This article from the Chicago Tribune discusses all the options available to combat the high price of printer ink. The idea is that there is going to be some trade-off if you do not buy the manufacturer’s ink, but in some cases it will be worth it. We agree with this to some extent, such as the trade-off you get with refill kits; you will save a ton of money, but you will have to set aside some time to actually do the refilling. But this article basically says that non-manufacturer brand ink isn’t so good, but not everything you print needs to be perfect.

You can certainly find a lot of questionable ink cartridge companies online that will sell you a product that isn’t equal to what you will get from the manufacturer. But, you will also find companies who set quality standards equal to the manufacturer and who can save you money without forcing you to accept a lesser product. Unfortunately, it’s the first type of companies that get most of the publicity.

“Cheap ink” does not have to be a negative term. It is possible to find ink that is equal to HP, Canon, etc. but that is not totally overpriced.

Otherwise, this article does do a good job of running down all the options you have when it comes to saving money on ink, so it is worth a read.

Printer ink options can save money [Chicago Tribune]