ink cartridges purchased from discount retailers do not perform at the same level even if they are packaged with HP branding. Remanufactured cartridges often experience leakage, splattering, fading, streaking, or complete failure. Because they are not filled with HP ink, print quality suffers. Stay away from imitation resellers and purchase only original HP ink cartridges. Buying original merchandise from reputable retailers ensures convenience, ease of use, excellent product, and superior dependable results. And because HP boasts a robust recycling program, consumers can rest assured that HP is doing its part to preserve the environment, so it may experience the same permanence as their printed documents and images.