Buying compatible toner and ink

Expect big savings if you buy a compatible cartridge instead of the printer makers expensive original cartridges. There are compatible ink cartridges and toner cartridges that not only meet, but that actually exceed the specifications of the equipment manufacturers. These cartridges are brand new and provide you with toner or ink that will produce the high-quality prints you've come to expect - without compromising the parts or lessening the lifespan of your printer.

You have to find a reputable supplier of compatible toner and ink cartridges. The Internet is the best place to start. When you do, you'll feel more comfortable with taking the plunge and buying something other than the pricey cartridges available at your local office supply store. You'll be surprised that you can save a ton of money - as much as 85 percent!

List of reputable suppliers of compatible toner and ink cartridges

www.a0supplies.com
www.shopintoday.com
www.compatibletoners.nl
www.qtoner.us
www.inkt.nl

Who Needs Large-Format Printers?

Most of us are not that familiar with large-format printers. That is because we do not typically find large-format printers in homes. They are specialized printers used for special purposes, such as in engineering, in art and photography, in advertising, in manufacturing and in other fields.

So who needs large-format printers? Anyone who requires really large prints would find these printers necessary, but here is a short list of them.

1. Advertising agencies.
   Many advertising agencies need large-format printers to create presentations for their clients. They would use it to create samples for advertising campaigns that they can show their clients.
2. Art and photography studios.
   Today, art has made a marriage of convenience with technology. Works of art are now being created using computers. Large-scale art made with computers or at least scanned would naturally need big printers.
3. Museums.
   The scholars working at the museums cannot definitely use an original piece to work with in whatever research or study they are doing. So instead, they recreate these works of art with large-format printers.
4. Schools.
   New technologies are used in teaching kids these days and it is now necessary to create stunning teaching aids with the help of big printers.
5. Real estate firms.
   Real estate firms need to keep the properties they are selling up for display wherever they station themselves. These displays attract customers, sometimes enough for them to snap on a property.
6. The military.
   The military has done away with paper maps and instead print them on fabric using large-format printers. These textile maps are more durable, easier to work with, and do not get easily torn or damaged by creases.
   
7. Law firms.
   Even law firms need large-format printers. Pictures paint a thousand words and lawyers may need big and pretty pictures when they try to convince a jury with graphic evidence to win a case.

There are many reasons why different companies need large-format printers. They are truly special printers for a special purpose, which is why specialized companies need them. But who knows; with the growing versatility of printers these days, it is not impossible to find a large-format printer in the home in the future.

Compatible toner and compatible ink cartridges

Third party ink and toner vendors have broken up the mini-monopolies of the printer makers. With a compatible cartridge you will have the possibility to continue printing with great results and save big bucks at the same time.

A compatible cartridge is a cartridge that is not produced by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). These cartridges are designed to meet or in best case even exceed the standards set by the OEM in terms of performance, print quality and page yield.

Up until a couple of years ago, finding compatible cartridges for Epson, HP and Lexmark printers was hard. The reason was that printheads was costly and not all that easy to integrate into the cartridge making few compatible Epson cartridges to come out on the market. HP and Lexmark on the other hand had their cartridge design patented which effectively hindered cartridge copies to come out.

Nowadays, compatible cartridges are easy to find for all the larger printer brands such as Brother, Canon, Epson, HP, Kip, Oce and Xerox.

Green procurement of printers and copiers

Analyze printer and copier procurement

The preliminary questions are:

1. Do you need the printer or copier at all? Can you reduce the number of printers?
2. Are there any older ones inside the organization that can be refurbished?
3. Can you buy printing and/or copying services instead of installing equipment?

Important:

1. Always determine the necessary capacity and function of each device (How many people will use it? How many pages are printed or copied on average? Do they need color printing and copying? etc.)
2. Use central printers and copiers wherever possible, instead of the principle of “a printer for every computer” and “a copier for every room”.
3. Use multi-functional devices.
   
   

Environmental aspects

Production
Printers and copying machines are produced from many materials in a complex process. Important points are:

1. The use of non-renewable natural resources (plastic parts)
2. The use of harmful chemicals for flame retardants and other harmful substances
3. The use of resources for packaging

Use
Despite the relatively short life-cycle, the most important environmental effect emerges during the usage phase in the form of energy used, the use of inks and consumables, etc. Additionally, there are effects on the health of users, these are:

1. Ozone, styrene and dust emissions
2. Noise

Waste
The many different materials used cause a severe problem of wastage. Most of the materials can be recycled. A (free of charge) take-back system for recycling should be taken into account when purchasing computers and monitors. Printer consumables (toners and cartridges) also create waste throughout the life of the machine.


Cost aspects

Life cycle costs

1. Savings in energy costs can be made by using energy management programs.
2. The use of consumables: toners and cartridges for inks and paper. Here, savings can be made by, for example, printing draft versions of documents in the economy mode. A device for double-sided printing/copying also saves paper.
3. A smaller part of the life-cycle cost relates to maintenance and disposal.

For more information about green procurement go to EU Green Public Procurement.

Protect the Environment with Remanufactured Ink and Toner

Recycling is one of the best ways to protect the environment. There are countless ways to recycle. One new method involves reusing empty printer cartridges. Remanufactured cartridges reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills across the world.

What is a Remanufactured Cartridge?

A remanufactured printer cartridge is made of used parts from empty cartridges. During the remanufacturing procedure, each empty printer cartridge is closely examined for damages. If it passes examination, the cartridge is carefully cleaned and refilled with ink or toner. It is then repackaged and ready for use by consumers like you!

Why Buy Remanufactured Cartridges?

The two main reasons to purchase remanufactured cartridges are because they cost less than original products and they help conserve natural resources.

Remanufactured ink and toner cartridges are often half the price of store-bought cartridges. If you or your company prints a lot of documents, you could save hundreds of dollars each year by purchasing refilled cartridges.

New printer cartridges are made from valuable natural resources such as aluminum and steel. Remanufactured cartridges, on the other hand, are made from recycled products. In this way, refilled cartridges protect natural resources and help the environment because they reuse the aluminum, plastic, and rubber of empty cartridges. If everyone used remanufactured printer cartridges, just imagine the difference it could make.