‘You get what you pay for’ is a saying that applies when purchasing printer ink and printer ink cartridges. Because different printer ink companies use different technologies in the production of their printer ink cartridge, the market is challenging, with different companies pushing their technologies as being the best. They all boast of the best printer ink quality and tout various new features over another brand. It boils down to whether the toner or printer ink you are using is an original equipment manufactured (OEM) cartridge or a compatible generic ink cartridge, and what kind of deal you can get. Checking what is available and comparing qualities is the way to determine if a generic brand is as good, if not better than, OEM. 



There are pigment based inks that are great for photo printing, and geared toward high end consumers looking for quality prints. They are vibrant and highly resistant to ensure photo quality that will last a lifetime. Other pigment based inks are on the lower end of the printer ink scale and there is more water in mixed in those cartridges. For document based printing and high volume printing, these printer inks work well. The problem is that some of these printer ink cartridges tend to leave residue in the printer ink cartridge, causing clogging and blurred imaging.



It is interesting to know that many manufacturers other than the original manufacturer manufacture printer cartridges using new and recycled parts. In many cases, the only recycles parts are the parts that encase the ink, and they are put through strict quality controls to meet or surpass OEM specifications. They cost a lot less than an OEM product, are environmentally friendly because they recycle the case that contains the ink, and are proven to have quality controls in place for guaranteed performance.



It is pretty much a given that printer ink technologies will usually favor an OEM, but don’t be afraid to research other generic brands. Often times, as noted above, the printer ink quality of a lesser known brand will be equal to or, in some cases, surpass that of an OEM printer cartridge and it will cost a lot less. As a consumer, it’s up to you to check consumer reports and benefits in the toner and printer ink aftermarket to understand what print cartridge is best for you. If you have a need for high quality photographic printing, you’ll probably want to go with a high end pigment based, OEM printer ink quality toner cartridge, but if your workload mainly consists of high volume, black and white or color documents, then a generic, recommended printer ink should suffice.

The world of toner, printer ink and printing technology is a great deal more complicated that it appears at first blush. With a multitude of printer options, from commercial-grade laser to desktop-sized inkjet and everything in between, there are host of factors that go into determining how long a printer ink cartridge will last, how good the images it prints will look, and what kind of wear and tear it will suffer. How often the printer is used, for example, can affect printer ink life. If used every day, printer ink can quickly be used up and can be extremely pricey to replace often. If used infrequently, the ink can dry up, resulting in an unexpected cost. One factor which is often overlooked when considering the life and usefulness of a printer ink cartridge is the type of paper used.



Just like printer ink, paper comes in multiple types, grades and is created by multiple manufacturers. Three important characteristics of printer paper are its weight, brightness, and finish, and each of these can affect how the ink applied to it is used, as well as how much of it will be required to produce a high-quality image. The weight of paper refers to its thickness; the higher the weight, the thicker the paper. Common personal-use paper has a weight of 24lb. Photo paper, meanwhile, is 62lbs on average. The higher the weight of the paper, the more ink it will take to produce an image and the harder used the ink cartridge will be. 



Paper brightness is rated on a scale from 1 to 100; the higher the number, the brighter the paper. Manufacturers will often place the words “bright” or “bold” on their paper, but be sure to look for the number when in need of the brightest paper. Anything above a 95 will be a bright, clear white. Paper brightness has little effect on ink usage, and ink will typically show up more obviously on bright paper than that with a more grey hue. Cheaper paper in this case can be harder on your printer cartridge.



The finish of the paper can be matte, semi-gloss or glossy. Matte paper has no shine, while glossy is often referred to as photo quality. The gloss is achieved by applying a coating to the paper which will result in sharper images and cause colors to display more vibrantly. A higher quality paper will need less ink to create a brilliant and clear picture, and can mean less ink use per page. While the cost of paper can be prohibitive for daily use, a higher brightness, higher gloss option will enable an ink cartridge to perform its best for the maximum amount of time.