QualityLogic completes yield and reliability comparison studies for inkjet cartridges
Study compares original HP inkjet print cartridges to 13 refilled brands from
QualityLogic today announced the completion of a study comparing the yield and reliability of original HP inkjet print cartridges to refilled ink cartridges. The refilled cartridges tested included cartridges carrying store brand names, cartridges carrying third-party brand names, and cartridges that QualityLogic had refilled at refill stations. This study was commissioned by HP and executed by QualityLogic in its test labs.
The results of the study showed that on average, original HP inkjet print cartridges produced 57.5% more pages than the refill brands tested, when looking at the total pages printed from those cartridges tested.
When looking at just the cartridges that QualityLogic had refilled at refill stations, HP cartridges printed more than twice as many pages as these refilled brands.
The results of the reliability test showed that on average one out of five of all the refilled cartridges in the test failed and one out of four of the cartridges refilled at shops or refill stations failed. This does not include the 40 cartridges that could not be successfully refilled at a refill station. A cartridge was classified as a failure if it was dead on arrival or failed prematurely during the test.
“This QualityLogic study reveals significant differences in yield and reliability between Original HP inkjet print cartridges and refilled brands,” said Dave Jollota, QualityLogic COO. “The QualityLogic team conducted extensive testing of 13 commonly available refill brands, and meticulously analyzed and compiled results using more than 800 ink cartridges.”
Test Methodology
A total of 762 refilled print cartridges and 68 HP print cartridges were tested using a total of 42 HP DeskJet 5650 printers and 30 HP DeskJet 6940 printers.
Printing was performed in a continuous mode in a controlled environment using the five-page test suite from ISO/IEC 24712, and the environmental conditions specified in ISO/IEC 24711.
QualityLogic procured all printers, paper, and HP print cartridges through standard retail channels. Refilled print cartridges were obtained through multiple retail channels in multiple cities, where possible, or directly from the manufacturer. For the refill station brands tested, approximately 50% of the test data is based on cartridges that were refilled once, approximately 30% is based on cartridges that were refilled twice and approximately 20% is based on cartridges that were refilled three times.
QualityLogic selected Xerox Commercial 4200 plain paper (8½ x 11, 20 lb., 92 Brightness) for all printing for this study.
Cartridge transportation policies were designed to replicate customer behavior. Cartridges were shipped via ground shipment or air shipment utilizing air-tight, pressurized containers to protect against transportation-induced reliability problems.
Printer settings were left at the factory default. Driver quality settings were set to
Each cartridge was inspected for leaks or other damage upon entering the test. A cartridge with substantial visible ink spilled in the bag or on the cartridge was declared DOA due to the leak. All other cartridges were printed to End-of-Life (EOL).
Printing continued until at least 17 black and 17 color cartridges successfully reached EOL for each printer model tested. Color a