Recently, I had a quite informative chat regarding ink cartridges with a mate. I thought putting it online would benefit others too. So here it goes.

He happened to meet me when I was parking my car outside the home. I had returned from office and was thinking to have a quick bath and a couple of drinks before heading for club.

“Hi!” said he loudly, waving his hands, “Nice to meet you. I was actually planning to make a call to you.”

“Anything particular?” I asked, while locking the car.

“Actually I have to buy a cartridge for my printer.” He explained, “I am torn between OEM, compatible and remanufactured ink cartridges. Could you explain to me how they differ exactly?”

“Ok. Let us take OEM first,” I replied while taking him to my living room. We were seated now.

I continued.

“OEM cartridges are manufactured by your printer manufacturer. Having a brand name associated, they come expensive rather than the other two.”

“And compatible ones?” came in another question.

“Well. Compatible cartridges are produced by an independent manufacturer with specifications catering to a particular printer. These ink cartridges are manufactured with new as well as recycled parts. The percentage of these parts varies from model to model. Quality manufacturers ink cartridges manufacture under stringent controls meeting the required specifications. This means simply that compatibles are available at a fraction of the cost of an OEM with the same quality.”

He was listening.

“Factory remanufactured cartridges are normally produced using cartridges that have never been refilled. They are refilled with high quality ink and are strictly monitored for quality control. Every cartridge is cleaned ultrasonically inside and out. It is refilled then keeping a measurable balance between ink flow, vacuum and pressure. Very high tech refilling machines are used to accomplish this task properly. The results are high quality prints.”

He seemed to be delighted with the information.

Hope you are too.