5 Ways to Pick the Right Ink Cartridge for Your Printer

 Wide-format printers can open more opportunities for your printing business. They are perfect for producing high-quality and larger printouts such as posters, blueprints, and promotional materials. You just have to choose the right wide format printer ink to ensure the best results. But with so many options, how do you know which ink cartridge to choose?

The options typically narrow down to dye and pigment inks. Knowing what they are and their differences can help you determine the best large format ink for your needs. You might even find that their price points differ depending on ink manufacturers in the USA. Here are some ways to pick the best ink cartridges for your printer.

1. Understand the differences

Dye inks are formulated from dye colorants. They have ultra-fine color particles that dissolve in water, so they look like a clear solution. On the other hand, pigment inks have larger color particles that don’t dissolve in water. Instead, they are suspended in the ink with specialized technology.

2. Consider your printing requirements

If your print shop prints general documents, you’ll need dye-based wide format printer ink. It’s also practical for amateur photo printing and indoor short-life graphics such as exhibition posters and event banners. Dye-based inks reproduce colors accurately and vividly, and they generally have a longer shelf life and stability.

Business documents will look better when printed with pigment-based inks. They will have water-fast results, even on plain paper. Pigment inks are also ideal for professional photo printing and indoor posters or signage, as they offer excellent fade resistance. The prints are highly sharp without inter-color bleeding. Some ink manufacturers in the USA use advanced formulations for higher color vibrancy and excellent color gamut. The shelf life of pigment inks is slightly lesser than dye-based inks.

3. Identify the cartridge number

Some printers require up to six ink cartridges and others may use just one. Different printer models may work only with specific ink cartridges. You need to identify the cartridge number or name on every large format ink cartridge to find the appropriate replacement. It’s usually on the owner’s manual or on the cartridge itself.

4. Decide between high-yield and standard ink cartridges

Wide-format printer ink can come in either a standard or XL/XXL or high-yield cartridge depending on the page yield, which is the approximate number of pages it can print before running out. Consider standard cartridges with a low page yield if you’ll be printing occasionally, and high-yield cartridges if you print a lot. A high-yield ink cartridge may help you save up to 50 percent in per-page printing costs.

5. Don’t ignore compatible ink cartridges 

An OEM large format ink cartridge may deliver the highest quality, but it’s typically expensive to help offset the manufacturer’s marketing and R&D costs. The good news is that there are compatible ink cartridges available nowadays. These are made by third-party manufacturers and may offer significant savings. Be sure they’re coming from reputable ink manufacturers in the USA, such as Bink Inks.

Bink Inks makes alternatives for wide-format inkjet inks for customers who don’t want to waste money on printer inks. Our inks are manufactured in the US according to rigid quality assurance standards.