Sometimes if you use a different ink--either refilled or off brand, it will mess up your printer. I had a HP and stuck to their brand. You can also get those little bottles that attach to the printer but it may void your guarantee. They are on ebay and on other sites. Also I tried to buy the extra larger cartridges and they seemed to last longer. Just my experience. My new printer is an Epson and I have to order from them as Staples does not even carry them and the ones from Target don't seem to last very long. Don't understand why.

I buy my ink from HP when they have sales. If you bought your printer from HP, or register it with them, they will send you e-mails about sales. You can save 20%, which adds up (plus the shipping is free).

To extend the life of ink cartridges, I always print in "draft" mode, unless it's something important where quality counts.

The only stuff I've printed since I bought the printer last month is my design portfolio and my resume so I couldn't use draft mode.

I bought through Costco and am registered with HP but have not received any discount emails recently.

Costco,s sale booklet has a coupon for this month,I think.

Nanny, to use the Costco savings offer I received, I'd have to buy $150 worth of ink to get a $20 savings. My cartridges would likely dry out before I had a chance to use them all up.

I researched this recently when running low on ink for my Canon photo printer. What I learned, at least for this particular printer, is that there's no clear answer. Some people reported excellent results from refilling the cartridges, while others said "never again!" One thing I realized is that one person's satisfaction in the quality of a given print can be another person's disappointment. In the end I decided to buy Canon inks, and I got the best price on Amazon.

Here's one idea: Go to Amazon and look up the recommended HP inks. Take a look at the consumer reviews. It's possible you'll see some comments about other options. Also, you might check out DPReview's Printers and Printing Forum. Do a search on HP ink or the model number of your printer and see what has been discussed. DPReview is a great resource.

Costco and BJs but they still cost to much. My printer is a Canon.

I buy ALL my ink on ebay. Just do a search.....and I print photographs.....and any other "things" with GREAT results!

Note: I do not like refills. I only buy the ones that pop right in...

Nicole, do you have any favorite vendors you can recommend?

Susan, I have read reviews on Amazon and will go check out DPReview.

Jodi-

Another way to save on ink is to set the quality of the printing to a lower quality. This means, the higher the quality, the more ink it will use. Think of it as light, medium or dark prints.

I use "normal" for most printing and it prints just fine. "High Quality" is normally set for printing photos.

The setting is generally in the "Printing Preference" for your printer, under "Paper Quality".

NTT, I'm a graphic designer and photographer so the majority of my printing will unfortunately need to be high quality. Only occasionally will I print something at a normal or draft setting.

There is a franchise store around called Cartridge World that sells slightly less expensive ink cartidges. I just discovered them recently and have been very pleased with the product. You might try googling CW to see if there is one near you.