We will be discussing ink and toner options in this paper. What is more, the difference between OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and new compatible toner cartridges – and which is the best option for you.

What OEM Toner Cartridge is?

An OEM cartridge is defined that the company that made your printer also made the cartridge. For instance, if you own a Dell printer, then the Dell brand is the maker of OEM cartridges for your device.

What New Compatible Toner Cartridge is?

A compatible toner cartridge is made by a third-party manufacturer than your printer and is made up of all compatible parts. It is very similar to the OEM cartridges. However, it can be used in a variety of different printers. We strongly suggest that when buying compatible toner cartridges, new compatible toner cartridges are your first choice. The main reason is that some less reputable manufacturers will simply refill old OEM cartridges with toner and slap a new label on it.

How Do They Stack Up?

OEM Toner cartridges are manufactured specifically for your device and can therefore usually be relied upon to be of high quality. These toners generally have low failure rates and provide high print quality as they’re specifically designed for that particular printer or copier.

The downside to OEM toners is that they are significantly more expensive than a compatible cartridge and their production and disposal aren’t very eco-friendly.

New compatible toner cartridges offer good quality printing for a much lower cost than OEM cartridges; some sources even assert that they can provide better quality than certain OEMs. These cartridges are often also more eco-friendly in their production and disposal (some are biodegradable!).

The downside to new compatible cartridges is that you must get them from a reputable source. If buying from something like an auction site you do not really know what you are going to get, if it is simply a refilled used cartridge, or if it may not even be compatible with your device at all.

So What is the Best Option?

The better option here is pretty clear, new compatible cartridges are cheaper, can work just as well and are more eco-friendly than their counterpart OEM cartridges. In fact, by using new compatible cartridges you can see average savings from 30-40% per toner… sometimes even more than 50%!