Frequently asked questions

1. What is the Privacy Policy of PC Ink?
2. How secure is my payment?
3. What is the product guarantee?
4. How much is delivery?
5. How do I order?
6. What is your telephone number and address?
7. What are your VAT details?
8. Why is the ink running out so fast?
9. Will a compatible cartridge be as good as an original?
10. Will my printer still be under guarantee if I use a compatible cartridge?
11. What is a photo cartridge?
12. What is a five-colour cartridge?
13. What is that number followed by the letter 'k'?
14. What is the page life of these cartridges? How is it worked out?

Why is the ink running out so fast?
Many printer manufacturers do not include a full ink cartridge with a new machine. It is a starter cartridge. If you have a new machine and are wondering why it is not lasting very long, you may be advised that you have only used a starter cartridge. Some of these are only designed to print as few as fifty sheets at five percent coverage.

Other problems may indicate a new printhead is required. If the jets become blocked, it can appear as white streaks across the page. This looks as though the cartridge is running out of ink, but is an entirely different problem.

Please note that manufacturers quote page life figures, however you should not expect to be able to reach these figures as they are only quoted at five percent coverage. Most users print at over five percent, photographic work can be very excessive in ink usage.

Will a compatible cartridge be as good as an original?
The compatible cartridges supplied by PC Ink are of the highest quality only. We mainly supply recognised branded makes. These have proven to be just as reliable as the original cartridges in many cases.

Will my printer still be under guarantee if I use a compatible cartridge?
Your printer should remain under guarantee whichever cartridges you use, however some manufacturers may not honour any claim if it is deemed the fault of a compatible cartridge.

What is a photo cartridge?
A photo cartridge is required to get the highest print quality from you printer. Not all printers can accept photo cartridges. You will also need some photo paper in order to get the best results.

What is a five-colour cartridge?
Cartridges that are described as five-colour contain the photo cyan and photo magenta as well as the standard cyan, magenta and yellow colours. These cartridges give high quality results.

What is that number followed by the letter 'k'?
You may see descriptions containing numbers such as '3k' or '6k' for example. These refer to the number of pages the cartridge is expected to be able to print in thousands at a rate of five percent coverage. A '3k' toner should print 3000 pages at five percent.

What is the page life of these cartridges? How is it worked out?
A page life is how long a cartridge is expected to last. It is calculated by printing coverage of the page at five percent. Most users print much more than five percent on a page and you should not expect to print as many pages as the manufacturers suggest. It is, however, a very good calculation for users who are looking to purchase a new printer for comparison purposes.