Usually, we’d be talking to you about a printing service (MPS) and how much money you can save by signing up to one (which is true)…
Although, we also understand, not everyone is comfortable with entering in to any kind of agreement, no matter how short or how simple it is.
So today, as the ‘Money Saving Experts’ we are going to show you the difference between OEM and aftermarket printer cartridges (also known as compatible or re-manufactured). And detail the high quality aftermarket printer cartridges available in the market, which can really help you save money too.
You may have heard the term ‘OEM’ used before, but what does it mean or stand for?
OEM means ‘original equipment manufacturer’. As an example. If Brother made your printer, they also make cartridges to go with it.
No doubt, OEMs are high quality cartridges, designed for great durability and undeniable precision. Naturally, this translates into good print quality, but all of that comes at a high price. The obvious downside is the cost…
Did you know?
Printers are sold with small profit margins because OEMs know that they will make lots of extra profit from selling the cartridges. Because of this, the OEM who made your printer, will claim, you may shorten the life of your printer by using aftermarket cartridges.
This is not true…
Not only do OEMs charge exorbitant prices for their original cartridges, there is also controversy surrounding how much ink is left over in the OEM cartridge when the printer shuts down due to ‘low ink’. Some cases have shown that 40% of the ink you paid for is left over in the ‘so called empty cartridge’ you are about to replace.
So, what are aftermarket printer cartridges?
Aftermarket cartridges are like buying a generic car part. A separate company builds their own version of the cartridge to work in your printer (just like the OEM cartridge).
As you might expect (just like car parts), some aftermarket printer cartridges are of an inferior quality. But there are a number of aftermarket cartridges that are high quality and perform just as good as an OEM. In many cases providing a much higher number of printed pages than the OEM cartridge.
Be warned though, cheap, poor quality aftermarket cartridges, can cause you many problems, and in some extreme cases even break your printer. Due to the overall poor experience, they can end up costing you more money than OEMs in lost productivity time, poor print quality and the possible replacement of printing equipment.
So whats our advice?
Choose a supplier who can not only supply you with high quality aftermarket cartridges, but also provide you with the right type of guarantee, which gives you confidence in both the product and the supplier.
As an example, we provide a 30 day money back guarantee on all our products and services. And back this up with an extra guarantee that covers your printing equipment, ‘if our aftermarket cartridge is found to have caused damage to your printing equipment, we will fix or replace your printing equipment for free’.
So whats the savings I hear you say…
Generally speaking, you should expect a saving of around 30 – 40% for a high quality aftermarket cartridge, against the price of an OEM.
So, if you are spending £1,000 a year on OEM printer cartridges, you should expect to save £300 – £400 by switching to high quality aftermarket cartridges.
And as mentioned earlier, some of these high quality aftermarket cartridges will print up to 50% more pages than the OEM. So in real terms, your saving could be as high 60% or £600 a year if you are currently spending £1,000.