Feature: Inkjet Cartridge Capacity All about Inkjet Cartridge Capacity and Cartridge Yields.

 

How much Ink does your Ink Cartridge really contain?
Manufacturers often produce Ink Cartridges that are the same, but actually contain different Ink Capacities. We  explain in detail the myths about cartridge capacities.

Cartridge Capacities - Standard or High Yield?
The cartridge is the same physical size, however it is the amount of ink that varies. The ‘Standard’ having less than the ‘High Yield’. However, where there is a standard only, this would usually contain the higher volume of ink, but not always! It is important to check cartridge capacity on our website.

Example:

• Lexmark 10N0217 (No 27) Standard Ink Cartridge. Page Yield 205 pages @ 5% coverage. Our Price £16.95 (as at March 04)
• Lexmark 10N0016 (No 16) High Yield Ink Cartridge Page Yield 410 pages @ 5% coverage. Our Price £21.95 (as at March 04)

So for an additional £5.00 you get TWICE the amount of Ink.

Many manufacturers only supply the standard capacity cartridge when you buy the printer, so you are forced to change the cartridge soon after you buy the printer. If you replace the cartridge with the same one as is in the printer already, and you are unaware that the printer will use the Higher Capacity version, you will be paying a lot more!

How do the Manufacturers get more Ink into the cartridge to create a High Capacity Cartridge?
Easily, the Standard capacity version is usually only half full! - That's how a High Capacity cartridge can contain more Ink. Many manufacturers don't make it easy to distinguish between the two.

Example: The C6578A and C6578D cartridges - The C6578A is the High Capacity version (38ml) having twice the ink that the C6578D cartridge has (19ml). The visual differences in the packaging is not very easy to see at all. There are three small differences between the two boxes.

1. On the front of the box (not shown) the Higher Capacity says "for high volume printing" - the Standard version doesn't say anything, and doesn't mention that the cartridge is a half full or "Standard Version"!
2. On the Right Hand side of the cartridge box in white printing on an orange background is the capacity - Not easily noticed.
3. On the back of the box (shown) the text is next to the barcode "hp c6578a" or "hp c6578d" depending upon the cartridge type. No mention is made of the number of pages the cartridge will print on the box anywhere!

What makes it even more difficult is that both cartridges are referred to as No.78 cartridges by Hewlett Packard, which in our opinion is not  the ideal way to make things easy for the customer to understand.

Unless the customer is aware that two versions of the cartridge exist, then they will continue to buy twice the quantity of the smaller ones. Most high street stores don't even sell the High Capacity cartridge!

Will a Standard or High Capacity Cartridge fit in my Printer?
Yes, in 90% of cases they will. We strongly advise checking our website for full details. On some rare occasions however, some of the manufacturers may alter the cartridge slightly and that may affect the fit with your printer. To ensure that a cartridge will fit in your printer - check our website, as sometimes a manufacturer will not inform you if your printer is capable of using High Capacity versions!

The outside of the cartridge will usually look identical, while the inside may contain different volumes of ink.

Why have different cartridge capacities in the first place?
This is purely the decision of the manufacturer. The more cynical would believe that the manufacturer would rather sell you two cartridges instead of one, and so make more money. The manufacturers say that they enable the customer to buy a cheaper cartridge; if they do very little printing? - You make up your own mind!

We at System Insight believe in giving you the customer as much information as possible and allowing you to make your own mind up!

How much ink do your compatible and remanufactured cartridges have?
All our compatible and remanufactured cartridges contain the same or more ink than the original cartridge. e.g. A Hewlett Packard C6615D cartridge contains 25ml. HP used to sell a C6615A cartridge that contained more ink - but soon discontinued it. Our remanufactured version of the C6615D cartridge contains 40ml!