Are ‘Compatible’ ink Cartridges safe for my printer?

YES! Compatible, recycled or refilled cartridges or toners are perfectly safe for your printer. Just be sure to buy them from a reputable dealer.

Compatible ink cartridges and toners are substantially cheaper (up to 75% off!!) than the named brands and just as reliable. I have used compatible ink cartridges for nearly 10 years and they are just as good as the originals. In fact, I am so confident in them that I now supply them.
For example, I sell a full set of Epson compatible cartridges for less than 18 € which is less than half the price of the originals. These are guaranteed to work.

Why are they so much cheaper? The main reason is that the printer manufacturers sell the printers cheaply and make their money on the inflated ink prices. This opens the market for the compatibles and we benefit!

Why would anyone buy the originals? The printer manufacturers claim that not using their ink will void the warranty. This is not legal: your warranty cannot be voided in this way!

What about performance? All good quality cartridges are designed to meet the same quality standards as the originals (print quality AND page yield).

Final Word: Always ask for a money back guarantee! This is because there are some unscrupulous companies who will try to sell you 'bad' cartridges (see my first paragraph: "buy from a reputable dealer").

Do they always work?

No, compatibles do not always work.

Ink cartridges are very complex these days and need electronic circuitry to work. Since writing this article I have heard from people who have had problems. In every case, the problem was that the printer didn't print. The printer worked fine when the originals were put back in so there was clearly a problem with the compatibles.

The lesson: try them. If they work: great. If not, then nothing lost (especially if you took my advice and obtained them from a reputable source with a guarantee).

Hardware