Printer ink and toner
Ink
Whether your printer is stationed in the spare room of a busy home or in the corner of an office, it’s going to need ink to keep it working. Sounds simple, but there are many options available and prices vary greatly. Here are a few tips to help you make the right choice.
First, if you think you’ve saved money by buying a cheap printer think again as replacement ink cartridges for these models are generally among the most expensive. Although initially more expensive, a higher-end model may well be cheaper to operate in the long-run.
Cartridges
These are either the official replacement cartridges made by your printer’s manufacturer, unofficial cartridges made by third-party companies or recycled cartridges – basically old cartridges refilled with more ink. Not only do the recycled cartridges save you money, they’re also better for the environment.
Print heads
This part of the printer filters the ink through to the paper. Part of the print head can be attached to the ink cartridge. When these heads get blocked your printing can become streaky.
Continuous ink system
Under this system various colours of ink are fed into the printer cartridge continuously. This is a relatively cheap option and reduces the chance of you running out of ink without realising.
Toner
This is the powdered ink used by laser printers to print words and images on documents. The substance sticks to the paper and comes in a cartridge much like that which carries your replacement ink. When this is empty it can either be replaced or refilled. Toner is mostly used in laser printers and is suited to high-volume, black and white printing.
