Epson ink cartridges are known for producing high quality text and vibrant photos, but with so many cartridges to choose from, how do you know which cartridge is the right fit.

Individual ink cartridges
Epson printers use individual ink cartridges, which means each cartridge is filled with a specific ink color. This is unlike HP’s tricolor cartridges that contain three ink colors in one cartridge. Most printers require a set of black, cyan, magenta and yellow cartridges but if you own a photo printer, your might need a couple of additional cartridges like light cyan or light magenta. Essentially each cartridge is a plastic tank that’s filled with ink. On the end of the cartridge you will find a gold chip that communicates with the printer to track ink levels so you know when it’s time for a replacement. When the cartridge is installed into the printer, it works with a fixed printhead inside the machine to create a print.

What is the best Epson ink cartridge?
All Epson printers offer standard yield and high yield cartridge sizes, but certain cartridge series are more economical than others. To get the most value, choose an Epson printer that works with cost-efficient high yield cartridges. When you are shopping around, pay attention to what cartridges the printer uses. Not all cartridges print efficiently! Let’s compare the Epson 410XL ink series and the 802XL ink series as an example. The Epson 410XL high yield black ink cartridge prints up to 500 pages for $24.99. The Epson 802XL high yield black, on the other hand, costs twice as much but prints 2,600 pages. When you compare the cost per page between these two cartridges you are actually getting a better value with the more expensive cartridge.

Epson ink cartridges can last for up to two years in their sealed packaging. Even after two years you may still get some use out of the cartridge, so don’t immediately throw in the towel when the “low ink” message appears. To try and extend the life of the cartridge, run the built-in cleaning function on your printer. This process cleans the printhead nozzles, dislodging any dried ink that may have built up over time. After the cleaning is finished, print a test page to see if the print quality has improved. If there is no improvement, try running the cleaning function 1-2 more times – sometimes an extra cleaning or two will do the trick. We don’t recommend running the cleaning function more than that since every time it is run it depletes some of the ink inside. Still having trouble? It may time to get a new cartridge.

Lastly, Cackle Telecommunications is proud to provide Epson Ink Cartridges to NZ businesses. Explore our selection to find the solution that’s right for you.