Printing Myths

People often hear something from a business associate or friend and think it’s the absolute truth. Well-meaning people share what they hear from another but it isn’t always accurate so Inkbarn wants to correct some common misbeliefs when it comes to printing.

• Myth #1: If I use anything other than an ink cartridge from the original printer manufacturer, it will hurt my printer or void my warranty. 
• Fact: This is not the case. Your warranty still applies if you use a compatible inkjet cartridge. Manufacturers logically want you to use their OEM supplies but a replacement ink cartridge will save you money! 

• Myth #2: When my printer says Low Ink, I should stop printing. 
• Fact: The low ink warning does not mean you need to stop printing. In fact, there is ink remaining in the cartridge as the warning comes quite some time before the ink level is critical. While you probably won’t be able to print volumes of documents after you see the warning, you absolutely will get more pages from the remaining ink. 

• Myth #3: The page yield listed by the manufacturer is the exact number of pages I should be able to print. 
• Fact: Page yield is not the amount of pages you can print. While it is indeed defined as the number of pages one can print from an ink cartridge there is more to it. To determine page yield, a standard ink cartridge is put through a continuous print test until the ink begins to fade or stops printing because of low ink supply. The test is performed by covering only 5% of the page at a time. So if page yield is listed as 10K pages, that means 10K pages at 5%, not 10K fully printed pages – a big distinction. So when reading about the page yield don’t be fooled this common misconception. 

• Myth #4: Faded print, streaks and smears are the result of a defective ink cartridge. 
• Fact: While this can indeed be the cause, another possibility is that the printer needs to be cleaned. By running the cartridge cleaning function you’ll remove any ink that may be clogging the print heads. If the problem persists, you should try the troubleshooting function on your printer or call the manufacturer for assistance before assuming it is the result of a cartridge problem.