Cheap Shot
To refill a cartridge, punch a hole in the top, inject ink with a syringe, and seal it back up with a label (ink evaporates quickly). A resetter [orange] fools your printer into thinking you've installed a new cartridge.
Illustration: Rob Kelly; Photograph: Luis Bruno
I just replaced my inkjet printer, a model I'd bought less than two years ago—not because it broke or because I didn't like the quality, but because it ran out of ink. Sound absurd? I paid $40 for the new printer (which scans and copies too). New ink cartridges for the last one would have cost me $55. Welcome to the economics of inkjet printing: Give away the printers, gouge them on the cartridges.
2 Other Ways to Save Money On Ink
Continuous-Ink Systems
Setting up a continuous-ink system takes a little work, but the tanks can hold as much as 10 times a normal cartridge. Quality varies, so shop around for the best system for your printer model.
Off-Brand Cartidges If you don't want to mess around with ink, just look for generic cartridges, which can cost half as much as name brands.
Illustration: Rob Kelly; Photograph: Luis Bruno
Web sites that sell cheap ink and accessories abound; check comparecartridges.com and dealink.com for reliable sources, and keep the ink flowing without draining your wallet.