How Remanufactured Cartridges Save Some Green

March 24, 2016 Eco-Friendly, Ink & Toner Kelly Warburton

Think about the last time you replaced your ink or toner cartridges. What did you do with the old ones? 300 million times a year, that answer is toss them. When ink cartridges end up in a landfill, they can take up to 1,000 years to decompose. At that rate, that’s almost 400,000 tons worth of waste that will still be around for many generations to come! So what can we do to help decrease the impact of cartridge waste on our environment? Choose remanufactured ink Cartridges!

How Can Remanufactured Cartridges Help the Environment?

Recycling has been a part of the printer ink cartridge industry for a long time, by way of remanufactured cartridges. In this process, recycled cartridges go through an extensive cleaning process to remove all the ink. Then, they are then recycled and put together to form a fresh new cartridge. Finally, they are filled with the same high quality ink you find in OEM (original equipment manufacturer) cartridges. It is important to note that remanufactured cartridges are not the same as refillable cartridges, which can only be filled with new ink at certain locations.

Save Another Kind of Green

Remanufactured cartridges are great for making a positive impact on the environment, but they can save some green in your wallet as well! Using remanufactured cartridges can save you 15 to 50% when compared to their OEM counterparts. In some cases, remanufactured ink cartridges last longer than generic inks. Not only are remanufactured cartridges recycled, they’re more cost efficient!

Using remanufactured cartridges in place of an OEM cartridge is a great way to reduce your office’s environmental impact by conserving plastic and giving your printer ink cartridges new life!

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The Right to Choose

• Manufacturers cannot legally require a printer owner or lessee - verbally or otherwise - to purchase supplies exclusively from them.
• This unlawful "tying agreement" violates provisions of the Sherman and Clayton Antitrust Acts and the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act.
• In a landmark 1936 case, the Supreme Court ruled that IBM could not terminate a customer's data processing machine lease, if the customer chose to use tabulating cards from other manufacturers. The more recent Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act title 15, Section 2303 specifically prohibits a manufacturer from conditioning a written or implied warranty on the use of its own brand product except under very restrictive circumstances.
• If, in the unlikely event our supplies have been the source of damage to your equipment, you are protected by our warranty. We will reimburse you for the cost of repairs with adequate documentation from the service technician.
• Our imaging supplies are designed to meet or exceed the original brand name.
• If a representative threatens to void the machine warranty or charge for a service call because you are using a compatible supply, ask for their statement in writing.

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Dust Off Direct Mail! It’s Still a Smart Business Plan

Do you think direct mail marketing strategies and business plan has gone the way of the dinosaur? Think again. In 2013, about 2 out of 3 consumers reported purchasing something as a result of a direct mail ad, according to the Direct Mail Association (DMA). Not surprisingly, senior citizens of the age 65 and higher are still the most responsive demographic, simply because they tend to stay at the same address for many years and they enjoy reading their mail. However, what may surprise you is that young adults (18-34) are the second most likely to buy from a direct mail ad, according to Epsilon. How could this be? Because young adults are constantly inundated with email, spam and social media messages, and direct mail stands out as something different.

Still not sold on a direct mail business plan?

Consider this, then: Direct mail, according the DMA, is priced around the same as pay-per-click or email advertising! Furthermore, direct mail ads usually average somewhere between 2% and 6% response, depending on quality factors of the ad as well as numerous other nuances that can be learned with time. Not sure what 2% to 6% means in comparison to digital advertising? Just to give one example, email ads usually average something like .12%. Yes that’s not a typo, that’s .12%! That means you would have to send seventeen emails for every one direct mail ad you sent to get the same response. Are you still following? Good.

One of the great things about a direct mail business plan is that it is easy to test cheap. Here are some pointers to help you get the ball rolling in direct mail.

1. Choose a format and a style that looks professional and stands out :

• For short, simple messages, you are probably best off using postcards. They come in various sizes, so choose one that suits your message. Keep your design simple but make it pop off the page; you want the consumer to want to read it. Also, you may use both sides of the postcard to maximize space if you need to say more or use one side for an eye catching photograph.
• If you’re a product or service that will need lengthier explanations, a sales letter is the way you probably want to go then. Get it opened by making the outside appear mysterious. Experts say that envelopes with no marketing copy at all on the envelope is best—the consumer will not want to throw away a piece of mail that may be potentially important.
• If budget is more the concern for your business, fear not! Just print out as many simple flyers as you can afford to, then fold them in thirds and seal them. Use a bright color paper to stand out and let personality and passion shine through. People respond to passion. Remember that.

2.Make an offer they can’t refuse. Direct mail ads should promote a special offering of some kind, like a sale or a package deal. In general, it’s better to offer dollars-off rather than a percentage off—for whatever the reason, consumers perceive more value this way.

3. Create a real sense of urgency. The promotion you are offering should only be the beginning of the reason they should buy now. Time limits are simply the best way to get a customer moving. Just make sure not to do this too often or customers will devalue the “regular price” you have set for your product. Create urgency by adding incentives that cost you nothing but that save the consumer money or make the consumer’s life easier. “Throw-ins,” free gifts, buy-one-get-one, first month free: these are all classic advertising incentives that have worked for decades. Use them.

4. Put your passion and your personality into it. People follow passion. It’s a magnet and it turns something on in people that will make you feel good too. Be confident that you are offering something valuable, and always remember why you do it, don’t always worry about the how. Look at your business this way: You cannot fail at it until you quit at it. Remain firm in the ethics of your business and people will eventually take notice.

5. Run a small test, track the ROI, and roll out. When you have a brand new offer, you are going to want to test several variations of wording, styles, colors, etc. Don’t go too crazy here, just test what is working best and stick with it. Use coupon codes in your ads and have customers report this to you. Another print the link to your website, where you can track data easily online.