| Did you know? | | | | black cartridge, company-rated at 600 pages. Our |
| Ink cartridges are tiny gadgets with mundane | | | | test document printed nearly 694 times before |
| features, which are indispensable to the inkjet | | | | text began to fade, resulting in a cost of about 4 |
| printers which suck them dry. | | | | cents per page. |
| They're also very expensive, which I am sure | | | | I also subjected the black cartridge in Canon's |
| you can vouch for that based on personal | | | | S820D to our test. The $13.00 black cartridge has |
| experience. | | | | a manufacturer rating of 620 pages. Our test |
| Two ink cartridges can be more money (as high | | | | yielded 565 pages of text, approximately 2 cents |
| as $80) than the initial investment which was your | | | | per page. |
| pretty little printer. | | | | You will get your money's worth from original |
| Buyers do not always do the research they are | | | | manufacturer cartridges. Still, it can be painful to |
| supposed to do before actually committing to the | | | | spend $30.00 on a new cartridge when you see |
| sale. | | | | ads for cartridge refill kits promising to save you |
| They purchase an inkjet printer and find out | | | | loads of cash. |
| about 3 months down the road that the | | | | Refill Kit Caper: |
| cartridges cost more than the actual inkjet printer. | | | | We tested a number of refill kits to see if they'll |
| Consumers don't always have time to be sure | | | | save money and to compare their output with |
| whether cartridge producers are giving them their | | | | the results of manufacturers' inks. For our tests, |
| money's worth. | | | | we gauged ease of use in preparing and refilling |
| Resellers are pratically giving the printers away | | | | two black cartridges and then subjected those |
| knowing the future cost of your ink carts. | | | | tanks to the Extreme Inkjet Test. Further tests |
| No wonder why printer divorce is so high, the | | | | took place on the yield potential and color quality |
| printer and ink costs can't keep a cheap | | | | of one color refill system. |
| relationship. The only one's cheaping are the birds. | | | | Each kit works in basically the same way. You |
| We took a look at a few cartridge secrets, such | | | | apply rubber gloves and pry, slice, or screw your |
| as page yields and the effectiveness of | | | | way into the empty cartridge. Make sure you |
| multiple-cartridge schemes, to see if | | | | have a good top cutter. You don't want to crack |
| manufacturers are delivering on their ink promises. | | | | the plastic. |
| You need to be aware of this information. | | | | Then you carefully open a bottle of ink and use a |
| Ink Cartridge Primer: | | | | syringe to withdraw a few milliliters of ink. After |
| Inkjet printer technology became affordable for | | | | injecting the ink into the cartridge, you seal it up |
| average consumers roughly about 11 years ago. | | | | using the provided tape or rubber stopper. Sounds |
| Color printers used only one cartridge, containing | | | | easy, right? Easier said than done. |
| colors CMY (cyan, magenta, and yellow) ink, all | | | | Actually, I found it nearly impossible to avoid |
| stored in separate chambers inside the cartridge. | | | | spilling ink. Be careful not to get ink on your |
| This was sometimes called a tri-color cartridge, as | | | | clothes, it can soak your skin, and when covered |
| you may know referred to by Hewlett Packard. | | | | properly, ink slopped on the table. |
| To print text, the printer simply squirted all three | | | | After all this, the cartridge produced about 25 |
| ink colors simultaneously, which created a | | | | full-page photos, which was OK, considering the |
| composite (and sometimes greenish or brown) | | | | huge bottles of ink should last for about nine |
| black. | | | | more refills (about 25 cents per photo). |
| Then each dot would be placed on top of each | | | | Photos looked remarkably good on both plain and |
| other in order to reduce the picoliters. The smaller | | | | photo paper, but they were grainy compared to |
| the drop size the more clear vibrant colors and | | | | photos printed with Epson ink. Worse yet, shortly |
| detail images you would get. | | | | after printing a few photos we attempted to print |
| Modern printers improve upon the one-cartridge | | | | black text, and after a few pages, the tank |
| design by supplementing the CMY cartridge with | | | | stopped working and ink spewed all over the |
| an individual black (or K) cartridge. | | | | printer. |
| Not only does this improve the quality of black, | | | | The chip resetting software may have caused |
| but it also helps conserve the more expensive | | | | the malfunction. |
| color inks for photos. | | | | In spite of the uncertain cost savings and poor |
| The addition of black cartridges also spawned the | | | | photo quality, refill kits are hot items, flourishing in |
| C (cyan) M (magenta) Y (yellow) K (black) | | | | spite of printer manufacturers' efforts to convince |
| acronym that you see on many inkjet | | | | customers that third-party inks are superinferior. |
| specification sheets and equipped printers with | | | | In spite of advances made by third-party ink |
| enough color power to create approximately 16.7 | | | | makers, printer manufacturers refuse to back |
| million tones. | | | | down from their claims that such inks simply don't |
| More recently, a few photo printers began | | | | work correctly with advanced print head |
| shipping with light cyan and light magenta for | | | | technology. |
| improved color transitions; Canon's S820, for | | | | Refill Rebuttal: |
| example uses six individual cartridges to deliver all | | | | Canon, Hewlett-Packard, and Lexmark all use |
| 6 color schemes. | | | | thermal print head technology. Epson uses |
| Manufacturers, such as Canon and Epson, are also | | | | patented Piezo-electric print heads. The |
| implementing four-cartridge schemes, in which | | | | technologies employ slightly different ink cartridges |
| each tank carries only cyan, yellow, magenta, or | | | | and dissimilar ink formulations to work with the |
| black. | | | | print heads. |
| The primary reason this system is catching on is | | | | In thermal inkjets, a tiny resistor in the print head |
| that it wastes less ink. With a three-color | | | | warms the ink, causing a bubble that forces a |
| cartridge, you're forced to dispose of the | | | | droplet out of the print head nozzle. |
| cartridge when one color runs out, even if one or | | | | Epson's Piezo-electric technology doesn't heat ink. |
| two chambers still contain ink. This can increase | | | | Instead, a tiny crystal in the print head works like |
| your cartridge cost. | | | | a pump; when a negative charge is applied to the |
| The four-cartridge setup lets you toss only | | | | crystal it bends out from the ink chamber and |
| empty cartridges, so you'll save ink, but depending | | | | draws in a droplet, while a subsequent positive |
| on your printing habits, you won't necessarily save | | | | charge flexes the crystal in, pushing the droplet |
| as much money as you like. | | | | through the nozzle. |
| If you print one color more often than another | | | | Both technologies have exacting specifications for |
| color, your ink costs may drop significantly. | | | | the inks they shoot. |
| Average users won't see a huge cost reduction | | | | Inks used in thermal printers are typically |
| by switching to a printer that uses four individual | | | | dye-based and must be formulated to retain good |
| cartridges. | | | | print qualities under heat stress. |
| Some of them won't print unless all four | | | | Epson's ink developers, however, are free to |
| cartridges are sitting and locked into position within | | | | dismiss heat factors and instead create smaller |
| the carriage itself. | | | | and more consistently shaped droplets. Pairing inks |
| Ink Sensors & Page Yield: | | | | properly with tiny print heads and nozzles is no |
| Of course, to get the most from your cartridges | | | | simple feat. |
| you have to determine how much ink you've | | | | Ink chemistry is "very complex stuff" in part |
| used. By this, just calculate the amount of pages | | | | because the various characteristics of inks affect |
| you print within each month. | | | | the way droplets interact with each other on |
| There are two primary methods printer makers | | | | paper. Because every manufacturer's papers and |
| use to accurately display ink levels on your | | | | inks are so different and multifaceted, there's just |
| screen. Most companies, such as Epson, use a | | | | no way can a third-party lab reproduce the original |
| dot-count method. | | | | ink quality. |
| The dot-count system works using your printer's | | | | Although refill kits may produce prints that initially |
| driver, which analyzes each image before printing | | | | look nice, it's doubtful they have the same |
| and keeps a running total of the number of | | | | fade-resistant or water-resistant properties of |
| droplets sprayed. | | | | original printer inks. |
| Canon claims to have a superior system that | | | | Manufacturers also stress that while using a |
| uses both dot counting and an optical sensor. | | | | refilled cartridge doesn't affect your printer's |
| They contain reservoir inside the sponge in the ink | | | | warranty, if your printer malfunctions due to a |
| tank, [and] the reservoir has an optical ink sensor | | | | refilled or modified cartridge, the warranty is |
| in it, very impressive. | | | | voided. |
| A light inside the printer shines in the reservoir and | | | | Whether you trust printer makers or their refill-kit |
| the sensor helps determine ink levels. | | | | competition, our opinion of refill kits is that they're |
| If the reservoir is empty, the printer estimates | | | | a bit of a hassle to use. |
| that there's about 20% ink remaining in the | | | | If you print a lot of text, they may save you |
| sponge below the reservoir, and your PC begins | | | | money. However, we wouldn't pair third-party inks |
| using the dot-count method. | | | | with expensive photo paper, especially if you |
| Because cartridge cases are typically opaque, | | | | want your prints to last for years. |
| some sort of ink monitoring system is a | | | | Print Job Complete: |
| necessity. But how can you determine if the | | | | Ink cartridges are complex, sometimes |
| cartridge will yield as many pages as the | | | | controversial, and always necessary for the users |
| manufacturer claims? | | | | who depend on inkjets for their stellar text and |
| Most manufacturers assign yield ratings to black | | | | graphics production. |
| cartridges after draining the tank by continuously | | | | Understanding cartridges and their refill potential |
| printing a 1,500-character document at the default | | | | will help keep you printing for years to come, and |
| resolution setting. | | | | your knowledge may help you save a few bucks, |
| I decided to test a few cartridges with our own | | | | too. |
| test, which we felt more accurately mimicked | | | | Hopefully this information has been supportive to |
| real-world use. To maximize your ink yields you | | | | you printing means and instances that you may |
| need to drop each printer to its lowest resolution. | | | | have encountered before. You now have the |
| I also wanted a document that covered the entire | | | | confidence to deal with any printing matters. |
| page, so my "extreme inkjet test" document | | | | "Be in charge of your printer ink; don't let your ink |
| contained nearly 3,500 characters. | | | | cartridges be in charge of you. |
| I loaded our Lexmark Z65 with a new $30.00 | | | | |