It is a necessary evil that whichever make, model or type of computer printer you buy: you will inevitably have to purchase countless ink cartridges in order to keep them going. Historically ink cartridges have been incredibly expensive items- in many cases in fact costing more to replace than the initial cost of the printer itself. As time has elapsed however, more and more printer manufacturers have started to address this issue and highlight to the consumer that their printers are affordable in the long run. The knock on effect of this has been a general reduction in the cost of replacement inks: which is a good think for all involved.

As well as pandering to the marketing benefits of positioning their printers as cheap to run, the manufacturers have also had to re-align their prices to compete with the sustained growth in popularity of 'compatible' ink cartridge manufacturers and unbranded cartridge refill kits. The larger manufacturers of compatible cartridges have themselves developed such a presence as to become relatively well known brands in their own right. It seems that the 'average consumer' is starting to doubt the claims by printer manufacturers that the use of unofficial ink cartridges can damage their equipment- with the money saving aspect of compatible ink cartridges providing the stimulus.

If we are to consider for instance the LC900 line of Brother Ink cartridges, the fiscal argument in favour of compatible ink cartridges over their official counterparts is plain to see. Using the DG Office Supplies 'Printer Cartridge Finder' tool I was able to find prices for the official cartridges and alternatives offered by two other manufacturers. Even with an average discount of 14% off RRP the total cost of a full replacement set (black, magenta, yellow and cyan ink cartridges) of the authentic 'Brother' branded cartridges came to a total of £54.28. A complete set of compatible cartridges made by 5 Star was available for £36.21: a total saving of £18.07 for the sake of a different name printed on the packaging. Even more incredible was the saving to be made by purchasing compatible cartridges by well respected French manufacturer Armor; a complete set of their cartridges came to just £19.28: a full £35 less than the official Brother Ink Cartridges!

From personal experience as a user of both 'official' and compatible ink cartridges I have never noticed a difference in print quality between the two, nor has a printer malfunctioned on my watch as a consequence of using an unofficial ink cartridge. The money saving potential of compatible ink cartridges far outweighs the risk of using them as far as I can see: but if one were to damage my printer then I may well swiftly retract that statement.