Thank you for visiting the Consumer Corner and spending a few minutes to gain some insight to your choices before spending your money

Do you know what choices you have in selecting the right printer supply products and why such a difference in price?

Your knowledge about the products you purchase can have a big affect on the price you pay and the real cost to print.

During the 15 years of serving the local community and customers nationwide the number one reason why some people select one product over another is the price. This is only true if the customer is spending his or her own money. Governments, Institutions and large Corporations generally purchase the higher priced Brand Name because it's not their hard earned money.

We wanted to give you a brief explanation here about the three categories of "Printer Supplies" generally found for your printing or copying device and why the substantial difference in price. (You won't find this knowledge at Staples or Office Depot because they're influenced financially by the large manufacturers to push their product brand.)

A. Let's start with what the Industry calls the OEM Brand (a product manufactured for the brand of equipment you purchased).

Most consumers believe this to be the "Premium Brand" because it carries a known name on the packaging, is supported with effective advertising and store displays. However, it is the choice which costs the most. Someone has to pay for the advertising.

The OEM brand is not generally manufactured by the company that builds your machine. These are third party manufacturers (and there could be several) that actually make the product under specification guidelines of the printer manufacturer.

Are OEM brand products "free from defects" or performance issues? After 15 years selling these products, we can absolutely say... No. Our own quality data collected over the years shows that defect rates can vary between 0.5% and 1%. We see it and we deal with it on a regular basis.

This defect rate is partially due to the fact that the competition in the supplies market causes the OEMs to put pressure on their third party manufacturers to deliver cheaper products in order to boost the bottom line. It's all about the "Bottom Line", just ask any fired HP or Canon executive.

Here's an interesting fact. Did you know that every new ink or toner cartridge you buy from HP (Hewlett Packard) in not necessarily a new product. They put it on the packaging in small print that the consumer may actually be purchasing a remanufactured cartridge which, he or she believe that they are getting something never used. You can read their statement.

From our global recycling initiatives, to our specially engineered cartridges made of recycled materials and designed for the most efficient performance, HP is committed to more sustainable printing.

When the cartridge fails because many components are recycled the defect rate goes up. You may be paying a premium for a product and getting something completely different.

Important note: OEM Brands are for the most part manufactured by different third party contractors not located in America.

B. The second category of supplies is what the industry refers to as the "Compatible New Built" products.

These are products manufactured by companies in direct competition to the OEM Brand. When they see a popular printer or copier on the market, they attempt to duplicate the item with minor changes and then compete on price and not necessarily on quality. The price difference could be substantial, for example reaching 50% to 60% however, the defect rate or quality performance could be much higher.

Over time, we estimated failure rates of 2% and higher. These compatible new built products generally come from manufacturers in the Far East countries which, don't always watch their quality control. Because they compete on price alone many times they themselves will change a component supplier with a cheaper price and have a dramatic effect on the overall performance of the product they offer.

If, you don't care about the best print quality and a failure of the cartridge now and then, maybe a new built product and the much lower price will be the right choice. One point... New Built Compatibles are not available for every printer on the market. Please check our online catalog to determine, if the supplies for your printer is listed.

C. Your third choice which, are known as the "Compatible Remanufactured Cartridge".

These are products that started out as an OEM cartridge and after the first life cycle are collected through a national or local collection program and sold to companies that have researched and perfected how to properly remanufacture the cartridge. These companies go to all ends to produce a product that not only meets all the specifications of the OEM Brand, but in most cases exceed the overall quality of the cartridge. All the vital components (including the optical drums in all laser cartridges) are replaced with new parts and rigorously tested. These are not the old "Drill and Fill" products that once were predominately on the market and caused a poor reputation, as being unreliable.

Over the past 10 years of monitoring these products and their quality, we can say without reservation that the rate of defect is below 0.5% (less than a half of percent) yet the dollar savings for the consumer is about 30% and in many cases even more. Be assured that a quality North American remanufactured product is TAA Compliant (assures the consumer that no "Intellectual Property" has been violated) and is completely warranted from defects for a period of one year.

In summary, we'll look at the typical percentage of savings on replacement supplies.

1. First, we'll look at a typical OEM (brand) black laser toner cartridge which, if purchased in a Staples or Office Depot may cost $150.00. This will be our baseline for comparison.

2. The new built cartridge that comes from the Pacific Rim Region may be priced at $50.00 and should in most cases perform without any problem.

3. The remanufactured cartridge, using the core casing and many components or the OEM product but having vital components replaced should cost in the area of $75.00 but will deliver a quality print and reliability. In addition, provide a better environmental solution (not one remanufacturer in the US will work on a "New Built" product coming from offshore) to further remanufacture that product.

Our remanufacturing industry provides over 50,000 good paying jobs through the manufacturing and collection industry. There are benefits to buying a North American built product.

We look forward to serving you whenever you may need supplies or have any questions you need answered. Contact us at cs@pricelessink.com or call (941) 766 1200