Beware that smudge on true value

Thu, Nov 5 01:50 AM

In a digi-printing tech world like ours, printing inks have a lead role. It's no longer about black and white letters. We are talking of life-like reproduction of images and quality that sets newer standards.

So, where does one start? A good starting point could be from where printing begins—the printer. And at the heart of all printers lies the cartridge—unobtrusive but crucial for quality print. So, is a cartridge simply a cartridge, irrespective of whether it is a refill or an original? The answer is not complicated and is directly linked to customer benefit.

The good news is that the enlightened Indian is more value-conscious; not just price-sensitive. The bad news is that the average consumer today is faced with confusing choices, often misled with tempting baits such as: 'Lowest ink jet prices', 'Three for the price of one' 'Save up to 80% on printing costs'. Understandably then, the temptation to experiment could get the better of an informed decision.

In a bid to discover the difference between original cartridges and refills, PC World purchased inks for three popular printers—Canon's S900, Epson's Stylus C82, and Hewlett-Packard's DeskJet 3820—and compared their print quality and yield with those of the printer vendor's inks. Along with this, Henry Wilhelm at Wilhelm Imaging Research, a leading authority on photo longevity, also tested most of the inks for the durability of the printed image when on display and exposed to light.

Yes, it was finally on record that some third-party inks can save money. But what the study also threw up was that refills can produce poor-quality prints and clogged up printheads as well. In fact, there was a time when

refills plugged up the printhead

nozzles so quickly and consistently that some of the tests even had to be aborted. While most refills made

the prints look fine, Wilhelm reported that none of the clone inks he tested came close to matching the permanence of branded inks.

At Wilhelm Imaging Research, however, the prints produced using these refilled originals were so poor in quality that Wilhelm did not test them for permanence. Again, original cartridges are meant for single use. Output quality and consistency may suffer if you stretch their use with a refill.

So how do original cartridges deliver better results than their generic counterparts? Well, original cartridges are the result of years of research to develop inks, papers, cartridges and printheads that work best together so you get the best value for your money.

Sometimes original cartridges can seem unnecessarily pricey. Yet, buying a cheaper refill could be an inexpensive beginning of a harassing journey. Hidden costs like ink and paper wastage because of having to 'flush' a clogged nozzle make for ineffective cost control. When you pay a higher price, you can be sure that you get ink formulations that have anti-crusting properties, which prevent printhead nozzles from clogging when the printer has not been used for a few days.

Value-conscious customers are often suspicious of discounted prices being offered for refills. Printing today represents the image of any business and original manufacturers offer research-backed assurance of high technology that works well. Each new ink can take up to three years to develop, with more than 100 different formulae tried to get the perfect colour and fade resistance quotient. At HP, for example, about 20 ink purity tests are conducted to ensure the ink is free of even the smallest microscopic particles, (so they won't clog printheads) and 70 other tests ensure the ink is just right.

So, it's not about brand loyalty or being eco-friendly or getting comfortable with a brand because it is easily accessible or one being too lazy to check out newer and maybe possibly, better options. It's not really about originals or refills but about resisting temptation in favour of quality and total cost—and being completely sure of your choice. It's about knowing a cartridge is not a cartridge is not a cartridge.

The author is head of marketing, HP IPG India

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