Understanding The Difference Between Compatible And OEM Toner Cartridges
When it comes to shopping for printer cartridges, most people know the available alternatives that include compatible and OEM cartridges. The conventional conception is that OEM cartridges are expensive, and compatible cartridges can damage the printer.
However, the difference between OEM and compatible cartridges is far more varied than the aforementioned simplistic notion. Therefore, this post is dedicated to highlighting those complex and diverse differences between OEM and compatible cartridges. Hence let’s get started.
What Are OEM Cartridges?
Original Equipment Manufacturer or as commonly known as OEM cartridges is the printer cartridges manufactured by the same manufacturers who made the printers. These cartridges are known for reliability and high quality as they are specifically designed to work with specific models of printers only. Additionally, these cartridges are generally more expensive as the manufacturers need to cover making printers available at competitive prices.
What Are Compatible Cartridges?
Compatible cartridges are not very different from OEM cartridges, except that the printer manufacturer does not manufacture these cartridges. Instead, compatible cartridges are the replacement printer cartridges manufactured by other third-party manufacturers. However, it would be best to remember that these cartridges are not refurbished or used as they are also newly manufactured, like OEM cartridges. Additionally, the specifications of compatible cartridges are not different from OEM cartridges, but unlike their counterparts, compatible cartridges are available at affordable prices.
Differences Between OEM and Compatible Cartridges
Understanding the differences between OEM and compatible can help you decide when shopping for replacement toner cartridges online or elsewhere. Hence let’s get started.
Manufacturers:
The primary difference between OEM and compatible is their manufacturers. OEM cartridges are manufactured by the same company that made the printer, while other third-party manufacturers manufacture compatible printers.Â
People often tend to doubt the reliability of compatible cartridges. Still, in reality, these cartridges are just as reliable as OEM cartridges, provided you purchase the cartridge from a trusted manufacturer. The best aspect of compatible cartridges is their affordability, and they do not have any adverse impact on the printer.
Price:
The other significant difference between OEM and compatible cartridges is pricing. Original cartridges are manufactured after extensive research and development, which significantly drives the prices. But apart from that, the other reason behind the increased price of OEM cartridges is that manufacturers have to make up for the losses they incurred when selling the printers at competitive prices.Â
On the contrary, compatible cartridge manufacturers are not required to make up for such expenses allowing them to charge lower prices. However, you must always buy compatible cartridges from a reliable manufacturer and avoid selling substandard ones.
Page Yield And Print Quality:
The print quality and page yield offered by both compatible and OEM cartridges are more or less similar. Most compatible cartridge manufacturers also ensure that their cartridges undergo extensive testing and quality checks before being sold out to the customers.Â
Plus, compatible cartridges’ specifications are identical to OEM cartridges, ensuring that the cartridge delivers the exact page yield and print quality without any compromise. However, as with any cartridge, there is always a tiny bit of probability that the cartridge might have some defect in either of these cartridges.
Warranty:
Most printers currently available in the market generally come with a twelve-month warranty. However, most printer manufacturers do everything to ensure that their customers only purchase OEM cartridges. In many cases, these manufacturers void the printer’s warranty if the customer is using compatible cartridges.Â
This is simply because printer manufacturers often fail to make a profit selling printers which is why they rely on selling OEM cartridges at higher prices to make a profit on both the printer and the cartridges. Therefore, it is highly recommended you buy your compatible cartridge from a trusted manufacturer to ensure that it does not cause any damage to the printer.
Reliability:
There is no doubt that compatible cartridges are just as reliable as OEM cartridges. However, that is not to say that is always the case because certain compatible cartridge manufacturers sell low-grade products to their customers. This low-grade product is bad for the printers, but such cartridges’ print quality and page yield are also inferior.Â
This is why it is time and again recommended to buy your compatible cartridge from a trusted manufacturer. One easy way to determine the reliability of compatible cartridge manufacturers is to check if they offer a good product return policy as well as a guarantee for the product.
Conclusion
It is obvious by now that printer manufacturers want you to buy cartridges from them at higher prices. However, it is you; the customer gets to choose the cartridge that works excellent for you. Ultimately, it boils down to why pay more for something when there is a less expensive alternative readily available in the market.
