Cheap Ink Cartridge Store and Blog

I was just reading a post over on the Cheap Color Ink blog, about a new ink store and blog. Apparently, the cheap ink cartridge store blog is going to be the company blog and news update arm of a new store called The Cheap Ink Cartridge Store.

It's always good to have access to discount items online. It looks like this might become another good resource for saving money online, though it's hard to tell what kind of ink cartridge site this is going to be.

How do you Make Printer Ink Last Longer?

Of course everyone is looking for cheap ways to buy ink online or in a store, including getting your ink refilled at Walgreens ( as we wrote about before) or finding a reliable website with low ink prices.

But aren't there other ways to save money on ink cartridges? One way is making your printer ink last longer. Is it possible? I've never really heard much about this but I came across a blog called "phoneix printer repair" that has a short post on making your ink last longer.

Some tips include using draft quality for printing, printing in black and white instead of color when possible, and outsourcing your photo printing- since personal photo printers use a lot of ink to make high quality images.

I'm glad I've finally found online stores where I can buy cheap lexmark ink for my all in one printer, but I will also keep in mind other ways to reduce my ink use, so I can save even more money on printer ink in the long run.

More on Printer Cartridge Life and the Inaccuracy of Printers

I have come across yet another story on how Printer manufacturers may be ripping you off by telling you it is time to change your ink cartridge way too soon. Previously I read some stories on CNET via discount ink cartridges.

Today my email inbox had this story from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette at http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Business/248637/. Their business story includes:
"It's not your imagination: printers really do tell you to replace your ink cartridge long before they are out. Sometimes it is weeks ahead, sometimes months. We have experienced it with inkjet and laser printers. "

The story goes on to quote the PC World story that found that the "you are out of printer ink " messages can come on when your ink cartridges still have 8 to 45 percent of their ink remaining. They go on the mention the oft cited statistic that printer ink can cost $5000 per gallon. Yet, while replacements costs can really add up over time, it is not an expense that stands out to most businesses.

So ink manufacturers can take advantage of the fact that many businesses will need to keep buying ink for their printers in the normal course of business and that the expense is not out of the ordinary. Replacing the cartridges is an expected expense at regular intervals.

While this is true, a lot of people, especially in today's economy, cannot afford to be ripped off- no matter how much.

Cheap Ink on Cyber Monday

Cheap Ink Tactics has a new blog post on Black Friday Ink Sales. This site makes a good point about all the Christmas sales going on and how you can save money on ink and other things that aren't exactly Christmas presents.

While everyone else is scooping up the flat screens, the video games, and new toys- take advantage by saving money on things like ink cartridges and office supplies.

Do Ink Jet Cartridges Dry Out?

I have seen a lot of speculation and disagreement over whether ink cartridges for inkjet printers dry out over time, if all all. Some people say they are manufactured and stored in a way that does not allow that to happen. Others say they will dry out if they sit unused for a long time. Usually this claim applied to when they sit unused but installed in the printer. I am not sure about drying or rotting in the package.

I never really though about this and now wonder if it is worth buying ink refill cartridges in bulk or multiple packs for savings.

Recently I had a newer printer that ran out of color ink very fast. I was surprised at how light the color ink was showing on the paper, considering how little I had used color printing. I figured and still think perhaps the ink nozzles were clogged or something else had worn on the printer components.

I will keep looking into this idea.

Another eBay ink find- Remanufactured Cheap ink

As I posted before, sometimes the best ink deals are from taking a chance on eBay or another online marketplace like Amazon or Overstock.

Recently I needed some new black ink for my Lexmark all in one printer. Generally Wal-Mart has the lowest prices on these. The black ink comes in 2 options, regular or light. I think even the light one is around $19.97 at most Wal- marts. It's around that or a little higher at Staples and other places.

I went ahead and looked for small lots of remanufactured ink cartridges, as I've had some success with these before. In my experience there are a few bad cartridges in the mix, but if you buy 5, 4 will probably work. look for a good return policy and getting a replacement sent out will be no problem. I guess the only issue is if it takes you a long time to use them all it would be too late for a refund.

What I am finding now is if I buy 5 refilled cartridges online, I can get them shipped for the same price as buying 2 at Walmart. I don't use much color ink but I do use a lot of black on the papers and labels I print.

I can save around $300 a year using remanufactured filled inks bought online in small lots or bulk.

More in Dell Ink- I guess Staples has it.

For some reason I know a lot of people with Dell printers ( that they bought with their Dell PCs) and they have always had a hard time finding ink at a good price. Well, that's if they can find their ink cartridge AT ALL.

We wrote before about buying ink cartridges on ebay to save money and how you can get Dell ink refilled at Walgreens.

Apparently having Dell ink jet cartridges is a big enough deal to specifically advertise you have ink "'even for Dell." I just saw a Staples commercial. They say they guarantee to have your ink in stock even if it's Dell.

Now, you probably won't save any money at Staples, but it's probably more convenient than ordering from Dell if you want a regular cartridge.