Third-Party Ink Jet Inks…. Deal or No Deal?

Over the last several years, nearly every corporation has sought ways to tighten the belt on manufacturing costs, including the costs of running marking and coding equipment.  To that end, ink suppliers have become plentiful in the industrial market. But are third party inks a viable solution for saving money? Well, it depends on the third-party provider.

In order to save money, the cost of the ink itself is an obvious factor. The price has to be less than what you’re currently paying; otherwise, why bother?
The other critical factor is quality.  If the ink you purchase ruins your equipment or causes a lot of down time, then you’ve just spent the money you saved and then some. So how do you choose a supplier?

Search with one word in mind….integrity. When considering third-party fluids for your ink jet equipment it is imperative to choose a vendor with a reputation of quality, dependability, AND expertise in the business.

Think about when you fill up your gas tank. With the cost of fuel these days, most of us choose to fill up with regular unleaded at Amoco or Shell or another well-known station because they are trusted suppliers that have been around for decades. The regular is not their best, but you know it’s still good and won’t cause problems in your engine. Now, if you have a new fancy car that requires premium gasoline do you choose a well-known station or Joe Schmoe’s station that just opened on the corner? My good sense tells me that the Joe Schmoe’s is probably not going to be your choice. If you wouldn’t use the best at Joe’s then you definitely would not use their regular. The same holds true for the industrial ink in your printing systems. If you wouldn’t choose the vendor for “premium” fluids, it’s probably not a good idea to choose them for the “regular”.

For more information on third-party inkjet inks and fluid, visit www.itw-inks.com.

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