Pin It

Why Do HP And Lexmark Compatible Ink Cartridges Cost More?

jaschmidt | Jan 26, 2011 |

0 Comments | Rating: 0

People who own a HP or Lexmark printer do not understand why their ink cartridges are more expensive than the ink cartridges for the Epson or for the Canon printer.

The first reason is that the HP and Lexmark ink cartridges' print heads are inside the cartridges and cannot be removed, therefore the print heads have to be replaced every time the new ink cartridge is installed.

If the print head is replaced every time with the ink cartridges, it increases the reliability and the quality of the printer. However it is expensive to manufacture the print head, as it is an electrical device which has to be produced by an expert with an advanced machine. This is one reason that even with the third party manufacturers, you cannot get a cheap print head. It is impossible to manufacture them at a lower price than other companies. However it is not good for the environment to throw away the print head every time you change the ink cartridges, considering the energy which is lost in manufacturing it. That's why the material in the HP and Lexmark are recycled.

The compatible HP and Lexmark cartridges are recycled ink cartridges which are ready to be used again. Those inks cartridges are not just refilled but remanufactured which is a long process to ensure their reliability. The remanufacturing process begins with collecting the empty cartridges still in good condition from the brokers. After that each cartridge is checked for any possible damage. After manual inspection, the cartridges are cleaned and electronically tested. Lastly the cartridges are refilled with premium quality ink. Before the ink cartridges are packed into a clearly labeled box, they should pass through visual, electronic and under pressure tests to ensure that the units do not leak. Inside the box there is a free bag to use when you want to recycle the cartridge again. The refilled cartridges are the cartridges where only the ink has been refilled without any other process.

As it is apparent, remanufacturing takes longer than refilling, that's why the remanufactured cartridges are more expensive than refilled cartridges.

The Epson and Canon compatible cartridges are cheaper than the HP and Lexmark because they do not have a print head; it is only ink cartridge tanks which are refilled. Therefore they are remanufactured at a low cost.