HP Printer ink

[carnut]

I have to renew my ink cartridges (again) and its on my Tesco list. However searching on the net I find that there are alternatives to the OEM ones

i need HP21 & HP22 cartridges for my HP PSC1402 printer. Looking at the OEM it seems that this is only 5ml. the alternatives say 25ml

Anyone got any experience with the non OEM cartridges and ink.. Is it an HP ripoff or is HP OEM better ( eg better quality for photo prints, work better with printer heads etc)?

 

[whitenemesis]

I have used numerous HP printers and have tried the non-OEM carts. They work ok-ish but tend to block or blob quite easily. Also they didn't appear to last as long! Probably due to the over-inking that causes the blobbing.

Now I always stay with OEM, less bother in the long term

 

[wemorgan]

I currently use Cartridge People.
Though I mostly do text printing, so can't comment on the quality of photographs etc.

 

[masqueraid]

The main issue with HP inkjet "compatibles" is that the HP cartridges also include the electronic print head so you have the electronics to worry about as well

Ink quality varies considerably with compatibles but although the pigments are not necessarily an exact match for HP and don't have the same archival quality (are you keeping this for more than a few years??) there are certainly some which work well.

Unfortunately buying compatible cartridges is like buying wine - an expensive vintage usually produces a reliable case. The cheaper wines are not as reliable

 

[kikkthecat]

One of the biggest rip offs known is printer ink, as you say 5ml in an OEM cartridge must be several thousand pounds per gallon.

I use cartridge world but be aware the quality is not as good and I have to alter my printer preferences to get decent results but I dont need high quality printing, just invoices and such. If you want high quality results then stick with genuine HP cartridges.

4 times as much ink for a lot less money works for me and even though I'm using higher print settings which use more ink it works out a lot cheaper.

 

[x332race]

Just bought original canon printer cartridges from http://www.eezytrade.co.uk/
Seemed to be cheaper than anyone else I could find.
Most manufacturers seem to do a "standard" (read low) capacity cartridge for their printers and also have "high capacity" cartidges you can purchase.

I only use oem as these produce the best quality.....would not use refilled

 

[flango]

All our printers are either HP or Epson and whilst we use non oem's in the Epson machines we have never found a suitable alternative to the HP ones, as mentioned non genuine blob and we seemed to go though them far more regular than HP ones. In the end we went back to the HP ones and reliablity and quality is perfect.

 

[Mudster]

I got so fed up with the cost of inkjet stuff I bought a laser printer.

But I don't really need to print Photos so that's fine.....gets pricey if you need photo quality stuff..

 

[Spinal]

We use aftermarket/refilled cartriges at work, but for laser ad inkjet printers.

About 90% of them are great, but the occasional duff one does turn up. In that case, we box it up and send it back - they promptly send us another cartridge.

If you want I can dig up the companies name...

Personally, I prefer OEM because I'm willing to pay more to stay away from the hassle of sending cartridges back... but in reality the occurence is quite rare.

M.

 

[carnut]

Thanks to all above postees.

Off to get OEM HP cartridges

 

[Nibbo]

Just bought original canon printer cartridges from http://www.eezytrade.co.uk/
Seemed to be cheaper than anyone else I could find.

Another vote for these guys. I use them for years. Cheaper than most and very fast delivery.
Never had a problem.

 

[BTB 500]

OEM for me, I get my Canon ones from: www.7dayshop.com who I have used for many many years.

Excellent pricing as they're in the Channel Islands so items below £18 are VAT free.

 

[verytalldave]

Laser is way to go. Even colour ones are affordable now. B/W HP ones start at around £60ish.
Cost of inkjet cartridges is the very reason I went to Laser.

 

[ukcodger]

Not mentioned above is the life of photographic prints. For example, Canon, the makers of my printer say that their original inks will stay colour fast for 100 years. As a serious amateur I am in the habit of printing only my best shots; and then I only print A4. Anything other than OEM cartridges would therefore, in a sense, be wasteful if the inks deteriorate quickly on ,say, a framed print.

 

[BTB 500]

Laser is way to go. Even colour ones are affordable now. B/W HP ones start at around £60ish.
Cost of inkjet cartridges is the very reason I went to Laser.

I guess it depends on how much printing you do.

My Canon inkjet (top quality photo printer) has 5 individual tanks. The main black one costs £9.69 delivered, and does 5500 pages of A4 text. Possibly a laser would be even cheaper, but I can live with being able to print 5.6 pages of text for 1p. The colour tanks are £7.89 each.

 

[SEM]

I've tried all various aftermarket/refills... never again...the hassle of duff cartridges..stick with OEM... i get my Canon 8 inks at half the price of the shops off the net.. just do the resaerch, they all vary.

 

[verytalldave]

I guess it depends on how much printing you do.

My Canon inkjet (top quality photo printer) has 5 individual tanks. The main black one costs £9.69 delivered, and does 5500 pages of A4 text. Possibly a laser would be even cheaper, but I can live with being able to print 5.6 pages of text for 1p. The colour tanks are £7.89 each.

Another, not yet mentioned reason for going laser is the frequency of use of the printer.
I dont use mine very often, and it can stand switched off for many weeks. Inkjet printers in my limited experience tend to dry out and clog with that kind of use whereas laser produces top quality results even after not being used for a month or so.

 

[BTB 500]

Another, not yet mentioned reason for going laser is the frequency of use of the printer.
I dont use mine very often, and it can stand switched off for many weeks. Inkjet printers in my limited experience tend to dry out and clog with that kind of use whereas laser produces top quality results even after not being used for a month or so.

Few people use photo printers that regularly, so most inkjets handle this fine nowadays. But you're right in that there can be a significant delay while self-cleaning is carried out - which can be annoying.

However I don't think colour lasers get anywhere near the 9600 x 2400 dpi resolution of my Canon? Certainly not for the £44 I paid (including a full set of cartridges)!

 

[verytalldave]

I bet the RRP of a new set of cartridges is not much less than £44 ! ! ! !
It was the same on my old Canon many years ago.
It was almost cheaper to buy a new printer than to buy just the cartridges.

 

[BTB 500]

I bet the RRP of a new set of cartridges is not much less than £44 ! ! ! !
It was the same on my old Canon many years ago.
It was almost cheaper to buy a new printer than to buy just the cartridges.

RRP for a set of cartridges from Canon is £51.95 plus postage.

RRP for the printer (iP4500) was £79.00. I got the last one from Jessops on the Strand as a 'stock clearance' because it had been replaced by the iP4600 ... which the reviews said was more expensive to run