Types of Printer Cartridges

A printer cartridge is a device that contains ink, toner or other materials necessary for printing. Cartridges can be of different types and brands, each designed for a specific type of printer or task. They can be original (OEM) or compatible, and cartridges can also be disposable or refillable.

1. Ink cartridges are used in inkjet printers. They contain ink of different colors - black, blue, yellow, and magenta - and can be either original or compatible.

2. Toner cartridges are used in laser printers. They contain toner - a powder made of a mixture of plastic and pigment - which is sprayed onto the paper and then heated to adhere. Toner cartridges can be original or compatible, and also disposable or refillable.

3. Cartridges for dot matrix printers contain an ink ribbon that is transferred to the paper during printing. This type of cartridge is mainly used for printing on receipt printers and other devices where high-quality printing is required.

4. Cartridges for photo printers contain ink specially designed for printing on photo paper. They can be both color and black and may contain additional colors such as light blue or light pink for more accurate color reproduction.

5. Cartridges for printing on fabric contain ink that can be applied to textile materials. These cartridges can be used in special printers that can print on fabrics such as t-shirts, flags, banners, etc.

Original vs. generic: what to choose?

Original cartridges (OEM) are cartridges produced by the printer manufacturer with the same brand. When choosing cartridges, it is necessary to consider the balance between quality and price. Original consumables provide high-quality prints, which is especially important for photo printers and photo printing. The disadvantage is the high price. Manufacturers claim that using low-quality cartridges can damage the printers themselves and recommend using only original ones.

Original consumables are divided by capacity:

- Starter or demo cartridges that come with a new printer. They have a small print resource.
- Standard cartridges whose resource is designed for home printer use or small businesses.
- High-capacity cartridges, designed for devices that require large print volumes. They are usually marked with the XL symbol.
- Extra-high-capacity cartridges are used in machines with a large daily print volume. They significantly reduce printing costs.

Compatible consumables are new cartridges produced by other factories using their own technology or technology purchased from printer manufacturers. Manufacturers of this product have their own brand, such as G&G, Printrite, Static-Control, and many others.

The sale and production of compatible consumables does not violate the law, as copyright and patents are not infringed during production. In addition, manufacturers of compatible products provide a warranty for the entire service life of the cartridges. Compatible cartridges do not differ significantly from original ones, except that the consumables are not manufactured by printer manufacturers. In fact, when using compatible cartridges, the print quality is not inferior to OEM cartridges. But they cost 50-150% less, provided that the compatible cartridges are of good quality.

Currently, compatible consumables are almost indistinguishable from original ones. Some copies even surpass original ones in certain parameters such as resource and print quality. Many manufacturers of compatible cartridges have international quality certificates such as ISO 9001-14000.