Answers to 3 common questions of printer users

Not all printers accept third-party ink, and whether a printer is cheap or expensive is relative to cost.

Why do some printers not accept external ink?

According to Which.co.uk, usersYou can save up to 80% by choosing third-party printer ink, instead of using cartridges from the device manufacturer. However, the major printer brands will not like this.

Because like the story of knife handles and razor blades, printers can be cheap, but ink is a different story. Because a significant part of the profits of printer manufacturers comes from selling consumables, such as ink and paper.Companies can't stop people from thinking, but they can afford to.preventing them from looking for another ink for their device.

In 2016, the HP OfficeJet printer line began rejecting unofficial ink cartridges, meaning those not supplied by HP. This was due to the "dynamic security" feature (dynamic securityhas been activated from within the printer software.The company initially claimed that it was protecting its “intellectual property,” but later had to fix the bug in an update soon after due to pressure from the community.

Currently, even without outright refusal, manufacturers can still make it difficult by including warnings orno error messageWhen using, users will encounter dangerous warnings threatening to use "non-genuine" ink. This can make many customers worried.

A typical message on an HP printer is: "Non-HP cartridges are installed. HP cannot guarantee the quality or reliability of non-HP supplies. Print service or repairs required due to the use of non-HP supplies are not covered by the warranty."

Similar complaints have also come from Epson printers and third-party inks. In a quick test of the Epson Expression Premium XP-630 printer, the device accepted third-party inks but displayed numerous warnings against using them.

Epson did not comment on its software update, stating only that:"There is a large market for non-genuine ink for Epson printers. The companyWe always recommend and can only guarantee the use of genuine ink in our printers and do not test, approve or guarantee the quality of third-party products.

Buy cheap or expensive printer?

According to Lifewire, with cheap printers, the initial purchase cost is not high but the cost to operate and use is quite expensive, mainly from ink. Not only do they often have problems, the ink on cheap printers oftenmust be supplemented during operation.

Meanwhile, with high-end printers, users benefit more when they integrate automatic programs to save ink such as Brother's INKvestment, Epson's Eco Tank or HP's Instant Ink. With a large initial cost, users can be somewhat more assured because they have been compensated for a part of the ink cost during use.

Should I use third-party ink?

Cheap printer ink is often the same brand of ink as the consumer printer.With low prices, many people have chosen to use this type of ink to replace genuine ink. However, in addition to the price, they also have their own points to consider before using.

First, not all printers are compatible with third-party inks, as mentioned above.This compatibility depends entirely on the printer, more specifically the software installed by the manufacturer. Sometimes the cartridge is not registered for installation or does not work with these models.

"I don't use third-party cartridges because I find that my printer doesn't even recognize that it's installed, so even though it's cheaper, it's a waste," user Convo Peter shared on Whick.

'Look, my printer started refusing to print when I used third-party cartridges. But when I replaced it with the same brand as the printer, it seemed to work fine again,' commented a member named Tony G.

Further testing has shown that alternative inks do not provide better quality results than original inks. Only in some cases are the two equal in quality. However, this is only true for prints that require the highest quality, long-term storage, or photo printing. In reality, most users require prints that require average quality.

Therefore, for those who want to use third-party ink, they need to pay attention to three issues: "have the courage to use it, not be too concerned about needing high-quality prints, and accept that it may take time to fix small problems that arise".

According to VNE