Choosing between genuine ink cartridges and compatible ink cartridges can significantly impact your printing costs, quality, and printer lifespan. This guide will help you understand the differences and decide which option suits your needs.
What Are Genuine Ink Cartridges?
Genuine ink cartridges or OEM are produced by the original printer manufacturers, such as Canon, HP, Epson, or Brother. These cartridges are specifically designed to work seamlessly with their respective printers.
Advantages of Genuine Ink Cartridges
- Superior UV resistance: slightly higher-quality prints, especially for photos and graphics plus more UV resistant.
- Reliability: No compatibility issues, reducing the risk of leaks or errors.
- Warranty Protection: Using genuine cartridges ensures your printer's warranty remains intact.
- Longevity: slightly lower chance of clogging or damage to your printer.
Disadvantages of Genuine Ink Cartridges
- Higher Cost: Genuine cartridges are often 50–100% more expensive than third-party alternatives.
- Limited Options: Fewer high-capacity or budget-friendly versions.
What Are Compatible Ink Cartridges?
Compatible ink cartridges are manufactured by third-party companies and designed to work with branded printers. They are also referred to as "generic" or "remanufactured" cartridges.
Advantages of Compatible Ink Cartridges
- Cost-Effective: Typically 50–80% cheaper than genuine cartridges.
- Eco-Friendly Options: Many compatible cartridges are made from recycled materials.
- Wide Availability: More options, including higher-capacity cartridges.
Disadvantages of Compatible Ink Cartridges
- Variable Quality: Print quality and reliability depend on the brand; low-quality cartridges may leak or clog.
- Potential Printer Issues: Some printer updates may block third-party cartridges ( eg: HP Printers ).
- Warranty Concerns: Using compatible cartridges might void your printer’s warranty but only if they are proven beyond doubt to have caused the problem.
Genuine vs. Compatible Ink: Key Differences
| Feature | Genuine Ink | Compatible Ink |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Expensive | Affordable |
| Print Quality | Consistently high | Varies by manufacturer |
| Printer Warranty | Protected | Mostly Protected |
| Reliability | Highly reliable | Can vary |
| Eco-Friendliness | Less eco-friendly | Often recycled |
FAQs
1. Do Compatible Ink Cartridges Damage Printers?
Not necessarily. High-quality compatible cartridges from trusted brands usually work well. However, low-quality options may lead to clogs or leaks. Nowadays the quality on generic cartridges has improved immensely compared to several years ago.
2. Can Using Compatible Ink Void My Printer’s Warranty?
Some manufacturers may void warranties if third-party cartridges cause damage however the warranty will only be void if it's proven that the non genuine cartridges did in fact cause the issue. Check your printer’s warranty terms.
3. How Can I Find Reliable Compatible Cartridges?
Look for reputable third-party cartridge brands from a company with positive reviews, such as Ink Hub.
Conclusion
Both genuine and compatible ink cartridges have pros and cons. If print quality and reliability are your top concerns, stick with genuine cartridges. If affordability and eco-friendliness matter most, compatible cartridges are a great choice. Whatever you decide, always buy from trusted suppliers to ensure the best performance.
The battle continues to rage over the differences between genuine brand name cartridges and the non genuine (generic or third party) printer ink. So many articles have been written on the subject and still the average consumer seems to be undecided as to which is the best in regards to both print quality, overall costs as well as making sure their beloved printer is not compromised.
Definition of a Compatible Ink Cartridge
A compatible or Generic ink cartridge is basically a copy of the genuine brand name cartridge which has been manufactured by a third party. Although there are hundreds of companies producing compatible ink cartridges some of the more common generic brands include Q-image, Calidad, Print-Rite and Q inks.
We (Ink Hub) have ran extensive tests over the years with all major brands of non genuine or third party inks and we believe that our own brand that we have been retailing since 2007 is by far the most reliable and highest quality cartridge on the market today.
The main areas of concern with generic cartridges are compatibility, print quality, page yield and the actual quality of the cartridge molding. If any of these qualities are not there then problems of one kind or another will occur. These problems include ink leakage, poor print quality and yield, jamming or not fitting correctly in the printer and cartridges "Not being Recognized".
The Advantages of using non genuine ink cartridges
The obvious advantage of a compatible cartridge is the low price. On average a non genuine cartridge is between 40 - 90% cheaper than it's brand name equivalent. Not only are they cheaper but almost all of the time the compatible ink or toner cartridge will contain considerably more ink than the genuine brand name cartridge.
Compatible ink cartridges are mostly water based and consist of pigments or dyes to achieve the individual colours as well as the black. Genuine inks on the other hand are oil based. This can be a problem if you are printing invoices etc as water based inks dry immediately where as oil based inks can take considerably longer to dry and they tend to smudge easily if the documents are handled before they have time to dry.
In saying this the print quality is still extremely high and it is almost impossible to tell any major difference in print quality between the two. This is as long as the non genuine third party cartridges are high quality ones and not some of the low grade rubbish that many online shops are still selling.
Disadvantages of using 3rd party Ink Cartridges
The only disadvantage of a generic ink (to my knowledge) is when it comes to high levels of UV exposure. We have performed stringent tests between the brand and non brand cartridges and exposed them to full sunlight (taped to a window) over a period of several months.
There was a greater deterioration in the prints using compatible printer ink as compared to those using brand name inks. This however wouldn't be an issue for the majority of consumers as most printed images and documents receive minimum UV exposure.
In an independent study done on print quality between genuine and non genuine cartridges the Generic cartridges actually rated higher for certain printer brands. Yes you read correctly that the cheaper non genuine inks actually rated higher in some instances for print quality than the more expensive name brand cartridges. You can see the results here - Comparisons between compatible and genuine cartridges.
What to look for when shopping online for generic cartridges
One thing I still find amazing is the number of people who shop online and never bother to check the reputation of a retailer before making a purchase. It takes literally minutes to Google a companies "Reviews" and see what past customers experiences have been. This is especially important when purchasing any "Generic" product as the quality differences can be massive.
Other important factors include the Guarantee which comes with the product as well as the security of the website. Does the website have a phone number and a physical address? No, then be warned as any legitimate online store will have no reason to not supply these details.
In more recent times a crucial factor to consider if you own a Brother, HP or Epson printer is whether your supplier keeps up to date with printer firmware changes. Firmware updates are common practice nowadays and once they are installed your printer most likely will not recognize your generic cartridges. We recommend turning OFF all printer software updates to stop this from occurring. Also if your cartridge supplier is reputable they will always stock the very latest chip updated cartridges to avoid compatibility issues from occurring.
Will Compatible Ink Cartridges damage my Printer?
I wish I had a dollar for every time I've been asked this question. The answer is a definite NO! Unless you buy a cheap, low grade third party cartridge which has been really poorly molded then it's almost impossible for a generic cartridge to damage your printer.
The next most popular question is "Will compatibles void my printer Warranty?". Once again the answer is a definite NO. It is illegal for any company to void your warranty for using a generic cartridge.
In over 8 years of dealing with generic cartridges I am yet to hear of any instance of a generic cartridge damaging a printer. Unfortunately many sales people that sell printers will be quick to point the blame at a non genuine cartridge if an issue occurs. Most sales people however have very little idea of what causes a printer to fail and so it is easier to simply blame the cartridges rather than the cheap and nasty printer.
Let me make one final point which I believe is very relevant. The modern Inkjet Printer no matter what brand is no longer a quality product but a throw away item. Dont believe me? On average most modern Inkjet Printers have a lifespan of 2 years at the most. I am talking about 2 solid years of printing and that is about all you will get from them regardless of the initial cost.
The actual printhead is usually the first component to fail and once this occurs simply bin the printer and grab a new one. The modern printheads are made to a very low standard and due to their delicate nature they rarely last more than a few years. Often they fail sooner.
It makes no difference whatsoever to the printheads lifespan as to whether you use generic or brand name cartridges. My advice when shopping for an Inkjet Printer is to NEVER spend more than $100 on one as you can buy a fancy $200+ unit which still uses the same fragile printhead and will still fail after the same amount of use.
Take a look at this video to learn more about the operation of an Inkjet Printer and how to maintain a healthy printhead.
The compatible ink cartridges I bought on Ebay didn't work, Will yours?
Many people have purchased generic ink cartridges from Ebay or other sites which didnt work in their printers. Now they are convinced that no compatible cartridges will work in their printer, this is not the case.
This is such a common occurrence and there are many reasons as to why they didn't work. Most Ebay sellers are not based in Australia so the cartridges they sell often don't have the correct microchip. Almost all modern ink cartridges and toner have a microchip fitted which is region locked and will only work in specific countries ( eg: Oceania for Australia ).
Another reason for failure is that the microchip is not the latest version and therefore will not work with the printers updated firmware ( this is also very common ). A further cause is that the cartridges are poorly molded and the microchip is not contacting the printer terminals firmly enough.
Let me assure you that there is NO SUCH THING as a printer which WONT WORK WITH COMPATIBLE CARTRIDGES. Despite what you have heard or what your past experience has been ALL PRINTERS ( including all Epson ) will work with non genuine cartridges if they are bought from a reputable reseller.
This is the reason that we ( Ink Hub ) have no problem whatsoever offering a 60 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. Remember we have been dealing with non genuine cartridges for over 10 years now and we now offer the most reliable, highest quality generic ink and toner in Australia.
What about Generic Toner Cartridges?
While most consumers are happy to try non genuine inks many are weary of converting to compatible toners. This may be due to the fact that a laser printer is more expensive to buy in the first place and therefore people are more afraid to try them in case they kill their printer.
This is understandable and to be quite honest we have had dealings over the years with non genuine laser cartridges which were very poorly re manufactured. I was always a bit hesitant to sell these products as the return rate was quite high. The whole point being that there is no use in selling re manufactured toner if it wont perform equally to the OEM equivalent and the customer is left unhappy, no business wants this to happen.
Most Australian online stores are still selling the Print-Rite brand of re manufactured toner. While these are reasonable they are in no way as reliable as Ink Hub's new range of Premium Toners. All of our Premium toners are extremely high quality and we believe that they are equal in quality to the OEM brand name toners.
All of these toners come with a 60 Day Money Back Guarantee and we are confident that they will perform to the highest standard without leaking, streaking or any other issues. Also we guarantee that they will equal or exceed the page yield of any genuine OEM equivalent toner. For more information have a read of the following article concerning generic toner cartridges.
Print Quality Difference between genuine and compatibles
At Ink Hub we have performed stringent tests to analyze the difference in print quality between the OEM and non genuine cartridges. There is very little difference detectable and as in the video below often people chose the compatible cartridge as being a better print quality than the genuine. It is very rare that a customer will complain about the print quality when using our generic inks, the only time this may occur is if there is an issue with the actual printer or the condition of the printhead.