But opting for third-party ink cartridges can do more harm than good. You might believe you're saving money by purchasing and installing a generic ink cartridge. But the potential damage these cartridges may cause could actually cost you more.

That's a lot of demand for printer ink. As a result, ink manufacturers can keep prices high because they know consumers have no other choice. Yes, there are compatible and remanufactured cartridges on the market, but the ink is of a much lower quality that can damage your printer.

Why is ink more expensive than the printer itself? The amount of money you spend on ink cartridges can easily add up to more than what you paid for the printer itself. This is usually the case if you have one of those budget-friendly inkjet models which uses cartridges that print only a few pages before running out.

In a nutshell, ink cartridges contain liquid and are used by inkjet printers and toner cartridges contain powder and are used by laser printers. The ink inside an ink cartridge can be either dye-based or pigment-based, depending on which cartridge you have.