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The simple answer is yes,….. if the cartridges do not infringe on the manufacturer’s patent and design technology.

In a recent case, Chinese and Taiwanese competitors stole patented printer cartridge components from HP’s factory in Singapore by hijacking a truck carrying HP parts.  They then sold more than 300,000 of those counterfeit ink cartridges on Amazon.com and Craigslist.

HP bought some of the cartridges from Amazon.com, and then used their internal tracking database to cross-reference ID numbers on the components.  HP technicians found that the cartridges had a genuine HP printhead that came from HP lots from Malaysia and a non-HP cartridge body that closely resembled a genuine HP cartridge body.  They knew, from the assembly numbers stamped on the cartridges, that HP had never been assembled those cartridges.  The then identified that the printer cartridges were packaged in a clear plastic wrap with a “Mipo” labeled box.  From this, forensic investigation, HP came to the conclusion that the culprits were Microjet Technology (of Taiwan) Mipo Technology (of Hong Kong and mainland China), and their U.S. affiliates, including SinoTime Technologies (of Florida).

Boy, these guys are in big trouble.

The National Conference on Weights and Measures, a group of state officials, plans to take up the issue why cartridges retail for $30 or more while containing a fraction of an ounce of ink.  They plan on meeting by the end of January 2010 to discuss this issue.  The industry has told weights and measures officials they can expect a fight.

Manufacturers of printer cartridges note they aren’t required to follow laws such as the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, so they usually don’t say how much ink is in a cartridge. Instead, they prefer to estimate how many pages your printer will churn out before you need to replace the cartridge.

Critics say that telling consumers only the estimated number of pages a cartridge will produce doesn’t give them enough information. The industry standard allows the page count to be off as much as 10 percent, and there is no standard for the number of photos a cartridge will produce.  The chief of Florida’s Bureau of Weights and Measures says it’s time to sort this out.

Lexmark announced in early November that it has been named an International CES Innovations 2010 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree for its Platinum all-in-one (AIO) inkjet printer.  And rightly so.

There are some unique features on this model printer which makes the  customers’ workflow more simple.  It also combines it with the lowest black printing cost in the industry, delivering a value proposition in the AIO category that is unmatched in the small-to-medium business market.

The Platinum offers four-in-one capabilities (print, scan, copy and fax) with Lexmark’s Web-connect touch screen that provides a superior user interface.  From the touch screen customers can access and print content directly from the Web.  In addition, its software enables consumers to access easy-to-use applications like the Business card scan, Apple’s MobileMe Gallery or accessing photos from Photobucket..

Also equipped on the Platinum is an Eco-Mode button.  This feature helps users save money and the environment with one touch, by entering an energy saving “sleep mode” and duplex printing, skipping over-complicated configuration steps.

You can buy Lexmark’s new Platinum inkjet printer online or at select Office Depot, Office Max, or Staples stores.