Why does printer ink cost so much?

Compatible or recycled?
There are two main types of third-party cartridges, known as ‘compatible’ and ‘recycled’. Compatible cartridges are made from scratch by a company unrelated to the printer maker. They are made to look and feel just like original inks, but they are cheaper.

These have been quite popular in the past but are less so now because of the complexity of the cartridges – partly as a response to compatible cartridges, printer makers have made their own designs more complex so they cannot be copied so easily.

The third-party companies’ response to that was to develop so-called ‘remanufactured’ or recycled cartridges. As the name suggests, these are original ink cartridges, made by printer makers such as HP or Epson. The other manufacturers collect used, empty cartridges and refill them with their own ink, making what is in effect a new cartridge.

Printer manufacturers say the cartridges they produce are delicate and the process of refilling could damage them and in turn the printer. They also say that the cartridges are only designed to be used once.

We spoke to the UK Cartridge Remanufacturers Association (UKCRA). Its chairman Keith Moss said: “We are aware of the delicate nature of the cartridges and we go out of the way to refill them delicately.”

Disputing HP’s assertion that recycled cartridges are prone to failure, Mr Moss said: “There are millions of people who are regular users of [recycled] cartridges who would disagree. If that was the case to a large extent, we would not have a business.”

Some ink cartridges have an integrated print head – the part of the printer that does the printing – so this is replaced along with the cartridge. Some manufacturers use this method, while others have simpler cartridges without their own print heads.

Some companies use a mix of both – cheaper printers use integrated-print-head cartridges to reduce the up-front printer price and expensive ranges use ink-only cartridges.