What to do with those empty ink cartridges after they run out of Ink? Well, there are several computer shops willing to buy those cartridges for a good price while there are also some that are more than willing to take them off your hands.

These stores offer a highly much discounted price on the ink cartridges. They are very affordable and offer an alternative solution to those expensive ink cartridges.

On the market today, we have four known discount ink cartridges available: the compatible cartridge, the original equipment manufacture, or OEM cartridge, the remanufactured ink cartridge, and the refilled ink cartridge.

The compatible ink cartridge, as the name suggests, is the one most likely to be compatible with a certain printer. They may not be of the same quality, but the manufacturers of the compatible ink cartridge do attempt to reach the standard set by the makers of the original printer/ink cartridges. They are manufactured mostly by stationers, retail chain stores and companies that specialize in office and school supplies.

The original equipment manufacturer cartridges, or OEM ink cartridges, are produced by the companies who usually make the ink and cartridges of the big printer manufacturer's brand names. They are costly, but the performance is guaranteed to be top of the line and obviously is of high quality. It is a good option also to purchase OEM ink cartridges, as they are referred by the printer manufacturers because they often cancel warranties once they find out you have been using other ink cartridges.

The remanufactured ink cartridges, or refurbished ink cartridges, are recycled cartridges. The empty ink cartridges are cleaned and checked for spoiled parts. The spoiled parts are then replaced, rebuilt and filled up with a toner. It is then tested, sealed, and delivered to specialty stores. Since some parts are changed and are replaced by new ones, the performance of the remanufactured ink cartridges is just like the original.

And lastly, there are refilled ink cartridges. These are relatively cheaper, but there is no guarantee about their performance. It is even risky to try using these, as they can be harmful to your printer. You should only have your Ink Cartridges refilled by a professional and, if possible, the one endorsed by your printer company.