Printers come in various types and are deisgned for different types of work. They can be used for simple document printing, high-resolution photograph printing or high end graphics.

Going by the quality and quantity of the printing load, one must buy a printer that would be economically efficient and mechanically headache-free. When you buy a printer, it is a good idea to take into account how much you will be spending on peripherals related to it in the years to come.

North Americans buy so many printers, it only follows that manufacturers will sell their machines at extremely low margins and then wait for consumable sales to bring in the money. Buying a black-and-white cartridge is expensive enough – a color one can cost upwards of $100 just to refill! When you buy branded OEM cartridges, you might enjoy their warranty but the cost factor is so much higher, it may be worthwhile looking at the unbranded market.

OEM or original equipment manufacturer cartridges include cartridges from companies like Canon, IBM, Sharp, Lexmark, Brother, Epson, Hewlett Packard and Compaq. All brand names are the properties of the owners and when you buy a printer from them, you will only enjoy its warranty if you buy their cartridges when your cartridge needs replacing.

Generic cartridges are an economically preferred alternative to OEMs. They are new and are made to be compatible for the big brands. So a Sharp-compatible cartridge will meet Sharp’s specifications and standards of quality but will not be as expensive.

Also available are remanufactured cartridges which are actually cartridges that have been used and recharged. The cartridge is filled and tested, then, if it passes certain standards, is passed for sale.

There’s a wide world of cartridges available out there. But you need to do your homework at the time of buying your printer. Look at what you need and whether you will end up spending more in the long run if you impulsively decided on a printer now.