In what some would quickly label as propaganda for printer manufacturers and their business model, PC World recently tested several printers with OEM and aftermarket ink cartridges. Test showed that the former, which are more expensive than aftermarket variants, leave less ink in their tank before displaying low ink-level warnings. In the case of the Canon Pixma MP610, the difference was as much as 19 percent—24 for the OEM and nearly half for aftermarket variants.

Despite the (mostly) clear lead of OEM cartridges over their aftermarket counterparts, I wonder why most printer manufacturers don’t let their customers get every last drop from each cartridge. Put simply, why prevent owners from using up their ink? In the case of HP, the printer may flash low-level warnings, but will allow the user to continue printing, right until they start seeing the telltale signs of low ink.

In the end, PC World’s article is a boon for HP, highlighting the company’s “unique” setup: “The HP printer will continue to print until the cartridge is completely dry–but since the print heads are part of the cartridge in HP’s design, running out of ink does not damage other parts of the printer.”

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