It is possible that you had a disturbing time when you had to change the cartridge of your printer the last time. It might have been costly, time-consuming, confusing and full of harasses. Such an experience would absolutely have left you reluctant to face the stress of purchasing a cartridge in the future. If you are looking for alternative solutions, the following options will be helpful.

An easy and cheap substitute is to buy a kit from a department or office supply store and fill the printer ink yourself. Just take away the cartridge from the computer and insert the ink into the cartridge with the help of a nozzle. You can then set the cartridge back into place. Besides being a bit untidy you stand the possibility of losing the manufacturer's warranty if you use an off-brand printer ink cartridge.

If you want to extend the life of your printer ink cartridge you should care for the following:

- put your printer alternative to draft print till such time as you are prepared to print your concluding document.

- If the document that you would like to print does not hold any colors, you should set the black and white print alternative always till you want to print a color document.

Regardless of the above tips, you would still have to replace the cartridge at several times or the other. Given below are some more tips to help you keep money while purchasing replacement ink cartridges.

- A non-branded compatible inkjet printer cartridge would not be expansive and would still give out the purpose as good reputation manufacturers make printer ink cartridges and sell them at very low prices as matched to the cost of the printer manufacturers' own ink. There is also not much dissimilarity in quality.

- Filled up cartridges can also be used, as there are many makers who collect used ink cartridges, refill them and then check them. These cartridges will be much inexpensive and of good quality.

- Avail of discounts from online vendors if you buy in bulk.

The cheapest and the best decision, however is to pay money for ink refill kits from any store. You can use these kits to replenish your own printer cartridge. You can replenish one ink cartridge about ten times. It is not complicated to refill a cartridge but you should be careful that the refilling procedure is done before the ink cartridge dries out completely. Besides being the cheapest decision, it is also atmosphere friendly, as refilling obtainable ink cartridges will indicate that less number of cartridges will be made and dumped in landfill sites.

It is always best to shop around for the best deals before buying any product. You should check the prices in the local stores and compare them with those available online. You can then take the help of the above tips and decide the best course of action.

You must see what is excellent for you and then choose. However, you will have to take into consideration all the issues such as the life of your printer. You might be tempted to keep money by replenishing the cartridges and/or using low quality replacements but the damage to your printer can confirm to be more expensive. Weigh your options and then make a decision.