It’s very common for stores to bundle a free printer with a purchase of a computer these days. Although it might seem like they’re giving you something for free, they’re really not at any danger of losing money on the printers. What they don’t tell you is that you’ll be paying hundreds of dollars on ink cartridges to maintain that “free printer” over the next few years. According to Forbes, the typical consumer buys about 4 replacement cartridges a year. This can add up to some serious expenses when the cartridges are costing you $20 or $30 each. Most people just keep paying those prices without looking for alternatives, and that’s why this section exists - to help you find better deals on printing costs.

The reason inkjet companies can charge high prices for their cartridges until recent years is because they have patents on the technologies involved in producing the cartridges and the ink. It took other manufacturers several years to come up with technology that can perform at the same levels. In recent years, many of these companies have been able to produce “compatible” cartridges designed for each of the popular consumer printers on the market. These cartridges have been reviewed to perform at similar levels as the manufacturer’s, and as a result, more consumers are switching over.

Many of these inkjet cartridge companies sell online, and there are many, many of them. We did some research and recommend Inkgrabber based on inventory, quality of product, prices, and customer service. They have the most complete inventory of inks and toners out of the dozens of stores we examined, for just about any printer a student would have. The prices are amongst the lowest we found, and all purchases come with a 90-day return for exchange or refund 100% satisfaction guarantee, which is a must to protect your purchase.

Inkgrabber is just one of the many ink stores out there on the Internet. If you have time on your hands, it may be worthwhile to comparison shop some of the others. Another quality store we found was 123inkjets, which offers a One Year guarantee on their products, and free shipping on orders over $55. One thing to be wary of - some of these sites will try to sell you ink refill kits, which will sound like a great deal for the cost. However, they are a huge pain to use, are not even close to giving you the quality of a compatible cartridge, and will probably frustrate you more than help. If you’re willing to deal with the hassle, it’s a viable option, but we suggest going with buying replacement cartridges at a discount from stores like 123inkjets.