About Us – The Ethical, Expert Alternative for Printer Ink
We’re Stinkyink — a proudly independent ink and toner company with heart, humour, and 23 years of experience under our belt.
Back in 2002, John Sollars founded Stinkyink with a dream and a dial-up connection. After a frustrating hunt for the right ink cartridge for his son’s printer, he decided to build a better solution for customers like him. He left a well-paid job, sold the family caravan, and poured every ounce of energy (and savings) into a tiny online shop in Shropshire.
Why the name Stinkyink? Well… it’s quirky, it’s memorable, and let’s face it – it sticks. Just like our commitment to doing things differently.
What started with two boxes of stock in a garage has grown into one of the UK’s most trusted online suppliers of printer ink, toner, and paper. But one thing has never changed — our absolute dedication to looking after our customers.
We’re here for the people. Not just the printers.
At Stinkyink, we believe customer service should be simple: no queues, no robots, no "press 1 for this." Just real people who care.
Whether you're ordering online or calling for advice, you'll always speak to a friendly human — no scripts, no rush. In fact, we’re often told we’re the only people some of our customers speak to that day. So if someone wants to talk about their cartridge and their cat, we’re all ears.
Our customer service team are trained monthly, know their stuff, and genuinely love helping. If you’re stuck installing a tricky cartridge, we’ll sit on the phone with you till it’s sorted — even if it takes a while. That’s just how we do things.
An ethical approach — every step of the way
We’re proud to be the ethical, expert alternative to big brands and faceless marketplaces. That means:
- Affordable, high-quality compatible cartridges that are tested, guaranteed, and won’t void your warranty (despite what the printer manufacturers might suggest).
- Real accountability. If a compatible cartridge ever causes a printer issue (proven!), we’ll replace the printer. That’s how much we back our products.
- Proper recycling. Not all cartridges can be remanufactured, so we offer freepost envelopes for those that can — and we pay to have the others responsibly repurposed into non-ink items. No landfill. No greenwashing.
- A customer-first mission. Our whole business runs on the promise to greatly enhance the customer experience. From our fast tracked delivery to our no-fuss returns, we’re always working to make things easier for you.
A community, not just a company
When John decided to sell the business in 2016, he didn’t hand it over to a corporate chain. He handed the keys to a local entrepreneur, Andy Pierce — someone who cared just as much about keeping the team safe and growing Stinkyink with the same values.
Since then, Andy has introduced new systems, a shiny new website, and even more fun. In 2020 we moved to our current home on Stanmore Business Park in Bridgnorth — a place with RAF history that many of our customers fondly remember from their youth.
We're still based in Shropshire. Still independent. Still proud to do things our own way.
Trusted by tens of thousands
With nearly 80,000 verified Trustpilot reviews (and counting), we’re proud of the reputation we’ve built — but we never take it for granted. Every customer matters. And yes, we really do read every single review.
One of our favourite customers, now 90 years old, still writes to our CEO regularly — all because of a single friendly phone call about ink. These stories mean the world to us.
Meet Steve (our 8-legged mascot)
Steve the cephalopod is a cheeky little ink-lover who’s been part of the team for years. He pops up in our emails, packaging and social media, and is the proud face of our more adventurous side.
Why a cephalopod? Because nothing says ink like a squid (and trust us, he’s far more charming than Stefan the science guy who came before him).
Experience, not ego
We’ve been doing this for over two decades, but we’re not stuck in our ways. We’re building a new website with our customers at the heart of it. We’re constantly improving site speed, checkout, mobile usability, and search — all so you can get what you need, faster and easier.
And while we don’t sell printers, we’re always happy to advise you on what might suit your needs. Because that’s what good people do.
Here’s what makes us different:
- Friendly, expert support (from real people)
- Ethical products with a no-quibble guarantee
- Huge range of trusted own-brand and original cartridges
- Fast, free delivery on everything
- Freepost recycling for used cartridges
- A focus on people, not just profit
At Stinkyink, we’re not just here to sell ink. We’re here to make printing simple, ethical, and a little more joyful.
Want to see what all the fuss is about?
