Printer cartridges are one of the most commonly bought items of office stationary, but also one of the most expensive. Whether you have a laser printer or inkjet printer the cartridges you need can often set you back quite a lot of money.

The answer of course is to buy cheap printer cartridges, but as you probably know the quality of some of the cheapest printer cartridges is pretty dismal. Poor color range and printout quality is quite common. The answer then is to find a balance between price and quality so that the color range is accurate and the printing is good, yet you aren’t paying over the odds.

Cheap printer cartridges may not last as long as you’d expect also. Some of the unbranded cartridges may be the lowest priced, but as with many things, you often get what you pay for. For this reason, you may want to consider buying discount ink cartridges from known brands like Epson, HP, Dell, Canon, Xerox, and Lexmark.

Your local computer store may have all the cartridges to fit any type of printer, but buying online is often the better option. Internet prices are almost always less than any offline retailer. However, you should make sure that the cartridge you buy is compatible with the printer that you have.

Laser printers are generally faster than inkjets at printing. They also print at a cheaper price per page, and for this reason laser toner cartridges can be more expensive. Remanufactured printer cartridges are worth considering as they can offer great value, and the printouts can be sharp and clearer than you might expect.