Debra Lynn Dadd : : About Nontoxic Ink-Jet Printer Cartridges

Debra Lynn Dadd

Nontoxic Ink-Jet Printer Cartridges

After religiously purchasing brand-name ink cartridges for my ink-jet color printer, I purchased some "compatible" cartridges to save money. I soon found out that the ink in them smelled horribly toxic, both as the printer was printing and on the printed page. So I went back to the more expensive brand-name cartridges and there was no odor at all. This led me to investigate all the different types of cartridges available today.

Here are the different choices.

Brand-name cartridges

These are the most expensive and the one's your printer manufacturer would like you to buy. For my Epson Color 740, black cartridges cost $26 at my local Staples. There has been no toxicity problem with any of the cartridges I have purchased.

Remanufactured cartridges

These are cartridges that have been collected through recycling programs and refilled. Cartridges sold through various outlets may have been refilled multiple times or with ink that has varying toxicity. Before you buy, ask how many times the remanufactured cartridges have been refilled and what type of ink is used. Look for remanufactured cartridges that use OEM (original equipment manufacturer) inks and look for a statement that says something like " We use OEM quality inks as good or better than the original equipment manufacturer products. These are not available for my Epson printer.

Compatible cartridges

Compatible cartridges are new cartridges made by a manufacturer other than the original equipment manufacturer. As with remanufactured cartridges, look for a statement that indicates inks were used that meet or exceed OEM products. I went back and looked at the website where I purchased the toxic inkjet cartridges for $4.99 and there was no such statement. Compatible black ink cartridges filled with odor-free OEM quality ink at Carrot Ink are $10.95 each.

Do-it-yourself refill kits

You can also refill the cartridges yourself at home. My husband and I tried this and were disappointed with the results. The ink got all over the place and the savings wasn't worth the mess and time.

Island Inkjet has a chain of stores in malls and popular shopping areas where you can drop off your empty cartridges for a refill with cartridge-specific OEM quality ink while you shop. If you have one in your area, you'll save about 50% over buying a new cartridge and can reuse your cartridge a couple of times before sending it off to the landfill.

BACK TO DEBRA'S LIST: Office