Branded printer cartridges tend to be expensive. As you keep buying those cartridges, there will come a point when the combined costs of the cartridges become more than the printer itself. Instead of buying original equipment manufacturer (OEM) cartridges, or those that share the same brand as your printer, you can other more affordable solutions. One way is to refill the cartridges yourself, using refill kits. Or have them refilled. A safer way is to buy cheap printer ink cartridges, which deliver same optimal performance as the branded cartridges, as a fraction of the cost. These include refilled, compatible, and generic cartridges. Price-wise, these are more affordable.