When it comes to choosing to use refilled ink cartridges in an inkjet printer, there are both positive and negative aspects to be considered. Manufacturers claim that your warranty will be voided and your printer damaged by using cartridges that have been refilled.

If you listen to the refill companies, on the other hand, the cartridges will work as well as the originals, at a much lower cost.

The truth is somewhere in the middle – here are some of the pros and cons of refill ink.

Pros

The biggest advantage of refill ink is the lower cost. They cost less than half the price of a new cartridge, and this can really add up over the life of a printer.

Using refill ink will also allow you to recycle your ink cartridge and thereby help the environment, besides saving you money.

Another advantage of refill ink is the availability. If you keep a refill kit on hand, it won’t matter when your cartridge runs out – you can just refill it. This is especially helpful if you run out of ink in the middle of the night or you use a printer like Dell, whose ink is not available anywhere except by ordering from Dell (and waiting for it to be shipped).

Cons

One of the biggest cons of refilled ink cartridges is they can be tricky to refill. The printer manufacturers are making it harder and harder to refill their cartridges, and if you’re not careful you can have problems after filling them.

Ink can easily be spilled while you are refilling a cartridge, so it shouldn’t be done while you’re wearing clothes you are worried about staining. Bad print quality can also be caused by air bubbles that form in the ink during the refilling process.

Lastly, the manufacturer’s warranty on your printer can be cancelled out through the use of refill ink. Think seriously about whether or not the money you will save by buying refill ink is really worth voiding your warranty and possibly having to replace your printer yourself.

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