Ratings Printer inks

Key number	Brand & model	Price			Test results
	Price ranges and test scores reflect variations at different store locations around the country. For businesses that accept empty cartridges for credit, prices reflect cartridge return.
	BCI-3e/6 CARTRIDGES FOR CANON PRINTERS
	VERY GOOD
1	Canon (BCI-3e black and BCI-6 color)	$44	$12			$0.85	$0.35		2.5¢
2	Staples	29	9	•		0.80	0.35		1.5
	GOOD
3	Cartridge World	26-31	7-8	•	to	0.80	0.35	to	1.5 to 2.0	to
4	OfficeMax	30	8	•		0.85	0.35		2
5	Carrot Ink	32	9			0.80	0.35		2
6	Rhinotek	32	5			0.85	0.35		1
7	PrintPal (OA100, G&G)	20	5			0.75	0.35		1.5
	FAIR
8	Nu-kote	19	5			0.75	0.35		1.5
	T048 CARTRIDGES FOR EPSON PRINTERS
	EXCELLENT
9	Epson (T048 series)	76	17			0.90	0.25		3
	VERY GOOD
10	Carrot Ink	57	12			0.85	0.25		2.5
11	PrintPal (OA100)	49	9			0.80	0.25		2
12	Cartridge World	39-51	9-11	•	to	0.75 to 0.90	0.20 to 0.25	to	2.0 to 2.5
13	OfficeMax	49	12	•		0.75	0.25		2.5
	HP 96/97 CARTRIDGES FOR HP PRINTERS
	VERY GOOD
14	Cartridge World	18-21	15-18	•	to	0.80 to 0.90	0.30	to	2.5	to
15	OfficeMax	26	22	•		1.00	0.35		3.5
16	PrintPal (generic)	28	25			1.40	0.45		5
17	Hewlett-Packard (96 black, 97 tri-color)	31	27			0.80	0.3		4
	GOOD
18	Office Depot	27	23	•		0.85	0.30		3
19	Carrot Ink (generic)	29	24			1.05	0.35		3.5
20	Rapid Refill Ink	22	20	•		1.05	0.35		3.5
	HP 96/97/99 CARTRIDGES FOR HP PRINTERS
	VERY GOOD
21	Hewlett-Packard (96 black, 97 tri-color, 99 photo)	56	27			1.05	0.35		4
	GOOD
22	Rapid Refill Ink	36-37	17-20	•	to	0.95 to 1.20	0.35 to 0.40		2.5	to
23	Island Ink-Jet	28	14	•		1.00 to 1.15	0.35 to 0.40	to	2.5 to 3.0	to

BRAND & MODEL

We tested brand-name inkjet cartridges made by three printer manufacturers and compatible off-brand cartridges from office-supply chains, ink franchises, and Internet retailers. For this report, we focused on cartridges used in the Canon Pixma iP4000, Epson Stylus Photo R320, and HP PhotoSmart 7760. We divided the HP into two categories since some off-brand ink sellers didn't support this printer's photo-ink cartridge at the time of our testing. These cartridges may be used in other printer models as well. We show the brand name and series of cartridges (in parenthesis); Canon BCI-3e/6, Epson T048, and HP 96 black, 97 tri-color, and 99 photo, and the compatible off brands we tested. () show whether we received generic or a third-party brand.


PRICES

Prices reflect the lowest possible pricing, including credit for empties if available. Note that per-print costs may be slightly higher if empty cartridges are not turned in; these were generally 5 cents more for a photo, and 0.5 to 1 cents for text.

Color photo cartridges prices are for all color and black (or, for HP, photo) cartridges necessary to produce color photos.

Black cartridge price is for the black cartridge only.

Empty cartridge(s) returned indicates whether spent cartridges were traded in for a discount.


TEST RESULTS

Overall performance, shown in the crossheads, is based on print quality for color photos, text, and color graphics as assessed by trained panelists. The franchises may show ranges in test results based on what we found from testing different locations around the country.

Photo quality reflects a color snapshot's appearance at the printer's best setting using each printer manufacturer's recommended glossy paper.

8x10-inch photo cost is for ink and one sheet of glossy 8 1/2x11-inch photo paper at the printer's best setting, using each printer manufacturer's recommended type of glossy paper.

4x6-inch photo cost is for ink and one sheet of glossy 4x6-inch photo paper at the printer's best setting using each printer manufacturer's recommended type of glossy paper.

Text quality is for clarity and crispness of black text.

Text cost is for black ink and one sheet of plain paper.

Graphics quality assesses color output such as greeting cards and charts.