When choosing the correct ink cartridge for your printer and for your inkjet printer, it is very important that you choose a good quality ink that ensures you get high quality printing results. Refilling your old cartridges may seem like a good idea and sound less expensive but it can require more technical skills than most of us have, and anyway, the procedure can vary from cartridge to cartridge. Many inkjet cartridges are not simply containers that hold ink, they also have built in electronic circuits. The circuits or 'chips' as they are sometimes referred to, need to be reset after the ink cartridges have been refilled. Without the correct tools, knowledge and skills to refill them, it is better to consider going for the next best option and buying a good quality compatible or remanufactured ink cartridge.

Replacing Inkjet Cartridges

Identify the make and model of your inkjet printer.This may sound like an obvious one but more and more inkjet cartridges are returned to suppliers because of an error made in the selection of the cartridge needed. The printer model will usually be located on the back or on the bottom on the printer. It could be located on a sticker on the front of the printer - use this to check the cartridge you need and make a note of it. It is sometimes the case where the printer will take more than one size of ink cartridge, and you may be able to purchase a high capacity cartridge which will last a lot longer and work out cheaper in the long run.

Checking out your user's manual

Getting familiar with your printer and learning how to change the ink cartridge in your printer plus finding out what type of ink it uses will require reading up on the users manual that comes with the printer. In fact, these days some of the printers don't have a manual with them but your download the installation guide and user manual from the manufacturer's website. Every printer is different, and you will need to familiarize yourself with the steps to change the cartridges properly and the users manual is the best place to start. If at all possible, open the printer cover and read the product code on the cartridge. It may be necessary to go into your printer utilities to activate the 'how to change an ink cartridge' instruction. This will move the print heads into position for you to see the cartridges and read the numbers you require. However, if there is no cartridge present or you cannot open the inkjet printer without actually physically changing the inkjet cartridge, then consult your user's manual or go online to check it out further.

Choosing a replacement ink cartridge

If you are choosing an inkjet cartridge form an online supplier then the website will usually list all the printers that will work with a particular ink cartridge. Most websites that supply cartridges have a search facility that will allow you to type in the product code of the cartridge and take you straight to the options to buy. Sometimes, however, it will be necessary to type in the full product code of the cartridge if you know it as not all search facilities on websites can recognise a partial code or number from an inkjet cartridge. The other option is to go for a drop down search facility - where it is offered and select your printer; first by brand, then by printer type and lastly by the actual model number. This will ensue that you find the correct ink cartridges that work with your printer.