Many consumers are unaware that manufacturers often make a loss on selling their printing machines. When considering research and development costs and the manufacturing process, the leading companies look to make long-term profits from their consumables, in this case, their printer cartridges and ink. Over the lifespan of their machines, they will eventually turn a profit. This model can be seen clearly in other sectors such as 'Razor Blades', where the physical razor is sold at a relatively low cost at the start along with consumables. However, moving forward the consumables are more expensive than buying the original razor itself.

The simple answer to this is 'Yes'. Under fair trade laws, a manufacturer cannot have any monopoly on consumables. This law was implemented in the same way to stop a car manufacturer from trying to tell their customer that they can only buy specific parts or use specific petrol named by them; otherwise, they would invalidate their warranty. This cannot happen in Australia. We are here to ensure we only supply you with premium products that will ensure your printer is still working well and producing the yield you are looking for.

With specific cartridges, their ink level management control is embedded into the printer head, which is fixed, so this can be a false warning. Make sure you deal with a reliable stockist that ensures your cartridges are topped up to the maximum level. Here at CartridgePlanet, we at least match, if not exceed, the original yield.

Some more modern printers do not measure the ink as a percentage of what is left but use a page count down and coverage of five per cent. Suppose you regularly use more than five per cent page coverage when printing, then you can expect not to make the yield stated on your cartridges. However, the flip side is that if you are printing less than five per cent, you can expect more yield per cartridge.

The five per cent rule is an industry term used as a yield measurement for testing. It originates from the standard letter and memo days. As a rule of thumb, if you were to use a Z and double-space it down an A4 piece of paper, that would equate to roughly five per cent coverage.

If you are using single cartridges, they can use more than one printer model number. So the manufacturers don't always supply the exact printer model with the cartridge on the box.

Inkjet cartridges always have a small amount of ink still contained within. When you receive a low-ink warning, there will still be a useable amount. An analogy would be that it is similar to a motorcycle or car; the warning is purely there to tell you to refill soon. The leftover ink helps the user by ensuring that your machine does not overheat and cause damage to your print head.

The basic outline of the cartridge should look the same, and any cartridge purchased from CartidgePlanet is guaranteed to perform and fit as well as the OEM. Patent issues can play a significant role in this. We only stock premium cartridges, whether they are OEMs, refillable, or replacements. All of which adhere to international recycling laws.

If you use 'XL' or 'high Yield' options for both your printer cartridges and ink, you are on the right path. For example, some high-yield cartridges or toners will cost more but can deliver double your page yield. Also, change your settings on your printer to ensure you get maximum output. For example, the 'Times new Roman' font uses less ink than 'Arial'. So if you want to make a presentation in ‘Arial’, make sure you do all your practice prints in 'Times New Roman'. The same goes for colour printing; you can adjust your printer mode accordingly for test copies compared with final documents. Do not refill your cartridge as soon as your low-ink level warning goes off. You still have printing time left; continue until you see a visible drop-off in your print quality.