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How To Refill a Ink Cartridge

Shhh... There's a secret that printer manufacturers don't want you to know:
- You can refill printer ink cartridges 2 to 3 times and get great print quality -

 
cartridge    vs   Ink refills

Click Here to find the right Ink Refill Kit for your printer

When your printer stops printing it's not because your cartridge has worn out - it's because you're out of Ink!  Your cartridge is designed to last much longer than it's stated yield.  The trick to extending it's life is to know how to add Ink, and to only use Ink which matches the ink which originally came with your cartridge.  Each cartridge is manufactured to work with a specific type of Ink, and will not work correctly with anything different.

Ink Refill Overview:
There are over 300 different ink cartridges on the market, and each refills differently, so it's critical to have the correct instructions and tools for your cartridge.  Our refill kits and instructions are individually designed for each different cartridge - Click Here to find the right refill kit for your printer.

Here are general ink refill procedures to give you a good idea of what's involved:

First, locate (or make) a fill hole


Some cartridges already have a hole that you can directly inject ink through, but it's not always easy to find.  Our refill instructions will specifically tell you where the refill hole is and how to get to it (Figure 1).

Other cartridges, however, don't have a existing hole, so you have to make a hole in the cartridge in order to inject ink into it.  Some generic refill kits come with a small drill to create a hole, but we feel that the small plastic shavings that the drill creates will mix with the ink and ultimately clog the cartridge.  Our kits use a hot paperclip to burn a small hole in the plastic, which doesn't create any cartridge-clogging plastic shavings.


Second, inject the correct ink into the cartridge.

Once you have the hole you use it to inject ink into the cartridge (Figure 2).  All cartridges use different inks (with different color shades, chemical properties and thickness), so it's important to inject ink which matches the original ink as closely as possible.  The ink  which comes with our refill kits is manufactured specifically for the cartridge it was ordered for - we don't have a 'one ink fits all' refill kit.

Injecting ink into a black cartridge is straight-forward, because there is only one color ink (black) in a black cartridge, but injecting ink into a color cartridge can be tricky, because there are usually three different color inks (cyan, magenta and yellow)0 in a yellow cartridge, and it's critical to get the correct ink into the correct compartment in the cartridge.  Our instructions tell you exactly where each ink color should be injected  (Figure 3).


Third, reseal the fill hole (or not)

Depending on the cartridge, the last step is to reseal the fill hole (or not).  This is where many refillers make their mistake - some cartridges need to be resealed airtight in order to work, and other cartridges won't work unless they are left 'unsealed'.  Again, our detailed instructions will let you know whether your cartridge needs to be re-sealed, and if so, how to do it.

cartridge with existing hole

Figure 1
 An example of a cartridge with a 'hidden'  fill hole

burning a hole

Figure 2
 Inject ink into the cartridge

pouring toner powder

Figure 3
 Make sure you inject the color ink in the right spot!

  Here's how our customers save money on ink:

  1. First, purchase a replacement cartridge from us instead of a brand name cartridge.  A compatible or remanufactured cartridge costs significantly less than a brand name cartridge,  but it functions exactly like the brand name at a significant savings.

  2. When the cartridge is empty, refill the Ink using one of our refill kits. When that refill runs empty, refill it one more time. Repeat the refill procedure as long as the print looks good

  3. When the print starts to degrade, discard the cartridge and start the process again.

Savings Summary:  Assume that a new brand name Ink cartridge costs $40; three cartridges would cost $120.  Instead of purchasing three brand new cartridges, purchase one of our compatible cartridge for $15, refill it twice for $3/refill and you'll spend a total of $21.  That's an overall savings of 82% and your savings get even greater the more times you refill. 

Click Here to find the right Ink Refill Kit for your printer

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