Buying printer supplies may seem simple enough, but if you’re not careful, you could end up wasting money or getting products that just don't work for your needs. Here are five most common mistakes people make when buying printer supplies, and how you can avoid them.
A lot of people think they have to buy ink or toner cartridges directly from the printer manufacturer. For instance, if you have a printer that uses HP 305 black ink cartridges, you might assume you need to buy the same brand every time.
But the truth is you don’t always have to stick to the original brand. There are plenty of third-party brands, like G&G, that make compatible ink and toner cartridges that work just as well as the originals, and for a much more affordable price. In fact, many of these third-party compatible cartridges use the same high-quality ink or toner as the original brands, so your prints will look just as good.
When you’re shopping for printer cartridges, you’ll usually see two options: standard yield and high yield. The standard yield cartridges are often cheaper, so many people buy them without thinking twice. But the high yield cartridges are usually the better deal in the long run. Why? Because they print more pages and give you a lower cost per page.
For example, the HP 305 black ink cartridge costs £13 (from the brand's website) and prints about 120 pages. But the HP 305XL high yield cartridge costs £22.99, and it prints about 240 pages. It’s basically double the ink for only 1.7 times the price. If you print regularly, high yield cartridges are a good choice for you. They’ll last longer and save you money in the long run.
And if you’re a heavy laser printer user, G&G even offers extended yield toner cartridges, which prints even more pages than the OEM’s high yield versions. These Jumbo series toner cartridges can give you a lot more pages at a more affordable price. They're designed for high-volume printing, so you'll spend less time replacing cartridges and more time getting your work done.
It might seem like a good idea to buy printer ink and toner in bulk to save some money, but this can actually be a mistake. Ink and toner have a shelf life of about 2-3 years, and if you stock up too much, you might find they expire before you get a chance to use them. Also, if you don’t have a good place to store these printing supplies, they might degrade over time.
Instead of buying too much, think about how much you print in a month and buy only what you’ll need for the next few months. Also, make sure you have a cool, dry place to store your printer supplies to avoid them getting damaged before you have a chance to use them.
Some people assume remanufactured cartridges won’t work as well as brand-new ones or may damage their printer. But that's not true. Remanufactured ink and toner cartridges go through a recycling process that restores them to like-new quality. They work just as well as new ones and are better for the environment, so they’re a great alternative to brand-new printer cartridges.
Each year, millions of empty cartridges are discarded and end up in landfills, leading to pollution. By choosing remanufactured printer cartridges, you're doing your part to reduce waste. Also, many companies, including G&G, offer cartridge recycling programs where you can send back your empty ink and toner cartridges to be recycled, giving them a second life.
The printer paper you choose is just as important as the ink or toner you use. Cheap paper can cause all sorts of problems, like ink smudging, paper jams, and poor print results. If you need professional-quality prints, it’s especially important to choose the right printer paper for the job.
Make sure to choose paper that suits your printer and the quality of prints you’re looking for. If you’re printing photos, brochures, or presentations, it’s worth investing in photo paper or premium paper that's designed for those specific purposes.
