Cheap(er) Replacement Inkjet Cartridges

No surprise that inkjet cartridges are too expensive. But I found a company selling refilled replacement cartridges at a reasonable price. Read on...

My Printer Inventory
I have an old Epson T009 (my mother uses an Epson T007), an even older Brother 1450 laser printer (the one I use most often) and a Brother inkjet MFC-640CW all-in-one.

I wouldn't dream of buying Epson cartridges, so I did a lot of digging online for a reputable source for replacements. There are probably dozens of Internet stores, but I decided on a brick-and-mortar shop because I wanted to be able to wrap my hands around the neck of the store manager if my printer stopped working because of a faulty replacement cartridge.

Where I Buy My Replacements
I tried Staples and Office Depot, but their prices weren't low enough. (Costco, my first choice, didn't sell the cartridge I needed.) I choose Cartridge World for a couple of reasons: There's a store nearby in Pasadena and its prices beat the office supply stores.

For instance, at Staples, color cartridges for my Epson ran $25; Cartridge World charged $18. Black cartridges for the Epson were $8 cheaper than the chains. The savings on the cartridges for the Brother all-in-one were about the same as for the Epson.

I also liked that part of the deal was exchanging my old cartridge and putting it to good use. That's because instead of handing my empty cartridge to a recycling center, Cartridge World takes it as a trade-in on a new cartridge. If I didn't have an old cartridge to give them (they call it a "core"), my new replacement would cost an extra $4.

I've used three sets of Cartridge World refills so far, saved some money, and haven't had lick of trouble. The only problem, and this may be a showstopper for you, is that it's a walk-in store only. Check their Web site and maybe you'll get lucky with a store located near you.

Tomorrow: Smart advice for using your printer.

Comments

This is a case of "pay me now, or pay me later." Epson probably sells its printers at a loss expecting to make it up on ink cartridge sales. If everyone buys compatibles, Epson will increase the price of the printers.

patrokolos

June 21, 2007

10:27 AM PT

I have been buying my ink cartridges from a company called inkjetsaver.com and the cartridges I have purchased have never given me a problem, or produced results that I thought were different from the name brand carts. And they are significantly cheaper than anywhere else I have found. I just bought an Epson R800 and Epson wants $20 - $24 per cart. inkjetsaver charges $4.95 per cart and they have combo pack discounts. And they offer free 2 day shipping.

thomd

June 21, 2007

4:00 PM PT

see http://hotshadow.com/Cheap(er)_Replacement_Inkjet_Cartridges.aspx

zetra001

June 22, 2007

12:29 AM PT