Printer Ink: Reviews

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… ink 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 are mainly printing text pages or non-critical items, reviewers say you can probably save some money by skipping OEM ink cartridges and buying printer ink from Cartridge World or CarrotInk.com.

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Cartridge World (www.cartridgeworldusa.com) is a franchise operation with more than 400 stores in the U.S. Cartridge World will refill cartridges while you wait, sell you their own brand of pre-packaged cartridges, or… sell the printer manufacturers' OEM cartridges. A couple of reviews say the output quality of Cartridge World ink is just as good or better than HP's ink for HP printers. For other printer brands, reviews say Cartridge World is still one of the better alternatives, and prices are cheaper than both EOM ink and store-brand printer ink from office supply chains. Cartridge World does not sell ink online, so if you don't live within range of a store, CarrotInk.com is an alternative.

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Carrot Ink cartridges (www.carrotink.com) produce very good photo and text quality, especially with Epson printers, according to tests. According to some reviews, Carrot Ink cartridges also work very well with HP… printers. Carrot Ink inks produce at least good results in all review tests, and we found that Carrot Ink has a respectable level of customer satisfaction as a vendor. The company claims it has a 100% satisfaction guarantee and "no-questions-asked" return policy. One study cites cost savings of 10 to 15 percent with Carrot Ink cartridges.

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