At Affordable Ink we sell compatible and re-manufactured ink cartridges. Occasionally we are asked what these terms mean, so here is a brief description and comparison to genuine (OEM) cartridges and refilled cartridges. Compatible cartridges are brand new cartridges, every part of the cartridge is new and made to match the specifications of the their OEM counterparts.
More complicated cartridges like the tricolour cartridges are usually remanufactured rather than created from scratch. Re-manufactured cartridges use OEM cartridge cases that have been through a recycling process which involves a thorough cleaning and drying, testing of parts and refilling with ink. The ink that is used is specifically chosen for the cartridge to give the best results.
The other option when buying cartridges are genuine cartridges (we all know how expensive they are) or having your cartridges refilled at a shop like Cartridge World. Refilling cartridges involves taking your used cartridges to the store and waiting while they check the electronics, remove the old ink, and inject a generic ink. For some common cartridges you can swap them for a cartridge that has already been refilled.
Refilling cartridges has environmental benefits of course, but let’s have a look at the costs of refilling some common cartridges. A set of LC37 cartridges from Affordable Ink is $24, while a refill at cartridge world is $81.60, that’s only slightly cheaper than OEM cartridges. Canon PGI5//CLI8 from us, $27, from Cartridge World, $73.60. Cartridge World cannot refill most Epson cartridges, they do have compatibles but they will set you back $60 and HP 920XL cartridges will cost you $37 from us or $80 from Cartridge World. With compatible cartridges becoming popular, refilling cartridges will soon be a thing of the past.