[dlw]

What's the difference between OEM Hewlett Packard toner cartridges and the compatibles?
Some people say the compatibles are okay, others say they are not.

dlw

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well technically compatibles voids any warranty on your printer.... I've know some people who have pretty good luck with the compatibles and others with horror stories.... with hp you know what you are getting... with compatibles ????

[shard92]

well technically compatibles voids any warranty on your printer.... I've know some people who have pretty good luck with the compatibles and others with horror stories.... with hp you know what you are getting... with compatibles ????

[dlw]

These are the reasons I ask on this forum.
Some say good, some say bad.

Less than $30 is hard to walk away from when HP wants $70.

I found a HP OEM for $40 on ebay with three days to go.

Hope it makes to the last minute I'll try and get it.

Thanks for the input.

dlw

[dsenette]

i've found that the "compatibles" tend to not actually recreate black well....it's usually a little washed out and not a true black....alot of times the other colors are fine but i've noticed "washed" cyans and magentas as well...my biggest problem with the "off brand" cartridges are the sometimes the printer won't recognize them and you've got to go through 2 or 3 before the printer realizes you've changed the cartridge

[123Runner]

I am a firm believer in "originals" My company uses HP in the equipment we manufacture, and I have seen many issues with off brand. The same issues that dsenette has seen. I also tried an offbrand in my home printer for the first time. I got burned when halfway thru, it wasn't recognised any more. What did I save when I threw half of it away?

[Neil Jones]

The claims of using compatible ink cartridges voiding your warranty will never stand up in a court of law, in fact it may have been argued in a court of law somewhere in certain regions. It's well documented that last year Epson went on the warpath to stop companies selling compatible Epson inks in the UK. Epson cannot refuse to repair a printer which is still under warranty but found to have 3rd party ink in it. They tried that once and lost in the UK courts. I dare say the situation would apply to other manufacturers as well.

In most cases price is the deciding factor. £3 for a compatible or £22 for a genuine. Companies like Epson and HP make their profits on the back of the ink, sell the printer for peanuts and then charge the earth for ink for their products.

[dlw]

I don't know about Epson or HP but I had a Brother laser printer a few years ago.
The compatibles for the Brother did not include the drum (I think that's right) or some other part.
I understand that HP OEM cartridges has everything whereas compatibles do not.
Does anyone know about this issue?

dlw

[Troy]

I think you'll find OEM cartridges are smaller than the proper retail ones, meaning they're literally about half the size. These come in the printer when you buy it new, so you have to go and buy more sooner...