Can I refill my black
ink cartridge with colour ink?
Usually yes. It is suggested that the cartridge is flushed out with cleaning
solution several times prior to refilling with the correct ink.
Is it difficult to refill an
inkjet
cartridge?
No.
The refill kits are designed with detailed instructions and easy to use
tools
How many times can I fill my
cartridge?
It
depends on the cartridge. Many cartridges are simply reservoirs and can be
refilled many times as there are no parts that wear. Cartridges with
built-in printheads typically can be refilled 3 - 6 times without affecting
the print quality.
It
also depends on a number of other factors.
Crucial among these is (1) keeping the ink flowing i.e. not allowing the ink
to dry out in the print head. On the majority of non piezo printers (HP Lex
Canon) when the ink runs out and the user continues to try printing,
continued use results in permanent & irreversible printhead damage. (2) Less
serious but nonetheless important is not to leave the printhead exposed to
air. If an empty cartridge is removed from a printer the print head should
ideally be protected from air by covering it with a tape to prevent drying
out. A cartridge well looked after can be successfully refilled many times -
contrary to what some makers say. The key is to keep the ink flowing by
"topping up" and not to allow it to "run out".
Many cartridges are simply reservoirs and can be refilled many times as
there are no parts that wear. Cartridges with built-in printheads typically
can be refilled 3 - 6 times without affecting the print quality.
Cartridges with a built-in printhead will wear for a number of reasons but
the life of these cartridges can be prolonged by frequently topping up
rather than allow the cartridge to run completely out of ink.
Can I use the same ink to
refill different types of cartridges?
No. Each
type of printer functions in a slightly different manner . As a result each
ink is developed to suit a particular printer and has different properties
such as the size of the colour pigment which can block the printhead if put
into the wrong cartridge.
Is the quality of the ink that
ProPrint supplies as good as the original?
All the inks
are made to OEM standards and designed to perform as good as the original
ink.
Will I save much by refilling?
With our
Bulk Refill Kits you can expect to save around 75%. E.g. a HP C8727ae No 27
10mL black cartridge costs say £18.00 - 60ml matching black pigment ink cost
£5.99 - 6 fills therefore refill cost can be as low as £1.00 per cartridge!
(We recommend that you start with our made to match refill kit as it
includes special tools - The first kit costs £11 and is equivalent to 4 x
10mL fills - £2.50 per fill)
What do I get in a refill kit?
The refill
kits are manufactured by InkTec
and contains the ink, the tools and detailed instructions for
refilling the cartridge. The only other item you need is the cartridge from
your printer.
Where should I fill my
cartridge?
Fill the
cartridge in a "wet" area such as over a sink or lay newspaper down on the
surface where you are filling so that any drops can be absorbed. This is a
precaution we particularly give for new refillers. Once you get some
practice you should not spill any drops of ink.
to make the
process simple. Typically it takes about 5 minutes to refill a cartridge
once you get the hang of it.
How do I get ink off my
fingers?
A mild
solution of bleach and water will remove the ink. (ie 1 part bleach and 9
parts water.)
Will refilling void my
warranty?
Printer
manufacturers want you to continue to buy new cartridges and are concerned
about what you may refill the cartridge with. If the cartridge is filled
with solvents this can damage both the cartridge and the printer. An ink
that is not designed to be used in a particular printer can cause the
printhead to block. The ink we supply is identical in properties to the
manufacturers ink. Should you have a problem with the printer you should
replace the cartridge with a new one so that the dealer has no reason to try
and void your warranty.
Can I buy bulk ink?
Yes. You
will save even more money once you have the tools to refill your cartridge.
This is very relevant for those with a colour cartridges. As you refill
these you will find that depending on the type of printing you are doing you
will use one colour more than the others. As a benefit you can purchase a
single colour rather than purchasing all three.
Is delivery free?
Delivery is
free for refill kits and bulk ink. For orders overseas please contact us for
a quote.
I have refilled my Epson
cartridge and have put it back in the printer but the "out of ink"
light will not turn off?
Leaving your
printer on take the cartridge out and re-instal it. This will then switch
the light off.
What Guarantees do I have in
dealing with ProPrint?
ProPrint
(established last century - 1997) is dedicated to offering quality refill
kits and inks at very competitive prices.
Only
premium quality inks supplied
Goods
are sent the same day as we receive the order in most cases
Free
delivery in the UK and only charge the cost to us for shipping elsewhere
The
following tips are put together to help you with refilling and prolong the
life of your cartridge.
Read the Instructions
It may sound
simple, however, the instructions are simple to follow so long as you read
them carefully. Many problems are overcome by reference to these
instructions.
Keep Cartridges (with
printheads as part of the cartridge) Topped Up
Cartridges
with printheads as part of the cartridge will normally have their life
extended by regularly topping up rather than letting them run dry before
refilling. This is because the resistors that direct the printhead to fire
the ink through the printhead become exposed to the air when the cartridge
is near empty causing them to overheat and this will reduce their efficiency
or fail
Gently Shake the Bottle of Ink
Prior to Refilling
To ensure
uniform distribution of the pigment you should gently shake the bottle of
ink prior to each refilling session.
Dried Out Cartridges
Cartridges
should not be allowed to dry out as this may cause a blockage due to dried
ink in the printhead resulting in streaky printing. Cartridges should always
be topped up and if stored out of printer, the printhead (where it is part
of the cartridge) should be kept moist such as occurs when stored in the
manufacturers storage box. If you do not have one of these you can keep the
printhead moist by placing insulation tape over the printhead ink outlet.
Recovering Blocked Cartridges
(those with built in printheads)
It is
sometimes possible to recover a cartridge which has a printhead that has
blocked up. By placing the printhead part of the cartridge in a saucer
containing 50% boiling water and 50% bleach for three minutes this should
hydrate dried ink to allow the ink to flow through the printhead. It is
preferable to do this when the cartridge is empty and then put a small
volume of ink into the cartridge to test the print quality. This should be
followed by inserting the cartridge into the printer and running the printer
through its printhead cleaning cycle. Note that this procedure can only be
performed a few times as the cartridge may be affected by the hot water.
You should
also be aware that cartridges do eventually wear out and when you get a
severe blockage you will need to get a new cartridge.
Pressure Equalization
When a
cartridge is refilled it changes the equilibrium inside and may need time to
adjust. It is good practice to stand the cartridge on some newspaper for 15
minutes to equalize. This is often the case with some Epson cartridges which
can take up to a day to equilibrate but are generally O.K. in less than half
an hour.
Leaking Cartridges
NEVER put a
leaking cartridge into your printer!
Refer back to your instructions and check you have used the correct
procedure and take some ink out of the cartridge and wait until it stops
leaking. Overfilling is the main cause for leakage. In the case of certain
Hewlett Packard blacks pressurization is important.
The
following tips are put together to help you with refilling and prolong the
life of your cartridge.
From BBC
News website
Old-fashioned ink is considerably cheaper, in some cases it may be cheaper,
to buy a new printer rather than replace the ink cartridge, a survey has
found.
The price of inkjet printers has come down to as little as £34 but it could
cost up to £1,700 in running costs over an 18-month period, a study by
Computeractive Magazine has revealed.
Consumers are at risk of being ripped off, said editor Dylan Armbrust.
"Replacement cartridges may cost as much or more than the cost of the
printer," he said.
'Ripped off'
The inkjet printer market has been the subject of an investigation by the
Office of Fair Trading (OFT), which concluded in a 2002 report that
retailers and manufacturers needed to make pricing more transparent for
consumers.
The Computeractive investigation looked at printers from the big four
manufacturers, Canon, Epson, HP and Lexmark.
SURVEY FINDINGS
Canon i560 - £129; cost of ownership over 18 months - £1029
Epson C44UX - £49; cost of ownership over 18 months - £1157
HP Deskjet 5150 - £89; cost of ownership over 18 months - £708
Lexmark z605 - £40; cost of ownership over 18 months - £1775
"Well over a year later our results suggest that consumers are still at
serious risk of being ripped off," said Mr Armbrust.
The average life of a black ink and colour cartridge was calculated, as was
the cost per page of printing.
The cost of the ink was a big factor in driving costs up. Ink cartridges
vary in both price and the amount of time they last, from manufacturer to
manufacturer.
Responding to the survey, Lexmark said the research was flawed because it
did not compare like with like.
"We estimate people will purchase around two cartridges per year. Customers
who want to print a large amount should quite rightly look beyond just the
ticket price," said a statement from the firm.
Canon said it could not comment on the survey because it had not seen it,
but added that the cost of printers and cartridges reflected the amount of
money the company spent on research and development.
Last summer a report by Which? Magazine found that some printer ink cost
more per millilitre than vintage champagne.
It is recommended people use generic cartridges which are often half the
price of branded products. |
|
Your inkjet cartridge
contains much more than ink—it contains an integrated circuit, much like a
mini-computer, precisely routing signals to the correct ink nozzles with
exact timing. This is important because of what is actually going on inside
that cartridge. The cartridge puts ink on your page by creating 40,000
“boiling points” per second, each producing heat up to seven times hotter
than the sun for 2 millionths of a second. These boiling points push ink
from over 400 nozzles in your cartridge onto your printed page. All of this
takes precise instructions delivered at even faster speeds, to ensure
delivery of that perfect printed page. |
