Saving the environment is a huge issue, and people are becoming more aware of the carbon footprint they are leaving. Not only are they aware of the carbon footprint they are leaving, they are actually doing things to reduce it. You can save the environment in many ways. It can even be economical to purchase certain printer ink brands.

Computers are becoming more common and the main source of business for a number of companies throughout the world. We use printers for flyers, documents, and many other items of work. It would be very efficient to purchase a printer ink cartridge that is less expensive and that doesn’t harm the environment. There are many different printer ink brands in the market because manufactures are finding that it is cheaper to produce the cartridges from recycled products. One environmentally friendly printer ink brand is called Green and Ink Toner. This company provides inexpensive eco- friendly toner and ink products at about 25-30% off of the regular price. In the long run it reduces your printing cost and ultimately protects the environment. The cartridges are made from recycled supplies and they are also reusable. Instead of discarding the cartridge in the landfill, you can simply refill your item with ink. These cartridges can be recycled up to 2 or three times before you have to discard them.

The name for a printer ink manufacturer that builds and sells its own company brand is an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) company. These companies build their product and then assign an exclusive part number to each device. The eco-friendly companies provide these numbers to you so that you can compare them and find the one that matches your printer. The company at Get-green-Ink.com provides a website full of products that are eco-friendly and are cheaper than the other name brand cartridges. Get Green Ink inspects the old ink cartridge and replaces it with any parts that are worn down or that are missing. When the companies recycle these ink cartridges they have certain stipulations and must follow guidelines. The majority of empty cartridges they receive are from school, libraries, charities, or from people like you. They are then able to offer a competitive price and that makes it more cost effective. The print quality has undergone numerous tests and prints the same, if not better than its OEM counterparts. 


Buying these eco-friendly ink cartridges prevent thousands of cartridges from going into landfills every day, and in the long run helps the environment.





Computer technology has changed over the years from 3000-pound punch card gorillas, to 3D graphics on 3-pound laptops. In the same way, computer accessories have improved as well. Today’s printers are faster, quieter, smaller, cheaper, and more versatile than the printers of 30 years ago. However, they still have the same basic function, printing ink on paper.

The first printers were essentially electric typewriters that took input from a computer instead of a keyboard. Letters were carved into steel or plastic, mounted on a wheel behind an ink-soaked ribbon, and struck the paper to print out a single letter. Although these carved letters would print beautiful letters, the letters would be the same font and size. The next leap in printer technology was the dot-matrix printer. Here, the daisy-wheel was replaced by a print head of 8-32 pins. The pins would strike the ribbon, printing dots that would form a letter. Now, graphics could be printed. Unfortunately, text quality went down, and they were still loud and slow.

Whereas these printers were adaptations of typewriter technology, laser printers adapted photocopy machine technology. Here, a laser would mark pixels onto a drum, the drum would pick up toner, place that onto paper, and with heat, the toner would bond to the paper and make an image. This allowed high quality text, graphics, and they were quieter than the old printers. Unfortunately, at least initially, they were only black and white, very slow, and cost thousands. However, printer technology advances reduced the costs to the low hundreds, speed increased greatly, color was added, and they are still being used today. For large volume printing, laser printers are the recommended solution.

The most common printers today are inkjet printers. These replace the daisy-wheel or print head from older printers with a disposable, micro-electronic device which sprays ink onto the paper – a printer ink cartridge. They are quiet, fast, and more than anything, extremely inexpensive, often less than 50 dollars. The greatest cost comes from the printer ink, but if cartridges are refilled, cost is minimized. Since the printing element is inexpensive, separate cartridges for different colors are mounted in the printer, allowing photo-realistic color printing.

For users going from dot-matrix to inkjet, it feels like night and day, but this is the story of our generation. If the first users were told that someday, a picture could be printed realistically on a printer that costs less than a tank of gas, they would laugh. However, that is the fact today thanks to the advances in printer technology.






For those who wish to live sustainably, it’s essential to impact the environment as little as possible; product choices become very important both at home and in the office. Like most consumer products, all ink is not the same, and some ink can actually be toxic to the environment. The environmental impacts associated with using conventional printer ink are real, but there are also ways to help avoid the resulting problems.



Petroleum-based inks are the traditional choice in the printing industry. Unfortunately, these inks are not regarded as being environmentally-friendly. Among the disadvantages of petroleum-based inks are the fact that they are produced using a non-renewable resource – petroleum. Petroleum is currently being consumed at a rate that far exceeds the rate of its production in nature, and as such, its consumption in the form of ink as well as other products is damaging to the environment. Another negative aspect of conventional, petroleum-based inks is their release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere. VOCs are gasses that consist of harmful chemicals with negative health effects, and these chemicals cause harm by leaching into the environment as petroleum-based ink dries and as printed materials wind up in landfills.



Fortunately, the environmental impacts of using conventional printer ink can be minimized or avoided altogether. There are viable alternatives to petroleum-based inks, and when used, these alternatives minimize the damage done to the environment. While conventional inks release as much as 30% VOCs, low-VOC ink reduces that amount to 5% or less, doing less harm to the environment. The VOC level of an ink – whether petroleum or plant-based – can usually be found on the ink manufacturer’s material safety data sheet. From a natural resource conservation perspective, vegetable-based and soy-based inks are better choices than conventional ink because they are produced from renewable resources. Finally, the manner in which a used printer ink cartridge is handled can either help or hurt the environment. Recycling ink cartridges reduces waste and pollution no matter what type of ink is being used, and most manufacturers now accept empty ink cartridges for recycling. An alternative to recycling is reuse; existing ink cartridges can be refilled and reused. Refilling ink cartridges diverts plastic from landfills, and lessens the need to produce more plastic which is made from oil – again, a non-renewable resource. Ink refills can also be purchased in bulk, which means less packaging and less waste still.



Using conventional ink certainly impacts the environment in negative ways. However, all is not lost; the problems associated with petroleum-based inks and cartridges can be mitigated by choosing inks made from renewable resources and properly handling used cartridges.

Even 20 years ago, the speed and complexity of today’s modern ink jet and laser jet printers would be unheard of. Printers from the ’90s and ’80s were slow, inaccurate and often carried only black and white printer ink. Since then, huge strides have been taken in making printers more accurate and more cost effective. Printers now come with the ability to print a broad range of colors, photo printing capabilities and can include features like photocopiers, faxing and scanners. And, even today, scientists and printer companies are working hard to keep developing astounding and technologically superior printers of a new generation.

For an example, at Dartmouth College a team of researchers and students have developed a futuristic printer that is capable not only of replicating the colors of an image, but also different shades of that image’s reflectivity. Reflectivity is very different from coloring and shape in pictures. Reflectivity shows a different level of depth and affects how light travels to the eye. Modern printers don’t really have any bearing on reflectivity, but by using silver printer ink combined with traditional colors, the researchers were able to replicate a reflectivity effect. It’s very possible that printers in the future will use this technique to make more accurate and more visually astounding versions of the images that they print.

Any discussion of next-generation printing techniques should also mention the futuristic three-dimensional printers that have recently entered the ranges of affordability. Once confined to cutting-edge universities and science labs, three-dimensional printers use special printer ink cartridges that use printing material that can be built, layer by layer, to represent a three-dimensional figure. Currently, the technology doesn’t allow colored figures. However, this printing capability is extremely useful for architectural sculptures, art design, toys and other applications. Three-dimensional printers have been introduced at a fairly low price point of about $3000, though their printer ink cartridges can be quite expensive. Nevertheless, we may see a day quite soon when three-dimensional printers are as common to have in a household or office as ink jet printers are today.

All changes in the technology industry tend to happen slowly, and this has historically been very true in the world of printers. We’re unlikely to see super affordable reflective or three-dimensional printers pop up tomorrow. However, it’s interesting to think what printers might look like in the future, and what they might be capable of. Whatever the case, printer manufacturers will likely continue to improve on printer abilities to replicate images more accurately, work faster and utilize less expensive printer ink cartridges. As the technology becomes less expensive, these amazing printing capabilities will soon become available for everyday printing jobs.

On September 23-26, at the Brussels Expo in Belgium, the greatest label show on earth will host over 500 exhibitors in the global printing industry at Labelexpo Europe 2009. Suppliers, brand name owners, and printing industry professionals from around the world will be able to network and view an unprecedented collection of “printing and packaging miracles” and “technological marvels.”

The massive scale of this year’s Labelexpo show will be staggering with exhibitors and visitors from more than one hundred countries descending upon the beautiful city of Brussels, bringing spending commitments for cutting-edge printing technology that will be worth millions of euros.
Because Europe can boast having over one third of the world’s label consumption with the highest per capita usage, Labelexpo Europe has become the largest printing industry gathering in the world of labels. This year’s show will provide printing industry professionals a networking opportunity to have the ultimate experience in developing new business contacts, all working together as a worldwide community to push the label, product decoration and converting industry toward a prosperous future.
According to Bill Reichard with Gerhardt USA, during the 2008 Labelexpo Europe in Brussels, “The quantity and the quality of the contacts made over the course of the show were overwhelming. Most of us have never experienced a show like it.”

Labelexpo was initially hosted in London in 1980, and then the show moved to Brussels in 1985 where it has become the flagship show of Labelexpos worldwide by becoming the largest dedicated label event in the world. With a record attendance of over 50,000 buyers at the director or management level expected this year, exhibitors will be inundated with new clients and business partners.

Phil Hall with Troika Systems describes his business contact experiences at the Labelexpo Europe show in 2008 by saying, “This was one of the best attended exhibitions we have been to in many years. The quality of visitors was very high and the leads we generated far exceeded our expectations and are already resulting in sales.”

Exhibiting at Labelexpo events gives your company’s products, services and technology a giant boost in marketing exposure. Labelexpo invests an enormous amount of money in marketing to guarantee exhibitors will meet the most enthusiastic international assembly of printing industry consumers in the label industry.

To find out more about Labelexpo Europe 2009 at the Brussels Expo during September 23-26 visit the Labelexpo website at http://www.labelexpo-europe.com.

Printers have gone green as well. And from the industry’s top printing technology brands come the top eco-friendly models that are already out, or just about to be released in the market. Say hello to eco-printing!

The HP DeskJet D2545 is a great eco-friendly desktop printer, perfect for a small office or home. The actual printer is composed of 83% recycled plastic while its black printer ink cartridges are also made from 75% recycled plastic. The HP DeskJet D2545 has also been qualified as an Energy Star printer, which consumes 40% less power when in sleep or idle mode, as compared to previous DeskJet models. Whether printing in full color or black and white, the D2545 has a printable resolution of up to 1200 dpi. It also allows 4×6 to 11×17 in sheet sizes and is capable of printing 4×6 up to panorama photos. It’s budget-friendly as well as it retails for about $44.99.

The Epson Stylus Office TX510FN is still set to be unleashed in a few months, but has created quite a buzz already. 87% of the TX510FN can be recycled and Epson claims that this model will be the most eco-friendly printer out in the market. On standby mode, the TX510FN only consumes a mere 0.25W. The TX510FN is capable of printing 38 pages a minute with a dpi of 5760 x 1440. It comes with a 1200 x 2400 dpi scanner along with a 30-page feeder. Remarkably an all-in-one-printer, it also boasts of a built-in color fax, an Ethernet port, and an LED display. It retails for about $180.

The Canon PIXMA series offers a huge line of environmentally responsible printers. PIXMA printers are known for their automatic 2-sided printing that saves up to 50% of paper supply. The MP980 model in particular has white LED technology that allows the unit to be smaller with zero warm up time. This new packaging resulted in the MP980 being 22% smaller than its predecessor and has an approximate 18% shipping efficiency. The MP980 also has an approximate 91% overall energy savings over the MP760. PIXMA printers are Energy Star qualified meaning, when not in use, the printers automatically go into a low-power mode. Additional features include: negative scanning, duplex printing (comes with a gray ink cartridge for black and white printing), print resolution of 600×600 dpi black and 9600×2400 dpi color, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, plus a large 3.5 inch LCD display. Most Canon printers have rechargeable ink cartridges that are shipped to Canon for recycling. An eco-friendly Canon printer will contain a single cartridge where individual tanks contain the different colored inks, thus creating huge savings when printing. The MP980 retails for about $280.

The 2008 HP printer was considered one of the best values around. This printer comes with HP printer ink and is ready to use right out of the box. In addition, it is extremely easy to setup and its small size means that it can be used almost anywhere. One thing that many users enjoy about the 2008 model is that although it came at a very low price, it outperformed many more expensive printers quite handily. For these reasons, this printer was one of the best surprises of 2008.

The problem with the 2008 model was that it seemed to use a great deal of printer ink. This means that although it was still a great deal, users would constantly have to refill their printer ink cartridges, which made this printer inefficient for larger jobs. In addition, some users reported that the printing speed was rather slow. While a slow printing speed can be expected with an inkjet printer, many users were upset by the slow speed of this particular model.

The 2009 model has a great deal of buzz around it, as it introduces aspects that the world has never seen before. For starters, this model features Internet printing, so you can taken advantage of your HP printer ink from anywhere in the world. In addition, this newer model has been designed to be environmentally friendly. This printer is made from 50% recycled materials, which is remarkable for such a high tech piece of machinery. In addition, the printer ink cartridges that this printer uses are also made from 50% recycled material. You will never find another printer out there that uses recycled containers for its printer ink.

In addition, the 2009 model has been approved by Energy Star, so it will not waste any energy while it is being used. Finally, this printer allows you to use both sides of the paper easily, so you can save money by using less paper. HP is allowing its customers to save money on things like paper and electricity, while still selling their printers at a great value, which is what makes the 2009 printer a must have.

Overall, the quality of your prints will be about the same with the 2008 and 2009 HP models. The HP printer ink has not changed at all, so do not expect the prints to look like they have come from a $500 printer. What both of these models do offer, however, is an affordable printing option that will give you very clean looking prints. If you want a printer that will not harm the environment, it might be time to upgrade to the 2009 HP.

Kodak has long been one of the most trusted names in the photography industry, but in recent years, we have seen a switch in the way that people take pictures. We now live in a digital age where people no longer take their rolls of film to be developed, but are rather more likely to store these pictures on a computer. What this has done is made all-in-one printers relevant, as these printers can print out photographs and other things very easily. The problem is that printer ink cartridges can be very expensive. In many cases, people will buy an entirely new printer rather than purchase more printer ink because it can be less expensive to do so. Kodak, however, has found a way to make inkjet cartridges less expensive for the consumer, which is why they are leading the industry in printer sales.

Just a few years ago, we could see the inkjet business starting to wind down. It has simply become too expensive for the average consumer to continually purchase printer ink cartridges. Around this time, we saw refill stations showing up at malls all over the country, but the problem was that not all inkjet cartridges could be refilled. The frustration of the consumers was evident and many printer companies began struggling. In order to survive, these companies had to sell their printers at discounted prices and hope that people would come around and buy printer ink.

What Kodak has done is come up with new ingredients to use in printer ink, which cut down on the overall price of each unit. While the company has been very careful to guard the exact ingredients in the ink, it is pigment-based, which means that the cost per page printed is less for the consumer. Countless people all over the world have caught on to this and Kodak is once again making printer ink cartridges affordable.

Since this new printer ink was introduced, Kodak has seen its sales rise exponentially. While its competitors would argue that the savings are not as significant as Kodak would have the customer believe, the results that Kodak has produced speak for themselves. You can find great deals on Kodak inkjet cartridges online, which make them even more affordable and will save you even more money as the years go by.

Kodak has made using a computer printer possible again thanks to this new printer ink solution and the low prices that come with them. Kodak printers also remain among the highest quality printers on the market, so it is never a bad idea to invest in one. The people at Kodak are working hard to keep up with the demand, but many stores are having trouble keeping up with the sales of these printers and printer ink.

When a printer reports that the ink cartridge needs to be replaced, it generally does not need replacing. Printer ink cartridges tend to retain a considerable amount of ink despite being “empty.” A considerable amount can best be described as anywhere from 40% to 60% of printer ink. Amounts vary depending on the printer model and what it is programmed to perceive as empty. The reason for this misconception is based upon how a printer determines the ink cartridge is empty.

Toner consumption is normally measured by a series of factors: how a printer is used, what it prints, how much information is printed per page, and the density each page is printed at. Sensors inside laser printers monitor toner cartridge levels and yield a basic idea of how much toner has been used. However, these sensors are unable to detect exactly how much toner has been used over a specific time frame. Therefore when a printer ink cartridge is still quite full, your printer delivers a message stating the printer ink is running low and should be replaced.

If you want to continue printing with the same printer ink, despite the fact that your printer ink cartridge is dried up and empty, there are some techniques that will help to extend the life of your printer ink.

The easiest and most common technique is to simply remove the ink cartridge, shake it, and re-install it. Another simple technique is to open the toner compartment and leave it open for a few seconds. The printer will believe a new cartridge was inserted during that time. A third method includes placing a small piece of tape over the printer ink sensor. This tricks the printer into believing a new ink cartridge has been installed and helps keep it running smoothly. There are also websites available with combinations and instructions for fooling printers into thinking ink cartridges have been replaced. Some of these techniques may work better on certain printers as opposed to others.

There is always the option of replacing the ink cartridge as recommended. Or continue printing with the existing cartridge until it indeed runs dry and begins to produce faint copies.

In most instances, the ink cartridge in your printer will last long past the time it runs out of ink. It just takes some basic knowledge and manipulation in order to keep it running smoothly despite being “empty.”

Recycling has become more than a way to get your deposit back from your soda purchases; it has become a way of life for millions of Americans. When choosing remanufactured printer ink cartridges, there are many factors that people consider, such as the cost differences, overall quality and ease of access to remanufactured ink. Remanufactured printer ink also offers one major advantage over their OEM counterparts that is often overlooked.

Every year millions of pounds of ink cartridges are tossed in the trash and hauled off to the landfills. In turn, manufacturers produce replacement cartridges that can cause massive amounts of pollution during the manufacture process. Remanufactured ink cartridges remove one step of the manufacturing process, the shell, and therefore offer a sustainable resource for printer users.

Along with being more environmentally friendly, remanufactured ink cartridges also cost much less to produce and these savings are passed on to the consumers. And recycling printer ink cartridges is a very simple process. Many local retailers offer special bags which allow you to mail your ink cartridges to your local recycling facility or the manufacturer so they can be reused.

If you are looking for a way to become a little green while keeping some extra green in your bank account remanufactured printer ink is the perfect solution. PrinterInk.com offers a great selection of top quality remanufactured printer ink cartridges for all of the top brands, meaning you can cover all of your ink needs in one convenient online location.