Consumers are certain that the purchase of non-original cartridges does not affect the quality of printing and the overall operation of the printer, but they are deeply mistaken. The quick benefit of saving on original cartridges jeopardizes the entire printing process and leads to a number of hidden costs. Below are the common myths about non-original cartridges and why you should not be investing in them.
Why is it not profitable to buy clones instead of original cartridges? The low price is nothing more than a clever advertising ploy to sell as many compatible cartridges as possible. It seems to the consumer that he has made a profitable purchase, but in the long run, all he gets are only set of problems and additional hidden costs. Original ink and toner cartridges are more expensive than compatible variants, but they have a number of unique advantages that fully justify their price. As a result, they are even cheaper than economical analogues.
Myth #1: Compatible cartridges save money
At first glance, this myth seems to be true, but it is fundamentally wrong. Buying clones may seem tempting, especially with large print volumes — for example, in large offices. But even if a set of clones initially costs lesser than the original, the unreliability of these materials will lead to significant hidden costs that will negate all the savings.
Clones are approximately 25% more expensive than original cartridges due to more frequent printer maintenance, breakdowns and reprinting. This is confirmed by the SpencerLab, who conducted research on cartridges for black and white printing in 2019. Another interesting study conducted by Buyers Laboratory found that printers with original cartridges print an average of 50% more pages than devices that have clones installed. Thus, saving on the purchase of cartridges, you will be able to make half as many prints — while some of them will require re-printing. As a result, the cost of one printed page will increase — after all, few people think about the hidden costs of additional consumption of paper, electricity, ink in the cartridge.
Myth #2: Clones are just as reliable as the original ones
Perhaps the most common myth is the reliability of a non-original cartridge. In 2019, SpencerLab conducted a study of the reliability of cartridges for black and white printing, during which it compared the original HP cartridges for HP Pro 400 M402 printers and M521dn MFPs (HP 26A and 55A models) with cartridges from five other brands. As a result of the study, it became clear that 49% of non-original cartridges fail during operation or immediately after installation — which indicated that almost half of them were unsuitable for printing.
Another study commissioned by HP in 2018 by Market Strategies International, found that companies that use non-original cartridges are four times more likely to contact customer support due to failures in the printing process. In addition, research commissioned by Buyers Laboratory suggested that, four out of five printers that were continuously used with compatible cartridges suffered irreversible breakdowns.
Myth #3: Clones provide the same print quality as the original
Many people think that the type of print depends not on cartridge, but on the printer. In fact, this is not the case: up to 70% of the print quality depends on the design of the cartridge. According to the SpencerLab study mentioned above, printers with clones produce 19% fewer usable pages due to poor print quality. This forces users to repeatedly reprint documents instead of doing their main work. If you want to get high-quality prints the first time, and not fight with the printer, the best solution is to install the original cartridges. This will guarantee print quality and save a lot of time for more important tasks.
Myth #4: over time, all cartridges dry up — both compatible and original
The ink in the original ink cartridges does not dry out, even if you do not use the printer for a long time. Due to the design of the case and the unique composition of the ink, such a cartridge can be stored for up to 90 days without compromising print quality. Compatible cartridges, on the other hand, tend to dry out and become clogged if they are not used.
Myth #5: The ink formula in the original and compatible cartridges is identical
Ink plays an important role in the quality of printing: the process of their manufacture and the correct composition especially affect the final appearance of the print. The inks in the original cartridge are made according to a unique composition: they are water-resistant, resistant to markers and allow you to create clear high-quality prints throughout their entire service life. Not only does the quality of documents depend on the ink composition, but the durability also too depends on it as we need to store certain documents for a long time. Therefore, only original cartridges allow you to get prints that will keep their original appearance for many years.
To save money, manufacturers of compatible cartridges often violate the manufacturing process and ink composition. As a result, clones are cheaper than branded cartridges, but they cannot compete with them in printing quality. They do not provide uniform and clear coloring, and sometimes even disrupt the correct operation of the printer.
Hence, in conclusion, if we take into account all the above arguments, it becomes obvious that the purchase of original cartridge will protect the business or home printing from hidden expenses and provide a guarantee of print quality and reliable operation of printers. One-time savings on the purchase of compatible cartridges in the long term will entail additional costs, which are at least 25% more, and will lead to constant disruptions in your work.
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