For many years now, we’ve seen printer manufacturers such as Canon and HP launching new cartridges in a year or two’s cycle, to change the print head pattern of their new printers. This is among the method used to combat imitation inks that are massively available out there, especially in Chinese markets. Imitation goods which look exactly like the real deal are not uncommon off from the eastern regions, where I’ve seen a few cases of fake thumb drives with identical packaging for fake Kingston advertising somewhat large capacity storage of 128GB (when back then was unheard of) yet only capable of storing up to 128MB of data.

Printer manufacturers, together with the Public Security Bureau are actively tightening control over imitation products which are violating trademarks, however eradication seems difficult. As a result, the printer manufacturers are publishing on their websites in certain regions information such as how to distinguish between imitation ink cartridge’s external appearance, what kind of harm will be done when using imitation ink, what kind of issues and printing results can be seen and at the same time strongly encouraging the general public to use genuine ink cartridge.

Genuine, or imitation?

Currently in the Chinese market, imitation ink cartridges are sold at a much cheaper price (real dirt cheap, as in a buck or two) in comparison to genuine ink. Imitation ink uses trademarks illegally and therefore its external appearance is extremely identical to that of the genuine ink, though we’ve seen cases of imitation inks using their very own packaging boxes. Consequently, without special tools or expertise, it is difficult for the general users to distinguish between the imitation ink and the genuine ink.

Furthermore, because the imitation ink is cheaper and as long as there is no clear difference in appearance, there is a high probability that the consumers will purchase the cheaper imitation ink cartridge, thinking to save up some bucks on the long run. Printers might be dirt cheap during sales seasons, but their inks aren’t. Sometimes a full pack Genuine Canon ink cartridges would cost $80 to $100 depending on models, while new printers cost nearly the same, with free inks (half capacity thought) some more.

Fast forward a few years, and we now have an even more advance imitation ink system which resellers charge a ‘premium’ to be installed upon. The continuous Ink Supply System, which uses some tubes to connect an external carrier to your genuine ink cartridge in your printer. This system relies on the pressure of the external ink carrier in order to pump the ink into your existing cartridge, and easily breaks down if not handled properly. The cost of installation and parts are already unjustified, when you compare the results that it delivered.

A consumer who bought the colour ink cartridges by trusting the manufacturer’s logo will not be able to enjoy the quality and performance which genuine product can provide and will judge the printer’s quality based on incorrect understanding of the product or may unintentionally break the printer.

As a result of the printing quality comparison tests, imitation ink cartridge not only proved low reliability of its print quality such as poor color quality, ink exudation, smear of the printed document, but it also showed that it could not print the number of pages that it says it is capable of printing. Consequently, the cost per page increases and can lead to a loss of value for money. Spending more instead of the initial ‘less’ seemed to have somehow burdened the consumers instead. Often have I seen imitation cartridges fail to work after unboxing, which thus leads to unsatisfied customers.

Some simple examples of the difference between genuine ink and imitation ink:

• Difference in Color

• Exudation of Black Ink

• Photo Image printing quality degradation

• Comparison of Printable Number of Pages and Cost Performance by Allion Japan.

Therefore, it is important to know the difference between genuine ink cartridges and imitation ink cartridges, and think wisely before choosing which boat you would like to stand. It is obvious that you’ll save a lot by using imitation inks and toners in the long run, but bear in mind that they might not be 100-percent compatible with your printer despite stated so, and may even breakdown your printer in some way or another. Degradation of the printing quality might be tolerable for some parties, but if you’re spending more time and money to fix the issues caused by the imitation inks, then it’s no longer feasible to support pirated goods.