Buying ink and toner cartridges from the original manufacturer is expensive, but many people don’t consider alternatives because they’re worried about potential damage to their printers. It’s a commonly held belief that installing a remanufactured or refilled third-party cartridge will void any warranty you have on your printer, so if a third-party cartridge creates issues, you’ll be left high and dry.

In reality, this isn’t true at all. In fact, there’s a federal law that prevents printing companies from denying your warranty for using compatible third-party ink and toner cartridges.

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975, named for its authors Senator Warren Magnuson and Representative John Moss, protects the rights of consumers to purchase “tie-in” products from third parties. According to the national standard set by the law, manufacturers are not allowed to void a warranty on the basis that the owner used a properly functioning part manufactured by another company.

This means that as long as you purchase ink cartridges or printer toner refills that are compatible with your printer, your manufacturer is still responsible for honoring the terms of your warranty if something breaks.

However, if you purchase ink and toner cartridges or refills that aren’t compatible with your printer and it causes damage, that may be grounds for your warranty to be voided, since you used the device improperly.

Most refills and remanufactured cartridges work just as well if not better than their original manufacturer counterparts, however, so it’s likely you won’t run into a printer problem caused by your replacement cartridges as long as you read the packaging carefully.

Still, third-party cartridge retailers vary widely in quality and reliability, so make sure you order your cartridges from a reputed seller with positive consumer reviews. Usually the benefits of ordering from someone other than the original manufacturer is more than worth the minimal risk.