Hp Printer Cartridges

[New Perspective studio]

Hi guys i recently had some issues with my printer of course i consulted the hp website on what to do , and there in big bold letters , it assumed the problem was that my print cartridges were counterfeit. Im pretty sure they were. Infact im pretty sure ive been buying non legit cartridges most of my printing life haha.

Does this really however cause the massive issue that HP presents it to cause or is it a sales tactic , ive been buying cartridges for years and never really bothered to look if they are "legit".

The price difference is crazy. I would ask this some hp forum but they have a nasty habit of generic responses and this is a convo im sure they wouldn't want to indulge me in.

[AndyD]

Yeah, from experience the genuine HP cartridges are far superior quality to the generic replacements and refills but as you point out the horrific pricing of genuine cartridges makes you wonder if their worth it. TBH I use generic in both my deskjet and laserjet which are both HP. It's always been fine for my general office printing and I just put up with the poorer quality. It's never had any effect on the reliability of the printers, the deskjet is about 18 years old and the laser is around 15, both never needed repair since the day they were bought. The biggest issues I have with both of them is manually installing the drivers and a virtual LPT port because they're both pre-USB.

[New Perspective studio]

Thanks for the reply , i was just interested to know if the fake cartridges could do any " damage" . Seems however this is a sales tactic , but i do aprreciate a better print though its not always needed i think you aproach of using a generic and a original is a good one and something that il adopt.

The biggest issues I have with both of them is manually installing the drivers and a virtual LPT port because they're both pre-USB.

This must have been fun , all hail "plug and play" haha.

Again thanks for sharing your knowledge Andy

[GeorgePrude]

In order to avoid the purchase of fake HP printer cartridges, you can authenticate it using your smartphone i.e.,Use your smartphone's camera to scan the QR code on the cartridge's security seal and after that your QR code scanner app processes the QR code, and show you a validation screen from HP.Also you can check for HP security labels...

[New Perspective studio]

I am well aware of that, its all stated on the hp website. My question was about the claimed difference quality of the cartridges and if the sales pitch hp throws is true, clarified by ANDY on the 25th of Jan.

[IMHO]

I am in the cartridge business.

First, you have to understand the term, generic. A generic cartridge is made in a factory other than HP and is obvious not original to their specs. But the real issue is, any HP cartridge with a head built in, can not be generic, as it is patented and no factory can make them. Cartridges without heads, is just an ink tank an can be copied and made by anyone. So yes, they are generic.

Then you get refills, which is marketed as generic. Nothing generic about them. It is empty original cartridges which gets collected and refilled. People like me collect the empties from my customers and I sell them for a small amount to the brokers in JHB. The guys are huge and export these empty cartridges overseas to where they get cleaned, refilled and re-labeled as re-cycled. They then get sold back into SA as recycled, but mostly people refer to them as generic.

Now, there is nothing wrong with a recycled cartridge. It cannot damage your printer, as it is an original product. However, it is a used product. Ink jets operate by heating the ink to very high temps and pressures. It then gets jetted out of microscopic small jets. With time, these jests get clogged/damaged and by the time it runs empty, the ink dry up in the cartridge and the jets is blocked. The overseas process of cleaning the cartridge opens these jets again, but once blocked, they block very quickly again. The shelf life is diminished and if it is not a 'freshly' cleaned cartridge you are not going to get far with it before it blocks again. People do not realize that, think it is empty and just buy a new one again. Apart from that, the head is worn and the print quality will never be the same as a new cartridge. Also, the ink used is of a poor quality and fades in time. HP ink lasts like 100 years before it fades, the poor quality is gone in 5 years. So you might think that contract, will or whatever is safely put away for the day you need it, just to find out it is a blank piece of paper when you do.

People printing lots of reports that gets thrown away after checking, benefit from this type op cartridge, especially if you print everyday and the cartridge do not get time to clog the jets up.(but be carefull not to print important documentation on this printer!) However, if you use it once every fortnight, you will definitely not get the pages from it that you should and it will work out more expensive over the life of it. The quality will be poor and it will fade to blank within 5 years.

So there you have the long and the short of it and can make an informed decision on what will work best for you. Personally I do not even sell generics, as it is too much hassle handling and calming down irate customers and my business gets a bad name.

That is all about Ink jet printers. Laser printers is a whole other ball game. In short, it is much better value for money to buy quality rebuild laser cartridges in stead of originals, if you can get a reliable source. I will tell more, if needed.

[New Perspective studio]

Well thanks for the insider information. I guess im saying generic but they could still be " real" cartridges . What im reading in your post is there are still pros and cons as to using a recycled cartrigde and getting a new one even if it went overseas and got all the proper treatment for recycling. ( Just curious is there nobody in SA that does this recycling process ?)

I thnk andies post on using them as needed new for important stuff and like you say recycled for everyday throw away stuff relating to staff and all that.