It's widely accepted that running and maintaining a printer costs a lot more than the initial set up; while you can pick up a printer for relatively cheap, the costs of replacing paper and ink soon mount up. Why is this? Well there are two main reasons; the first is that ink doesn't come cheap. There's even a myth which posits that ink costs more by weight than gold! So replacing an ink cartridge every two months or so can prove a real drain on anyone's wallet. The second is wasteful use of printers. Too many people are willing to print out just about anything without properly previewing and optimising their document for print. The result of this is reams of paper being wasted on poor quality prints that have to be repeated. Documents being printed out when they could be presented digitally also represent a big drain on resources. With the costs of maintaining a printer so high, a lot of people either don't bother or simply replace their printer entirely when they run out of ink! Both of these methods are drastic and can be avoided by taking a few simple steps to make replacing your printer supplies more cost effective. When it comes to replacing an ink cartridge, most people will go straight to their local electronics store and pick up a cartridge manufactured by the company that manufactured their machine. There are two things wrong with doing this - the first is not taking into account the model number of their printer and thus running the risk of buying cartridges that aren't compatible with your machine. The second is not considering cheaper cartridge solutions that are just as effective. There are a lot of myths surrounding remanufactured ink cartridges, including that they will break your printer, but on the whole they represent an excellent way of saving money on your print supplies. There are quite a few multinational businesses that have made their millions supplying remanufactured printer cartridges at a fraction of the cost of their OEM equivalent. If you choose to buy remanufactured cartridges for your printer, buy from one of these suppliers - their reputation is built on providing high quality cartridges that are cheap! You can find quite a few deals on the internet offering print cartridges in bulk for ridiculously low prices. Unfortunately, in most cases, these prices are too good to be true. Often, these bulk deals consist of cartridges that don't perform properly and produce poor quality prints. You also run the risk of damaging your printer, as these types of cartridges often make use of cloned technology that isn't always perfectly matched. Also remember that you run the risk of invalidating your warranty if you make use of unlicensed cartridges. A third option is to refill your ink cartridges yourself using ink purchased separately. While this method does negate some of the costs associated with printer cartridges (namely the casing and chip), it's only to be recommended if you have a large space and a steady hand! Ink can irreversibly stain carpets and material, so unless you're really careful, refilling your own ink can mean spending quite a lot on replacement upholstery.