Companies such as HP, Brother and others claim that OEM product Inkjet Cartridges made by them last longer and deliver better results. When it is as usual for a company to protect and market their product as better, Remanufactured ink cartridge can perform just as good as OEM ones. Moreover, both remanufactured and OEM ink cartridges hold the same amount of ink, thus allowing customers to have similar page yield.

Because the printer ink in cartridges is eventually exhausted in the printing process, the ink is generally placed in a replaceable cartridge. Since the printer ink cartridges hold a limited supply of ink, the ink in the cartridge runs out. Refurbished printer ink cartridges are much like Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) cartridges, except with few differences. An OEM cartridge is completely new, while a refurbished cartridge is typically a used cartridge that has been cleaned, tested, and refilled. The cartridges are taken apart and cleaned and then each part is tested meticulously to make sure that everything is alright and then any defective parts are replaced with new ones. At last, the cartridge is refilled with printer ink that is either identical to or the same quality as the printer ink used in OEM cartridges.

A refurbished printer cartridge, if properly remanufactured, will even longer than a new one. The parts used in the remanufactured cartridges are same as those of a new cartridge, and as the ink reservoir is of the same size, it should contain the same amount of ink as the original. Thus, most remanufactured cartridges produce output that is the same as that of the most expensive or brand new cartridge.