Posted by Jeff Walter, HP Inkjet Marketing

This week, PC World published the results of an OEM vs. third-party inks comparison study. While I applaud the effort to clarify for consumers the best ink cartridge options for their printing needs, I have serious concerns about the testing methodology and thus, the results of this study. Because consumers look to publications such as PC World to help them make more informed purchasing decisions, it is important that studies like these accurately reflect the customer experience.  Unfortunately, because of flaws in how PC World conducted these tests, the results do not provide the most accurate evaluation of HP ink cartridges.

As someone who values and understands the importance of using the most rigorous testing methodologies for studies such as this, I take serious issue with quality results of PC World’s study. First, PC World used testing methodologies such as the ASTM 2555 standard which are less rigorous than the ISO/IEC 24711 standard developed and used by most manufacturers. Additionally, PC World’s understanding of the HP printing system selected was incomplete, preventing them from making accurate decisions on how to carry out a precise test. Among the flaws in their testing: 

• The sample size is not representative or scientific. It is essential to use a robust sample size to fairly report the average yield of a brand’s cartridges.  PC World and RIT tested only 3 sets each of 13 competing cartridge brands in the 5 printers tested. This is hardly comprehensive when compared to over 700 cartridges from 13 different refilled brands and 68 HP cartridges alone in a 2007 study conducted by QualityLogic, one of the most respected third-party test organizations in the world.

• RIT was unable to provide fade testing results for HP printers because RIT tested OEM and aftermarket inks on the same HP printer. That raises questions about which ink they were really testing. Due to the architecture of the HP printing system tested, ink is recirculated to help maintain the health of the printer. As different types of ink are introduced, the previous ink is not fully purged even after the next one starts appearing on the page. It is almost certain that residual HP inks remained in the printer, continuing to provide a higher level of print quality than HP believes aftermarket inks could deliver. Multiple industry studies and reviewers from respected consumer publications such as Consumer Reports and PC Magazine have found OEM inks consistently deliver superior print quality compared to third-party alternatives.

• The article calls into question cartridge reliability but the study results do not account for the failures of several refilled cartridges. PC World highlighted the average cost savings associated with using third-party inks, but neglected to tell consumers how much money was wasted on defective cartridges. In tests conducted by QualityLogic, more than 20% of refill brands of inkjet cartridges were dead-on-arrival or failed prematurely. Sometimes aftermarket inks aren’t such a bargain because reliability problems can affect the total cost to consumers.