Printer Ink: Reviews

Updated September 2011

Printer Ink, in general, is expensive. Experts and users alike consistently try to find ways to cut costs. Our research revealed a few options including buying third party ink - or even refilling ink cartridges yourself. While you can indeed save money this way, you may find quality suffers - and the latter option can be quite messy.

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Best printer ink for quality and reliability

Canon, Epson, HP and Lexmark printer ink

*Est. $10 to $20 Learn More

Although third-party and aftermarket printer ink is often less expensive, the overwhelming majority of experts say that if quality and reliability matter most, you should stick with the printer manufacturer's recommended… expandink cartridges and ink. Especially in the case of photos, the combination of a manufacturer's printer, ink and paper most often results in photos that look the best and last the longest without fading. If you mainly print text pages or noncritical items, reviewers say you can probably save some money by skipping new, name-brand ink cartridges and buying refilled cartridges like those from Cartridge World. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

PC World: PC World and the Rochester Institute of Technology test inks from Canon, Epson, HP, Kodak and Lexmark alongside cheaper aftermarket inks.

Which? magazine: Editors here test 19 ink cartridges, including inks from Canon, Epson, HP and Lexmark as well as Cartridge World and other aftermarket suppliers.

Choice magazine: This test pits official manufacturers' ink against multiple brands of third-party ink in Brother, Canon, Epson, HP and Lexmark printers.

TrustedReviews.com: TrustedReviews.com evaluates all aspects of the printer inks they review, including durability, in blind tests.

ConsumerReports.org: ConsumerReports.org tests hundreds of store-brand, third-party and generic ink cartridges, using popular photo printers from the three major brands.

Wilhelm Imaging Research: According to this site, Wilhelm Imaging Research "conducts accelerated light exposure and dark aging tests to determine the comparative life expectancy of inkjet and other digitally printed photographs, as well as that of traditional black-and-white and color photographs." Tests here show differences in permanence between aftermarket cartridges and OEM cartridges from Canon, Epson and HP.

Best alternative ink

Cartridge World

*Est. $8 to $19 Learn More

Cartridge World sells used printer cartridges in stores and online that have been cleaned and refilled with its own ink, saving you about $1 to $3 over new manufacturer's cartridges. You can also get your own cartridges… expandrefilled while you wait, or buy new cartridges. Most expert tests find that documents and photos printed with Cartridge World cartridges look approximately as good (some a little better, some a little worse) as those printed with original equipment manufacturer (OEM) cartridges -- in other words, fine for the usual office and snapshot printing. However, one overseas tester gets poor results with Cartridge World ink, and it fades more quickly than OEM inks in several tests. This franchise operation has more than 650 stores in North America and 1,700 worldwide, and you can buy ink online at CartridgeWorld.com. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

PC World: Jeff Bertolucci tests multiple aftermarket ink sources -- stores that do refills, do-it-yourself refill kits and continuous ink systems -- including refilled ink cartridges from Cartridge World.

PC World: In this earlier test, PC World and the Rochester Institute of Technology test manufacturers' inks against cheaper aftermarket inks.

Which? magazine: This British publication, which is similar to ConsumerReports.org, tests Cartridge World ink in Canon, HP and Lexmark printers alongside other aftermarket and manufacturers' inks.

Choice magazine: Australia's answer to ConsumerReports.org tests Cartridge World ink in Canon, Epson and Brother printers as part of this comprehensive review alongside other aftermarket inks, manufacturers' inks, a DIY refill kit and a continuous ink system.

TrustedReviews.com: Trusted Reviews conducts a comprehensive test of inks using mid-range, all-in-one machines from Canon, Epson, HP and Lexmark.

CarrotInk.com *Est. $8 to $16

2 picks including: PC World, TechSupportAlert.com…

Brother *Est. $10 to $20

2 picks by top review sites.

Brother LC51BK Black Ink Cartridge - Retail Packaging

from Amazon.com

New: $23.49 $10.98

In Stock.

Average Customer Review: