Buying printer ink should not require a decoder ring.
We sell ink and toner for Brother, HP, Canon and Epson printers in New Zealand — and we explain, in plain English, which one you actually need and why your printer is doing that thing it does.
Start here
Which cartridge fits?
The model number is on the label on the back of your printer — not the serial number. Two minutes here saves a return.
Is the XL worth it?
The shelf price tells you almost nothing. One division sum tells you everything.
Brother ink
The most common printer brand in New Zealand, and the one with the fewest official ways to cut running costs.
Brother laser: toner or drum?
“Replace Drum” is not the toner running out. Two parts, two lifespans, and the counter has to be reset by hand.
HP+ is a one-way door
Instant Ink, HP+ and Dynamic Security are three different things. One locks your printer to genuine HP for life.
Printing badly?
Streaks, missing colours and faded pages are usually a dried print head, not an empty cartridge. Do not buy ink yet.
“Cartridge not recognised”
In most cases the cartridge is fine — the chip handshake did not complete. Six steps, in order.
EcoTank and MegaTank
No cartridge means no spare print head. Which bottle fits, and the three things that kill tank printers.
Pigment or dye?
One runs when it gets wet, the other fades in the light. Why your printer has two kinds of black.
What “Professional Recommended” means here
Every product page says what the product actually is — new compatible, remanufactured, or refill ink — in the first line of the description. Where a manufacturer’s firmware can affect compatibility, which on HP is a real and ongoing issue, we say so next to the price rather than burying it in an FAQ. And we do not publish savings claims we cannot stand behind.
We would rather tell you not to buy something than sell you a cartridge that will not fix your problem.