SPONSORED: Three things that could indicate you're using imitation supplies

You might not have time to check for imitations, but you might spot other tell-tale signs

Few of us buy imitation print supplies on purpose. Some look virtually identical to the genuine article - even down to the labels and the packaging. Unscrupulous resellers have even been known to bundle inauthentic cartridges with real ones, placing the latter at the top of the box to convince you that everything is above board.

There are ways to tell if you've bought imitation ink or toner. The packaging may seem to have already been opened. The packaging might not use the normal text or colours and any images may look a little blocky or fuzzy, as if they've been rescanned from the originals. If there are particles of toner inside the box or wrapper or the seals are broken or missing, then that's a dead giveaway.

HP has a system of QR codes that enable you to check a cartridge's authenticity, plus a holographic label you can check.

However, in the day to day running of a business or an IT team, you might not always find the time to check whether a cartridge is genuine or imitation.

In fact, if end-users tend to replace spent cartridges themselves, you might not even see them before they're installed in a printer. Even here, though, there are clear indications that something isn't right.

If any of the following rings a bell, you might want to make further checks.

Fewer printouts: Do you seem to be printing fewer pages before you have to change a cartridge? Are you having to change cartridges more frequently than normal?

That's a good sign that your cartridges might not be legitimate.

Imitation manufacturers often fill their cartridges with less ink or toner than the originals, while different mechanisms and low-quality formulations will mean that you're unlikely to get the same page yield. Even some legitimate, third-party cartridges have been shown in studies to produce 40 per cent fewer pages than authentic HP cartridges.

It makes sense for businesses to use some kind of print management system to track what you're printing, which printers are being used most and who is printing what. HP Web JetAdmin, for example, has tools to monitor all your print consumables.

If you don't use any software, however, use a spreadsheet or even a written count to track when you're replacing your supplies. If you still have some existing, authentic HP cartridges, use them as a benchmark to measure other cartridges against.

See next page for the other two giveaway signs that your print supplies are not genuine.

SPONSORED: Three things that could indicate you're using imitation supplies

You might not have time to check for imitations, but you might spot other tell-tale signs

cont. from page 1

Power usage: HP designs its printers with its inks and toners as components in a highly integrated print system. For instance, HP's ColorSphere 3 and Precision Black toners are formulated to melt at a lower temperature than other toners, helping to reduce the time the printer takes to warm up before printing, and can lower the energy consumption of the printer.

Imitation manufacturers won't have access to the same research or toner technology. As a result, their toners will need more energy and heat to put print on a page.

If your printers are running hotter than they used to and are consuming more power, then there's a good chance that the cartridges aren't genuine HP products.

Increased use of air conditioning in the area is another potential giveaway. If you have smart meters or power meters, keep an eye on both your printer energy consumption and the air con. There may be another kind of con involved.

Avoid service calls: Imitation cartridges don't meet the same high-quality standards as the original HP cartridges. They may not fit the printer correctly, or they may use inferior components or miss out crucial elements of the original HP design.

As we've already said, the ink or toner will be very different, and won't use the same pigments or dies or the have the same particles or fluids at work. Some may even leak ink or toner into the mechanisms of the printer or have print heads that clog all the time.

If end-users are complaining that the print quality is so bad that they have to print twice, or that blotches and smudges are spoiling their documents, then the problem might not be the printer - in fact, if the printer was perfectly normal before you installed new cartridges, the problem is more likely to be there.

Similarly, if your IT team is getting more service calls on the printers, and you're spending more time fixing issues there, then imitation cartridges could well be to blame. Ink or toner inside the printer is rarely a good sign, and neither is a tendency to streak or deposit toner in crude patches.

You might want to check the cartridges before you check the warranty on your printer or call in the local repair company for a fix. If you suspect you're using inauthentic cartridges, check HP's website for advice on how to spot imitation supplies or request a Customer Delivery Inspection, and have HP's experts ensure that the supplies you've received are the real deal.