Second only to the cost of quality paper, ink cartridges are the most expensive components of ink jet printing.
Ink cartridges are made of plastic and metal. Plastic is a petroleum based product that takes about 1,000 years to decompose. Only about twenty percent to forty percent of these small plastic cases that store the ink used to print out your documents and photographs are recycled. So, roughly sixty to eighty percent of all the ink cartridges that were ever manufactured ended up in landfills.
You can help turn these statistics around, save yourself a lot of money, and help clean up the environment by making the time to refill your own cartridges. You'll get your best results if you refill what are called virgin cartridges. These are inkjet cartridges that have not been refilled before.
However, it may be a good idea to refill all of your cartridges only one time each because many cartridges have parts and sponges that often need to be replaced if the cartridge becomes completely empty. If, for example, a sponge dries out, it could prevent the ink from flowing through the cartridge.
If you would prefer to play it a little safer and not get involved with what can potentially be a bit of a messy experience, you can purchase commercially refilled ink cartridges instead of buying original equipment manufacturer (OEM) cartridges the next time your printer runs out of ink.
If you wish to recycle your cartridges you may find a special recycling depot in your area. The recycling depots sort the cartridges by model and brand and then sell them back to the manufacturer. The manufacturer then refills the ink reservoirs and sells them. It's a very efficient process that does not unnecessarily waste any precious energy melting and recreating the cartridge itself.
Some printer manufacturers claim that less expensive cartridges don't print as well as their products. If took the time to compare results you would probably find that they actually are comparable.
Other printer manufacturers say that a refilled cartridge can damage your printer. Although on occasion a no-brand kit that has watered down ink can ruin a printer, if you purchase a professionally refilled cartridge you will find that it comes with a warranty against printer damage.
Refilling ink jet cartridges has become big business. Refilled cartridges use ink that is similar to that found in the OEM cartridge but cost considerably less than those sold by the printer's manufacturer.
