Genuine vs. Remanufactured and Compatible Cartridges
June 12, 2012
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Despite what manufacturers say, you have a choice when buying replacement ink cartridges for your printer.

Genuine cartridges

Also known as Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) cartridges these are made by the brand name company - such as Canon, Brother, Epson, etc. - specifically for your line of printer. They are typically the best-suited cartridge, but also the most expensive option. Many of the newer printers require ink cartridges with embedded microchips that severely regulates the ink. It can limit the cartridge to one use or to a certain number of pages, or to keep the cartridge in alignment.

However, if you are looking to save, remanufactured and compatible ink and toner cartridges are an economic alternative to buying brand name cartridges for your printer.

Compatible cartridges

These are off-brand cartridges. They are usually comparable to OEM products in quality, quantity and performance depending on where you get them. Compatibles are specifically made to meet OEM standards and specifications in order to be a major competitor. Sometimes, compatible cartridges yield even more prints since OEM cartridges aren't always filled to capacity.

Remanufactured cartridges

These are rebuilt from empty used cartridges. They are not only refilled with ink, but also taken apart and repaired. High quality standards and tests are maintained during the remanufacturing process so these types of cartridges are able to meet or exceed original specifications. You are essentially getting a recycled ink cartridge that rivals the original product but for less money. Remanufactured printer ink cartridges

Your Printer is Safe

The most important thing to note is that using remanufactured ink cartridges, or any other non-OEM cartridges will NOT void the printer's warranty. Enacted in 1975, the Magnuson Moss statute prohibits the manufacturers of your equipment from requiring the use of OEM ink or toner cartridges, or from charging extra fees if you use non-OEM products.

What does this mean for you? This means you can use off-brand and remanufactured cartridges with no penalties to your warranty! Looking for some ink now? Check out Inkfarm.com's large selection of ink and toner.

How to Order High-Quality Cartridges

First and foremost, make sure the ink or toner cartridge is the correct one and that it will work with your printer. You must know the brand and model of your printer before ordering to do so. Also, check whether your printer has embedded microchips that will prevent the use of compatible ink cartridges.

Be sure to conduct a thorough online search for the best ink retailer. You can check the legitimacy and realibility of a company through the Better Business Bureau (BBB), by reading comments/reviews and by asking friends and family.

Many online companies will offer a warranty or guarantee with their products. Take advantage of this, especially if you are hesitant about the ink cartridges.

  15 Comments

revgeis    7.02.12

I purchased Re-manufactured cartridges for my Epson CX4400 printer brom Inkfarm but my printer would not recognize them and will not print. I wrote to Inkfarm about this but have not received an answer.

Inkfarm Sabina     7.03.12

I'm very sorry that we have not gotten back to you yet. I know our customer service representatives have been very busy as of late. If you could send your order information to sabina.c@inkfarm.com, I will personally forward that on and make sure one of the representatives responds to you.

Again, I'm very sorry for the inconvenience,
Sabina

crankeyyankee    7.02.12

I have gotten two sets of cartridges for a Epson CX7800 printer. Have replaced two so far. The black and the cyan.The cyan i had to take out and put in a couple of times then it started. Other than that the two print perfect. Will be ordering from them again so far when i need more.

happycamper    7.02.12

I ordered a 5-pack of "compatible" ink cartridges for the Brother LC61 series, 2 black and 3 color. I tried one color and one black and neither would work. Inkfarm promptly responded to my request for a refund and within 2 weeks of me mailing the cartridges back at no charge, my debit card was credited the amount owed to me. I will be ordering Brother brand cartridges from Inkfarm and seeing how that goes. They are definitely less expensive at Inkfarm and I had great customer service, so it's worth a shot!

gagnon4x    11.20.12

Today was the second time that I've received an ink cartridge from Inkfarm that my printer would not 'recognize.' However, with just a phone call, the kind lady at Inkfarm had me install my other new cartridge and it worked fine! Also, they will replace the one that didn't work and they ship super fast! Great people to deal with!! Because of their commitment to satisfy their customers, I keep coming back.

Barbara    3.16.13

I purchased (2) XL cartridges for my HP printer it did recognize this as "counterfit" (their words) but cartridge works just fine. It did tell me my printer wsrranty would be voided??????????

jkey59    9.05.13

I bought 2 XL compatible's for my lexmark and the printer accepted them ok but they did not last any longer than even a small cartridge. If anything, much less!!! I contacted INK farm and I believe I will hear back from them.

Idatys    11.24.13

How do I handle old dry cartridges. LEx. 36xl. 36, 37. .

Type a Screen Name    1.26.14

Hi, I ordered the 5 pack for my Epson workforce 545. The printer keeps telling me I'm not using epsom ink and then it won't start. Not sure what to do? Also, the printer tells me I only need to replace the black ink, the other inks are at an appropriate level. Is it alright to just replace the black ink? Thanks, Carol

grand-mama    3.19.14

Hi Ink farm, I have been using your ink in my HP printer for 3 years now with NO PROBLEMS what so ever. I am also pleased to say,your ink cartridges last so much longer than the HP ink I 'USED TO PURCHASE" KUDOS TO YOU INKFARM!!!! 3-18-14

Cartridges Not Compatible    3.30.14

I purchase a full set of cartridges for my Epson Stylus NX510 from Inkfarm. The printer gives a message of "cartridges not recognized" and will not go past that point. I have emailed and called Inkfarm and read all of their blog looking for a work around. I have received no return email and the wait time on the phone got past 30 minutes so I figured I would not get an answer. I believe Inkfarm knows there is no work around and chooses not to address this issue. This is my last effort before giving up and writing this off to a ripoff!

Inkfarm     3.31.14

I'm very sorry you had this problem and have not yet received a response. Please email our Customer service manager directly at joe.p@inkfarm.com for a quick resolution to your issue.

Leonard525@aol.com    7.24.16

I have used the CLI-8 series inkfarm remanufactured ink cartridges in my Canon Pro9000 printer w/o any recognition difficulties ever. The immediate results at both the UV light range (365nM light source in a UV chamber) and in the visble light range at 0 time are exactly the same side by side vs genuine Canon CLI-8 series ink. The colors are crisp. vibrant and beautiful! I am in the midst of testing the color fade resistance of the inks side by side at the present time and will report out the results at a later date. Hopeful -

e cigarettes    1.17.17

The blog is unique that’s providing the nice material. Please post more interesting articles here.
e cigarettes

Mubi    6.09.17

I was buying OEM but they cost a lot so I searched for a third party re-manufacturer but the results were not satisfactory and I had to go back for the original one. Then I heard about a phrase "Re-engineered" instead of "Re-manufactured" ink cartridges by a brand named Uink. I was told by one of my friend who was using these and were fully satisfied with their quality. Can you please explain the difference between a remanufactured and re-engineered cartridge? here is the link of the said product which that is said to have been re-engineered.

https://www.amazon.com/UInk-Inkjet-Premium-Cartridge-HP61XL/dp/B01N0ADSMF/ref=sr_1_282?ie=UTF8qid=1496165625sr=8-282keywords=61xl

imagicman    11.09.17

although their customer service tried to help and was very friendly, i found their products didn't work. i ordered 2 cartridges for my hp printer and the first one printed twice then quit working. when i called customer service they told me i needed to reset the printer and sent me a replacement cartridge. the second cartridge printed once then quit. the replacement cartridge never worked. so now two cartridges show an incompatible cartridge message, no matter how i reset the printer, and the 3rd cartridge prints illegibly. not worth the trouble or low price.

Ye Hag    3.14.20

Many moons ago I placed my first order from InkFarm and was pleasantly surprised at the speed of shipping. The price was great and the quality of the printing has been just fine for my needs.

My only complaint is the spillage of ink almost every time I open a new cartridge. I started opening them over the kitchen sink to keep the damage to a minimum. Today, after another extremely prompt shipping, I received a new order. I had been hoping that the first group of cartridges I received were just flukes, but I opened one of the new cartridges over the sink again and sure enough, ink spilled out over my fingers again.

Will order any more? At this point, I don't know. I would think that a company such as InkFarm, with its speedy shipping and fabulous prices would be able to control the amount of ink flowing into the cartridges.

Thank you for your excellent service, fabulous prices, and good quality product, but please search for a method of filling cartridges that doesn't result in spillage.

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