So I’m thinking that there’s got to be a good reliable outlet for cheap replacement printer ink. And I figure that the Doper community just might know where to track them down. I’ve seen all these infomercials for kits that allow you to refill the old cartridges but I’m pretty skeptical of those. Especially since they’ve stopped showing up in the middle of the night interupting my History Channel programs. I just checked OfficeMax and the black/color combo I need retailed at $58. I’m thinking that I could buy a new printer for that price.
So, the question is, do any of you dopers have a website or store that you know always has the best deal on these little buggers?
I don’t know if they have the best prices, but Viking Office Products has them at a discount. If you order in the morning, you can get same day delivery; orders over $25 are postage-free.
I usually get a decent deal at Costco or Sam’s Club, but be warned that they normally only carry the more popular cartridges, so if you have an obscure printer, you’re out of luck.
Hmm, so far upon inspection, Viking isn’t any cheaper and they don’t carry the Black/Color combo pack which I need. The combo pack saves about $10 over buying individually. Also, looking at the manufacturers website the price is that same as Office Max. ($58 not including shipping)
The product is HP 45/23 cartridges in case anyone was curious.
I hadn’t considered Costco or Sam’s before. A possibly good option. Looking at the websites isn’t too promising. Costco doesn’t seem to carry my type online and Sams doesn’t list any ink at all online. I suppose it’s still worth a trip to the store to check it out.
The do-it-yourself kits at one of the Marts. I got the color and black ink for around $25 each. I’ve filled my cartriges 3 times (black maybe 4) and I still have half a 1 1/4 bottles of ink left.
They say they’re good for around 8 fills, and I am on pace for that in the black, maybe 10-12 for the color.
Um UncleBeer? Did they add a new description to MPSIMS that requires a factual answer? Not that there’s a whole lot of difference to having it in IMHO, it just seems kinda frivolous.
I planned on tacking down a definitive answer for what the cheapest place, I’d say it’s quantifiable at least. Quite the unexpected turn of events I must say.
Perhaps my quest can be of use to the Teeming Several who may find themselves in a similar quandry.
So what’s your opinion on the quality of those do-it-yourself refill kits? I imagine that they’ll probably be good enough for my use, but do you notice if they tend to cause any trouble with smudging or poor color replication? Do you have trouble with cleaning the jets or streaking?
Is there a discernable difference in the brands? I am your Grasshopper.
I have no problems, but I don’t use my printer to print photo quality pictures. It works well for what I need it for.
It’s easy as hell to fill. They give you a POS hook type thing to drill a small hole in your cartridge. Do yourself a favor, throw it away and use a thin screw. Teh bottle is lile a mini water bottle.
Very little mess. My printer has a self cleaner that runs every time the lid is lifted and replaced, so I’ve had minimal if any smearing.
I don’t know what brand I have, but it has what looks like the Speedi Print guy on it. When I get home, I’ll look for a brand.
To make a long story short, if you aren’t using your printer for commercial jobs, I think this stuff is plenty fine.
I get mine from Pacific Ink. The black cartridges are easily re-filled and I have been using the same one now for 4-5 refills. I had trouble with the color because the inks mixed on refill. I now buy refilled color cartridges from them to save the hassle.Link
I use Ink Station brand. I cannot find a link. I think I picked it up at K-Mart. Unlike Toddly, I have not had any problems with the color bottles. There are 3, a red, yellow, and blue, and my cartridge’s holes are far enough apart that if I take my time, they don’t mix.
If you do go the refill route, refill over an old towel, paper plate, or another surface you don’t care about, because overfill will drip out of the bottom before it comes out of the top. And blot the cartridge on a paper towel when you are done.
I bought generic cartridges for my Canon S600 on eBay. The whole set (black and 3 separate color carts) cost $13.00. I have not tried the refill route, though. Perhaps that is even cheaper.
Troy McClure, looking at their prices I’d say it looks to be a pretty good bargain. $34 bucks plus $4 S/H. I gather that they are just generic replicas of the HP brand cartridges, right? The refills are a better bargian still, but these seem to be less hassle. However both leave me wondering if there’ll be any quality issues. I’ll add them to te thought process.