Beware of counterfeit printer supplies<\/p>\n
By Zatni Arbi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Last week I took my daughter, Irene, to the book
\nexhibition at the sports stadium in Senayan. We had a good time
\nbrowsing through the books displayed by publishers. As we passed
\na cafeteria, Irene suggested that we stop for some Teh Botol.<\/p>\n
\"Let's go outside and get it from the hawkers,\" I said,
\nremembering that we should also now help the needy on the streets
\nmore by giving them more business.<\/p>\n
We went to one of the vendors just outside the building and
\nordered two bottles of our favorite cold tea. But the moment the
\ncontent flowed up the straw, into my mouth and onto my tongue, I
\nknew it was not authentic Teh Botol. The hawker must have
\nrefilled empty bottles with homemade tea. I paid, said nothing
\nand left.<\/p>\n
It really makes you feel betrayed if you buy a trusted brand
\nand find out that what you get is fake. Unfortunately, the more
\npopular a product is, the more likely it is to be counterfeited
\n-- especially in a market filled with unscrupulous entrepreneurs
\nlike ours.<\/p>\n
As many computer users must have found out, computer products
\nare also counterfeited, especially consumables like printer ink,
\ntoner and ribbons. More than once I unwittingly bought
\ncounterfeit LaserJet toner cartridges, refilled cartridges that
\nare packaged and sold as an original product from the printer
\nmanufacturer. More distressing was the fact that I had bought the
\ncartridges from stores that I thought I could trust.<\/p>\n
Trust was the sole reason I had bought the cartridges from
\nthese particular stores, not the savings that I made. I've long
\nknown that cheap can indeed be expensive in the end.<\/p>\n
When I returned the cartridges to the stores, they were
\napologetic but insisted that there was nothing they could do
\nbecause they had obtained the product from someone else. One of
\nthese stores even adamantly claimed that the cartridge I returned
\nto them was not the one that they had sold to me, placing the
\nburden of crime on me instead. Now I always go to Istidata, an HP
\ndistributor for HP printer toner and ink cartridges.<\/p>\n
Long overdue, HP is finally sharing with us some hints that
\nmay help us avoid disappointment when buying printer consumables.
\nFirst, they say, when you buy an InkJet ink cartridge, you should
\navoid boxes with pictures and letters that are not sharp.
\nCounterfeiters use scanners to create an image of the original
\npackage, and sometimes the work is sloppy.<\/p>\n
They also say that you should not trust boxes with uneven
\ncolor dots, particularly the cyan and magenta. The stamping of
\nthe expiry date on the side of the box of an original cartridge
\nis also computerized, and you can see a special layer underneath
\nit, which is not present in a fake one.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, some counterfeiters have become so well-versed
\nin using technology to duplicate these features so closely that
\nyou may need to open the box and check the plastic bag in which
\nthe cartridge is encased. Original cartridges are encased in high
\nquality, non-shiny plastic and are well sealed. The sealed edge
\nof an original cartridge has a regularly toothed edge, while
\ncounterfeits have an irregularly toothed edge. Other telltale
\nsigns are the consistent quality of the fonts and the bar codes
\nthat are clearly printed.<\/p>\n
HP says that there are three types of counterfeit ink and
\ntoner cartridges. The obvious type is a refilled cartridge
\npackaged in a fake box and sold as an original HP product.
\nCounterfeiters may use original boxes from HP to package refilled
\ncartridges, seal them and sell them as originals. Finally, they
\nmay also use fake boxes that they make themselves. It's not
\nsurprising that people may offer you a guaranteed original
\ncartridge from HP in fake boxes, since original packaging is
\nbeing used to package counterfeit ones.<\/p>\n
According to the company, the ink cartridges that are most
\nfrequently counterfeited include HP 51626A Black, HP 51629A
\nBlack, HP 51645A and 51649A Black.<\/p>\n
For laser printer toner cartridges, the telltale signs are
\nbasically the same. Original boxes have sharper images and the
\ncolors are even. The expiry date is also computer printed. The
\nplastic wrapper is sealed properly and the plastic itself is not
\nshiny. Once you open the plastic wrapper, you have to pull the
\ntag that seals the toner container. If you can pull the pull tag
\nvery easily, chances are you've got a counterfeit toner.<\/p>\n
The most widely circulated counterfeit HP laser toner
\ncartridges include HP C3906F, HP C3974A, HP C3903F, HP C9229SA,
\nHP C3900A and HP C3909A.<\/p>\n
Refill<\/p>\n
The problem with counterfeiting is that you get a low-quality
\nproduct in a smaller amount for the price of an original. The
\ncounterfeit toner, for example, lasts only 15 to 20 pages while
\nthe original should print hundreds of pages. In my experience,
\nthe toner smeared the entire printed page because the drum no
\nlonger had the ability to selectively retain the toner particles.<\/p>\n
Worse, counterfeit cartridges can leak and damage the printer.
\nHP claims that since the beginning of the monetary crisis, the
\nnumber of damaged printers taken to their service center has
\nincreased dramatically, and the majority of damage is caused by
\nink leaks. Unfortunately, the company rules that any warranty is
\nvoid if the printers' problem is caused by use of refilled
\ncartridges. It means that the cost of repairing a printer can be
\nprohibitively high.<\/p>\n
Now, what about the legitimately offered refills that you can
\ndo yourself or can be done for you? For one thing, these are not
\ncounterfeit, as they do not claim to be selling original HP
\nproducts. Furthermore, in this difficult situation, these are
\nreally an irresistible alternative, particularly if you have to
\nprint reams of reports every week. Therefore, it would be
\nperfectly understandable if you were compelled to use these
\nrefills in order to stay in business, particularly because the
\nsavings can be significant -- up to 60 percent.<\/p>\n
In my own case, however, I would reduce the amount of printing
\nthat I do and use the most economical mode of printing each time
\nrather than risk the health and fitness of my printer, which in
\nthe meantime has become five times more expensive in price
\nnowadays. Besides, I have made it a point to always go to a
\nreputable source like Istidata for supplies, much like I will go
\nto a respectable cafeteria for Teh Botol from now on after my
\nexperience last week.<\/p>",
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