Whether your printer is old, new, slow, fast, big, or small, you probably have to admit that you are grateful it exists because of the job it gets done. After all, writing and drawing everything by hand could be gratifying (to a degree) but it would also take a ridiculous amount of your time. On the other hand, how much are you willing to pay for the ink cartridge that feeds your dear little printer?

Unfortunately, a lot of people don't even realize they have more than one option when it comes to replacing an ink cartridge. When the ink runs out, most people take a trip to Wal-Mart or Office Max to buy a very specific, name-brand ink cartridge that matches up with their printer. One arm and a leg later, they arrive home with the new cartridge and suppress the memory of how much it cost them until the next time the ink runs out. Once upon a time, I could number myself among this large group of consumers that I have described, but now I have learned about alternative printer ink cartridges that cost a fraction of the price.

The internet was the tool that helped me discover affordable ink cartridges. At first I started looking for the trusty name-brand products I had always used. To my surprise, I discovered that the price for the exact same product differed a lot from store to store. With my curiosity peaked, I then branched out into unknown brands and found that, if you have the courage to move away from name-brand products, the savings really become substantial.

To avoid buying low quality ink cartridges along with the low cost, look for companies that sell ISO9001-2000 certified products. If they have earned this certification, their products have proven reliable and compatible and they are safe for your printer. The trickiest part about finding an alternate cartridge for your printer is finding the right one. If you have a very popular printer model, it might not be too hard to find a replacement. On the other hand, if your printer is a bit rare, you might have a little more trouble. The effort of looking is well worth the effort though.

In many instances, the packaging on your cartridge costs more than the ink itself. That fact alone is reason enough to avoid spending a fortune on replacement printer ink cartridges. Besides, there are plenty of other things that you'd probably rather spend your money on.