The environment is important. There’s no denying that fact. But, even though it’s eco-friendly not to use paper frequently, inkjet printers are still necessary. Not only do millions of offices around the world rely on printers, but if you run any kind of company large or small you will need a printer. Heck, you need a printer to print and mail everything from absentee ballots to forms. One day, the world will be completely digital. For now, the world still remains a fifty-fifty mix of paper and e-ink (not the Amazon kind). So, what are you to do when you buy a printer and realize that those brand name ink cartridges are just as expensive as replacing that printer (over time)?

If you read the user manual that comes with most printers, you will see a clear and bold sentence that states: “using ink that is not from (enter brand name here) may harm your printer!” Yikes! Who wants to use clone ink if that ink will wreck your beloved printer? Well, those claims may not be as true as one might think. In fact, clone ink may not harm your printer at all, and may even be made by some of those larger printer manufacturers.

The Real Deal

For the most part, clone ink won’t harm a printer. In fact, clone ink manufacturers have already garnered more than 16% of the ink market. Simply, consumers want to save money when it comes to ink. But, what if a clone cartridge that you buy will harm your computer? More importantly, has this ever actually happened? PC World was one of the first tech blogs to test out an array of clone ink cartridges. What was discovered (article here {{http://www.pcworld.com/article/111767/cheap_ink_probed.html|Clone Ink PC World}} ) was that clone ink did clog some printers. Namely, the Canon S900 (and, possibly, other Canon models). However, the clone ink tested by PC World did not bother most other printers that the blog tried out.

In fact, the only real problem was that clone ink did not last as long as brand name ink. This doesn’t necessarily mean, however, that brand name ink is better. It simply means that brand name ink, in some cases, may last longer. It’s also worth pointing out that clone ink companies have really perfected these inks over the past few years. Originally, when clone ink came out, it was a real pain to refill some printer cartridges (and this is still the case with certain printer brands). Now, however, these problems have largely been fixed. So, will clone ink harm your current printer?

Testing, Testing

I’ve been using clone ink for a few years now. After numerous printers and print jobs, I can honestly say that clone ink has never clogged any one of my printers – or caused any major problems. Further, a new article posted on the PC Mag blog (article here {{http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2409373,00.asp|Clone Ink}} ) claims that some clone ink refills may even be manufactured by those large printer companies that don’t want you to buy clone ink. Confused?

Well, the fact of the matter is that printer manufacturers can make money by selling you regular branded refills and clone refills alike. For now, though, whether or not these companies are manufacturing clone ink cartridges remains a secret. In the end, however, clone is isn’t likely to bother your printer, though these cartridges may not last as long – though this isn’t such a big deal if you only print once or twice per month.