Beware of counterfeit printer supplies

Beware of counterfeit printer supplies

By Zatni Arbi

JAKARTA (JP): Last week I took my daughter, Irene, to the book
exhibition at the sports stadium in Senayan. We had a good time
browsing through the books displayed by publishers. As we passed
a cafeteria, Irene suggested that we stop for some Teh Botol.

"Let's go outside and get it from the hawkers," I said,
remembering that we should also now help the needy on the streets
more by giving them more business.

We went to one of the vendors just outside the building and
ordered two bottles of our favorite cold tea. But the moment the
content flowed up the straw, into my mouth and onto my tongue, I
knew it was not authentic Teh Botol. The hawker must have
refilled empty bottles with homemade tea. I paid, said nothing
and left.

It really makes you feel betrayed if you buy a trusted brand
and find out that what you get is fake. Unfortunately, the more
popular a product is, the more likely it is to be counterfeited
-- especially in a market filled with unscrupulous entrepreneurs
like ours.

As many computer users must have found out, computer products
are also counterfeited, especially consumables like printer ink,
toner and ribbons. More than once I unwittingly bought
counterfeit LaserJet toner cartridges, refilled cartridges that
are packaged and sold as an original product from the printer
manufacturer. More distressing was the fact that I had bought the
cartridges from stores that I thought I could trust.

Trust was the sole reason I had bought the cartridges from
these particular stores, not the savings that I made. I've long
known that cheap can indeed be expensive in the end.

When I returned the cartridges to the stores, they were
apologetic but insisted that there was nothing they could do
because they had obtained the product from someone else. One of
these stores even adamantly claimed that the cartridge I returned
to them was not the one that they had sold to me, placing the
burden of crime on me instead. Now I always go to Istidata, an HP
distributor for HP printer toner and ink cartridges.

Long overdue, HP is finally sharing with us some hints that
may help us avoid disappointment when buying printer consumables.
First, they say, when you buy an InkJet ink cartridge, you should
avoid boxes with pictures and letters that are not sharp.
Counterfeiters use scanners to create an image of the original
package, and sometimes the work is sloppy.

They also say that you should not trust boxes with uneven
color dots, particularly the cyan and magenta. The stamping of
the expiry date on the side of the box of an original cartridge
is also computerized, and you can see a special layer underneath
it, which is not present in a fake one.

Unfortunately, some counterfeiters have become so well-versed
in using technology to duplicate these features so closely that
you may need to open the box and check the plastic bag in which
the cartridge is encased. Original cartridges are encased in high
quality, non-shiny plastic and are well sealed. The sealed edge
of an original cartridge has a regularly toothed edge, while
counterfeits have an irregularly toothed edge. Other telltale
signs are the consistent quality of the fonts and the bar codes
that are clearly printed.

HP says that there are three types of counterfeit ink and
toner cartridges. The obvious type is a refilled cartridge
packaged in a fake box and sold as an original HP product.
Counterfeiters may use original boxes from HP to package refilled
cartridges, seal them and sell them as originals. Finally, they
may also use fake boxes that they make themselves. It's not
surprising that people may offer you a guaranteed original
cartridge from HP in fake boxes, since original packaging is
being used to package counterfeit ones.

According to the company, the ink cartridges that are most
frequently counterfeited include HP 51626A Black, HP 51629A
Black, HP 51645A and 51649A Black.

For laser printer toner cartridges, the telltale signs are
basically the same. Original boxes have sharper images and the
colors are even. The expiry date is also computer printed. The
plastic wrapper is sealed properly and the plastic itself is not
shiny. Once you open the plastic wrapper, you have to pull the
tag that seals the toner container. If you can pull the pull tag
very easily, chances are you've got a counterfeit toner.

The most widely circulated counterfeit HP laser toner
cartridges include HP C3906F, HP C3974A, HP C3903F, HP C9229SA,
HP C3900A and HP C3909A.

Refill

The problem with counterfeiting is that you get a low-quality
product in a smaller amount for the price of an original. The
counterfeit toner, for example, lasts only 15 to 20 pages while
the original should print hundreds of pages. In my experience,
the toner smeared the entire printed page because the drum no
longer had the ability to selectively retain the toner particles.

Worse, counterfeit cartridges can leak and damage the printer.
HP claims that since the beginning of the monetary crisis, the
number of damaged printers taken to their service center has
increased dramatically, and the majority of damage is caused by
ink leaks. Unfortunately, the company rules that any warranty is
void if the printers' problem is caused by use of refilled
cartridges. It means that the cost of repairing a printer can be
prohibitively high.

Now, what about the legitimately offered refills that you can
do yourself or can be done for you? For one thing, these are not
counterfeit, as they do not claim to be selling original HP
products. Furthermore, in this difficult situation, these are
really an irresistible alternative, particularly if you have to
print reams of reports every week. Therefore, it would be
perfectly understandable if you were compelled to use these
refills in order to stay in business, particularly because the
savings can be significant -- up to 60 percent.

In my own case, however, I would reduce the amount of printing
that I do and use the most economical mode of printing each time
rather than risk the health and fitness of my printer, which in
the meantime has become five times more expensive in price
nowadays. Besides, I have made it a point to always go to a
reputable source like Istidata for supplies, much like I will go
to a respectable cafeteria for Teh Botol from now on after my
experience last week.