The ink cartridge is one of the four major components of an inkjet system. The three others being the ink itself, the substrate and the printhead. The major manufacturers in the industry each have their own method of a supply system. Hence, many different cartridge systems are presently found in the market. Every one of these systems have both advantages and drawbacks.In this paper, the systems of the different cartridges are explained. Special emphasis is given to the relevant parameters of backpressure, flow resistance, cartridge yield and cartridge reliability. Furthermore, a measurement system for the backpressure is described, as well as the resulting curves found from the different cartridge designs. By measuring the backpressure, the static and dynamic pressure curves describe both the capillary force of the reservoir and the flow resistance of the ink in the system. This method of measurement is not restricted to cartridges using foams, but delivers useful information of all types of reservoir designs.In addition, this paper discusses different applied solutions to cope with changes in ambient temperature and air pressure, both of which affect several ink cartridge designs.