Refilling your own ink cartridges in nothing new. You can buy bottles of printer ink suitable for refilling most types of inkjet cartridges from a number of ink retailers. But is it worth the hassle when you can buy compatible ink cartridges for your printer? The single advantage of refilling ink cartridges is that it is cheaper than anything else available. However it does have it downsides. The main one being the mess it creates, if using pigmented ink it can take weeks to fully remove from skin. Another issue with refilling is whether the cartridge will actually work after it has been refilled. The main reason cause of refilled cartridges not working is that the sponge inside the cartridge has dried out and therefore the ink you put in can’t flow through the cartridge down to the print head and the result is no ink comes out onto the paper. Another consideration is that some compatible ink cartridges only cost a little bit more and they offer a much more convenient alterative. Compatible Epson ink cartridges can cost up to 75% less than the genuine Epson ink cartridges and they are avaible for new printers such as Epson SX405 inks. It really comes down to personal preference if you want to save the most amount of money then refilling is for you but if you like a balance and saving money and convenience then compatible ink cartridges are the best option.