Manufacturer Printer Ink vs. Cheap Printer Ink

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Paying thirty something bucks for one little ole ink cartridge is enough to make anyone give the third party ink cartridges a try.

The people who make printers count on selling you those $30-something cartridges. In fact, you can't even find a cheaper brand alternative for most printers these days.

PC World has conducted a comparison test between all the cheaper ink brands (namely Walgreens) vs. the premium name brand ink made by the printer manufacturer.

In addition to the quality of the print, PC World compared the trueness of the colors and whether the cheap ink fades more quickly over time.

You be the judge. Here's a link to their slide show of side-by-side copies.

I see a difference. The question is; does it make a difference?

Renee Oricchio is a technology writer and former supervising news producer for CNN Financial News. She has been covering the computer industry since 1987. @oricchio