A printer cartridge is a container filled with ink which is inserted in ink jet-printers. Before the use in the printer the cartridge is closed by a membrane or a plug to prevent the cartridge from running out of ink which is needed for the print process.

Depending on the printer type, one or several printer cartridges can be used. For a black and white printer one cartridge is enough. For a color printer you need additional color cartridges. There are for instance containers which contain all ground colors so cyan, magenta, and yellow. There are also printers that use separate containers for each color. That system is more efficient, because you do not need to buy a complete new cartridge if only one color is empty.

Everyone who does not want to afford the expensive cartridges from the original manufacturer can just buy imitate cartridges or inks, which are much cheaper, but also do not reach the same quality as the original products as for instance the printout show different colors than the original document.
Another way to save money at the ink is to refill the ink by yourself. There are several refill-sets for domestic purpose with detailed instructions. You should also look to get inks which are designed for the particular printer. If this seems too complicated for you, you can just go to the next local dealer and let the cartridges refill there. Another advantage of refilling is that you do not have to dispose the empty containers which saves the environment.


Author: Jörg Fischer
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