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Printer manufacturers don't just make money off the printers they sell. They also make money through the ink cartridges that people buy. Once you run out of black ink or one of the three colored inks (now that most printer companies have decided to split a single color cartridge into three), you head out to the store and buy a brand new cartridge, hopefully at a place that offers empty cartridge recycling. But there are times when you're not too keen on paying the full price. Other locations, especially online sites, offer remanufactured cartridges - ink cartridges that have been given a thorough cleanup and filled with new ink - at much lower prices, earning them money, saving you money, and leaving the printer manufacturers behind.
However, printer manufacturers earn absolutely zero profits when businesses sell remanufactured ink cartridges. This is because the remanufactured cartridges have been cleaned up and refilled with new ink. They never go back to the original maker of the cartridge. The remanufactured cartridge, because it isn't being made from scratch, can easily be sold for less than a brand new cartridge. These places are easy to find online and have grown in popularity over the years, much to the chagrin of original equipment manufacturers (hence the name OEM cartridges). OEMs have attempted to stem the sales of remanufactured cartridges, though they haven't been overtly successful. Previous attempts even included lawsuits that cited design patent infringement.
A New Tactic: Recycling
This has led to printer manufacturers taking a few different routes. In order for a remanufactured cartridge business to stay in business it needs a steady supply of empty printer cartridges to work with. Some printing businesses have realized that if they can remove the empty cartridges from the equation, eventually one or several of those cartridge lines won't be available for the remanufacturing process and sale.
This is the direction that some printer manufacturers have taken in order to remove empty cartridges from the loop entirely. Once they saw the possibilities of offering recycling, manufacturers either started offering it themselves or partnered up with retail businesses in order to provide the option to consumers.
Companies that recycle benefit themselves in multiple ways by doing so. The look good in consumers' eyes because they are opting for green practices, which is good for the planet overall. They can reuse materials instead of expending energy to make new ones, which can also save them money. Normally cartridges that end up in landfills can take many, many years to break down because of the plastics they are made from. Companies that melt down and destroy old cartridges in order to make new ones or help make parts for other devices are being responsible. People also like it when companies are responsible, and may decide to make an additional purchase because of this.
Second, by recycling cartridges, it keeps the empties out of the hands of third party remanufacturers. The cartridges that the company collects, either directly or from partners they have made deals with, get crushed, melted, and transformed into something else entirely. There is no cartridge to go back into circulation. A remanufacturer cannot use the empty to refill and sell at a lower price to consumers.
Another Problem
In addition to recycling taking the empties out of the loop, the simple fact that people buy less cartridges overall than they previously did compounds the situation. People are looking for ways to print less, print smarter, and spend less money when they finally need new ink cartridges. Some remanufacturers do offer return envelopes and containers for people to send back their cartridges, but this isn't always the case, which means cartridges can end up in the garbage or recycling bin.
All of this leads to fewer empty cartridges for a remanufacturer to use and sell. This means people have no place to go for cheaper cartridges, and in the end find themselves right back where they started - buying brand new cartridges from the printer companies.
While it is unlikely that the business of selling remanufactured cartridges will go away completely, it is something to be aware of the next time you find yourself faced with an empty cartridge. Will you have it recycled? Or will you find a way to deliver it to a business that remanufactures them?
However, printer manufacturers earn absolutely zero profits when businesses sell remanufactured ink cartridges. This is because the remanufactured cartridges have been cleaned up and refilled with new ink. They never go back to the original maker of the cartridge. The remanufactured cartridge, because it isn't being made from scratch, can easily be sold for less than a brand new cartridge. These places are easy to find online and have grown in popularity over the years, much to the chagrin of original equipment manufacturers (hence the name OEM cartridges). OEMs have attempted to stem the sales of remanufactured cartridges, though they haven't been overtly successful. Previous attempts even included lawsuits that cited design patent infringement.
A New Tactic: Recycling
This has led to printer manufacturers taking a few different routes. In order for a remanufactured cartridge business to stay in business it needs a steady supply of empty printer cartridges to work with. Some printing businesses have realized that if they can remove the empty cartridges from the equation, eventually one or several of those cartridge lines won't be available for the remanufacturing process and sale.
This is the direction that some printer manufacturers have taken in order to remove empty cartridges from the loop entirely. Once they saw the possibilities of offering recycling, manufacturers either started offering it themselves or partnered up with retail businesses in order to provide the option to consumers.
Companies that recycle benefit themselves in multiple ways by doing so. The look good in consumers' eyes because they are opting for green practices, which is good for the planet overall. They can reuse materials instead of expending energy to make new ones, which can also save them money. Normally cartridges that end up in landfills can take many, many years to break down because of the plastics they are made from. Companies that melt down and destroy old cartridges in order to make new ones or help make parts for other devices are being responsible. People also like it when companies are responsible, and may decide to make an additional purchase because of this.
Second, by recycling cartridges, it keeps the empties out of the hands of third party remanufacturers. The cartridges that the company collects, either directly or from partners they have made deals with, get crushed, melted, and transformed into something else entirely. There is no cartridge to go back into circulation. A remanufacturer cannot use the empty to refill and sell at a lower price to consumers.
Another Problem
In addition to recycling taking the empties out of the loop, the simple fact that people buy less cartridges overall than they previously did compounds the situation. People are looking for ways to print less, print smarter, and spend less money when they finally need new ink cartridges. Some remanufacturers do offer return envelopes and containers for people to send back their cartridges, but this isn't always the case, which means cartridges can end up in the garbage or recycling bin.
All of this leads to fewer empty cartridges for a remanufacturer to use and sell. This means people have no place to go for cheaper cartridges, and in the end find themselves right back where they started - buying brand new cartridges from the printer companies.
While it is unlikely that the business of selling remanufactured cartridges will go away completely, it is something to be aware of the next time you find yourself faced with an empty cartridge. Will you have it recycled? Or will you find a way to deliver it to a business that remanufactures them?
About the Author:
Eezy Trade is an cost effective ink cartridges for printers providing company in U.K, which offers the best selling price to its clients. They offer different printer cartridges to its customers including hp ink cartridges.
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