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