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HP is one of the oldest printer manufacturers still in business, and their printers have long been considered some of the best. Is this accurate, however, or do people just assume they’re good because their name is so well known?

HP’s inkjet printers cover a wide spectrum. They have photo printers in various sizes, business printers, value models for home use and a number of specialized models for various applications.

Whatever type of printer it may be, HP has been consistently recognized for offering a print quality above and beyond that of their competition. The quality can be attributed to the advanced technology used in ink cartridges designed for HP printers.

Most HP ink cartridges include not only the ink but also the printhead. The printhead is the component in a printer that actually sprays the ink onto the paper. In most other brands of printers, the printhead is part of the printer itself rather than the cartridge.

Over a period of time, as the printer gets used more and more, this printhead can start to deteriorate and the quality of printing can suffer because of it. Eventually this printhead will wear out and need to be replaced. In most cases, replacing the head costs as much or more as buying a whole new printer so at this point the printer often gets thrown out and replaced.

The issue of printhead replacement is completely avoided by HP’s ink cartridge design. An HP printer retains basically the same quality of printing during its entire life because every time the ink cartridge is replaced, a new printhead is installed as well.

Although the HP ink cartridge design has some clear benefits, there are also a few disadvantages. Since the cartridges come with the printhead as well, they are normally more expensive than other brands. This expense, however, prevents you from eventually having to pay for an expensive repair or buy a new printer because of printhead deterioration.

The other disadvantage to HP’s system is that their cartridges tend not to work very well when refilled. Because the head is part of the cartridge and is not designed to last beyond the expected life of the ink, it can wear out if the empty cartridge is reused.

You’re usually safe with a single refill but after refilling it once, it’s hit or miss as to whether you’ll run into problems.

Tags: Computers and Technology