Ink refills not only give you a lot of savings but also help save our Mother Earth through recycling. It's mind boggling to know that around 400 million cartridges are being thrown away every year and the figure is escalating with the gaining popularity of computers and printers nowadays
So next time you refill your cartridge, FEEL PROUD that you are doing your part in saving the environment, aside from the HUGE savings you get on printing cost. Now, in order to help you maximize your cartridge refill experience, here are the TOP things you should bear in mind:
Always have a spare cartridge on hand. You will realize the greatest savings and efficiency by always having at least one extra cartridge for each color. With a spare, you will hardly encounter any "downtime" except the time it takes to replace the empty with your full spare.
Never print with an empty cartridge. Refill the cartridge as soon as possible and never print when at least one of the colors is empty. The ink helps cool the "heat sinks" that produce the ink dots. Without ink, they will overheat and burn out, rendering the cartridge permanently damaged. In addition, do not remove the cartridge from the printer until you are ready to refill your cartridge. The printer has a mechanism to prevent the ink nozzle from drying out while it is installed in the printer.
Do not touch the copper plate and the print head. The copper plate and the print head are sensitive parts of the cartridge and it's always best to keep them away from dust and fingerprints to avoid malfunction.
Do not place or leave the cartridge on warm places such as the car seat or dashboard. Heat build-up will cause the cartridge to leak and the ink can stain your things.
Install your refilled cartridge immediately after refilling. Once the cartridge is refilled, install it back to your printer immediately to prevent the ink in the nozzle from drying out. Print at least 2 pages to settle the ink into the print head nozzles. It's also advisable to store your empty and refilled cartridge in an airtight container while they are not installed to the printer yet.
Perform a regular cleaning cycle if you see lines or missing dots on your printed text or graphics. You can use your printer's service tools, i.e. printer's cleaning cycle (refer to your printer manual) to do the task.
Use printer-specific inks only (never use universal ink). Printer-specific inks are normally manufactured to suit your printer, thus, providing crisp and truer-color prints. On the other hand, inferior inks can produce mediocre printouts and can even clog your printer head.
