3 Quick Ways to Identify Genuine Epson Ink and Refill Bottles

The market for counterfeit items is growing steadily in almost every industry and printer ink is no exception. Duplicate versions of inks have gotten extremely popular lately since few are aware of the issues these fake inks cause.

Although these are manufactured to closely resemble the products created by OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers), there’s a reason they’re a bargain as compared to the real Epson ink bottles. It is the poor assembly and ink formulation quality that translates into low prices, making the item irresistible to consumers.

Find Out Whether You’re Purchasing Genuine Epson Ink Bottles

Another problem with duplicate products is their sale by many dealers and physical shops to customers unaware of the consequences of purchasing such products. Online portals even fool many unsuspecting consumers looking to save some money by shopping online. 

It is also becoming increasingly difficult to know whether the Epson refill bottles you’re buying are genuine. Manufacturers are sophisticated; they strive to duplicate the same standards of packaging without applying the same quality of raw materials.

Fortunately, it becomes simpler to spot a duplicate when you know what to look for:

1. Substantially lower price: This is rather obvious but the potential savings tends to fool a lot of people into buying a counterfeit. On the other hand, the price of genuine products, such as HP printer cartridges, will typically have similar prices at both online stores and physical outlets.

The best thing to do, in such cases, is to look for reliable suppliers with positive reviews and certifications that ensure legitimacy.

2. Packaging and Appearance of the products and their results: A fake printer ink bottle, refill, or cartridge is likely to be missing some key aspects of design that you’ll be able to notice almost instantly if you compare it with its genuine counterpart. Moreover, it will always provide poor print quality, unlike original ink bottles and cartridges that maintain consistency in ink quality.

3. Use an App to ensure authentic products: One example of this is the Uniqolabel app for Epson products. You can download the application from Play Store, complete registration, and scan the QR code on the product to find out whether it is genuine or not. 

Many brands also offer a colour shifting label to help customers ensure they’ve bought the original rather than a fake. For instance, HP ink cartridges have holograms that change from bronze to green and back when viewed from different angles. These enable buyers to verify authenticity.

Why it is Important to Use Authentic HP & Epson Printing Products

Using duplicate products carries certain risks that you should be aware of before you make your decision to do so:

1. Printer damage: More specifically, using ink that isn’t designed for the printer you are using can damage its print-head. Genuine Epson ink bottles, for example, contain specially-formulated ink that’s made for use with Epson printers. However, duplicate ink bottles and refills are not made with this level of research and testing- they contain low-quality, inexpensive materials that can cause leaks in the printer. The hardware may suffer permanent staining and damage as a result.

2. Nullified Warranty: This is a great risk to take because you already know how non-genuine inks can cause printer damage. A printer warranty is important because it can take care of several issues the customer might face, including printer ink among a lot of other components. It’s an even bigger risk if the printer is new.

3. Poor quality experience: You can’t expect something made from inferior materials to provide better results. The same goes for ink bottles and cartridges. Apart from mediocre colour quality, non-genuine printer ink often causes streaks and splotches. They also get used up far too quickly as compared to their real version because their manufacturers rarely fill them completely.

Ultimately, buying original Epson ink bottles is way better than making do cheaper alternatives because they will surely cost far more by damaging your printer and diminishing the quality of the prints.