Anyone have luck with do-it-yourself inkjet refills?

Discussion in 'hardware' started by Keatah, Nov 6, 2012.

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  1. zfactor

    zfactor Registered Member

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    thats why i use a waste tank externally i cut the hose going to the internal one and add a external hose with a tupperware (hey it works) tank where the tube dumps all the extra ink into it the ink can then be recycled back into the black cartridge later
     
  2. Noob

    Noob Registered Member

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    I feel Epson original ink cartridges are pretty cheap and they last quite a lot. (The black cartridges lasted more than a year in my case, the color ones even more) :D
    Keep in mind i don't print really that much.
     
  3. zfactor

    zfactor Registered Member

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    i disagree i think the epson ones are terrible for the amount of ink they have while not as bad as some others like cannon they are pretty bad. you really should try the refillable ones they are awesome and using them in 8 artisan models from 800-837's i have had zero problems for years. and SUPER CHEAP this way
     
  4. Noob

    Noob Registered Member

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    I used a couple refillable cartridges and it screwed up my Epson printing head alignment, i have gone through dozens of "Head alignment" procedures using the driver software and original ink cartridges and it's still misaligned.
    BTW, since i don't print much one of the 2 cartridges that i bought had clogged nozzles and i couldn't get it to print properly.

    I'll just stick to OEM. :D
     
  5. stapp

    stapp Global Moderator

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  6. cortez

    cortez Registered Member

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    I use self refilled cartridges on my Lexmark X 6170 All-In-One and find it lots cheaper than retail especially for color ones. The real problem is patience reading the instruction carefully and executing the procedure as written.

    A sharp and thin knife or box cutter, some duck tape and rags is usually all that is needed outside of the kit. Some kits even come with lid removers and tape but the cheaper ones do not. Color at Walmart $53.00 verses a color kit $10.00 at the flea market.

    The syringe also comes with many kits but if not are easy to get from someone with allergies which are nice and long.

    I use alcohol 90% (rubbing type from the pharmacy) to clean up the brass heads and syringes.

    I also use a little alcohol to moisten the sponge if I have not printed for a while as they dry up and clog the heads. The syringe makes this a easy task with no removal of parts needed.

    When I lift up the top of the printer which is hinged the machine automatically centers the two cartridges to the middle and cleaning the heads and adding a bit of alcohol to the sponges is a cinch.

    Naturally there is some paper that will be sacrificed until you learn how to fill the well up correctly and not over moisten the sponges with alcohol.

    The alcohol is also used to remove ink from one's hand if rubber gloves are not used.
     
  7. pandlouk

    pandlouk Registered Member

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    Hi stapp,

    this article is true for higher end printers. For lower-end ones the ink is far more expensive.
    For example I'll use the epson sx130 and its cartridges.
    This summer I bought refillable cartridges and high quality pigment bulk ink for my sx130.
    200ml Black, 100ml Cyan, 100ml Yellow, 100ml Red = 58€
    refillable cartridges = 32€
    Total cost 90€

    The original cartridges cost
    t1281(black)=5,9ml= 9€
    t1282-3-4(color)=3,5ml=8€ (x3)=24€

    If I used the original cartridges for the same amount of ink, it would cost me
    33 cartridges (black) + 3x28 cartridges (color)=297+672=
    Total cost 969€

    For that particular printer the original ink costs 2,01 €/ml = 1.63 £/ml which is much higher than the 0,51 £/ml of the article.

    Panagiotis
     
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2012
  8. Keatah

    Keatah Registered Member

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    The HP C7280's design doesn't have a drain hose of any kind. It squirts onto a ramp which then leads to a large quantity of absorbent padding. Conceivably this pad, which is in a 6-10 ounce container, could outlast the life of the printer?

    I can see building and re-routing the ramp, through a series of curves snaking around the mechanicals, out the back, somehow. But that could be a week-long engineering project.

    Can someone briefly explain the difference between pigment and dye based inks? And what would be best in my C7280?
     
  9. pandlouk

    pandlouk Registered Member

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    The main differences
    Dye ink:
    -More vivid colors
    -When dries it gets absorbed by the paper
    -Dissolves when gets wet
    -Wares out if left on sunlight
    Pigment Ink:
    -A bit less vivid colors
    -When it dries it remains mostly on the surface of the paper
    -Does not dissolve when it gets wet
    -Does not ware out much when left on sunlight

    Panagiotis
     
  10. dil

    dil Registered Member

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    I have had great luck with inkowl.com

    I use hp 8500A got B I G ink tanks also got and did use there print head repair tool worked great but do it outside!

    using there ink in bulk we home school so we do alot of printing.
     
  11. PJC

    PJC Very Frequent Poster

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    I only use original Inject Refills. :cool:
     
  12. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

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    Not applicable for inkjets, but for some laser printers it is very easy to get more life out of a cartridge, and maybe even print a lot more pages.

    On some HP lasers, and I guess the same will apply for some other manufacturers, there is a chip in the cartridge which keeps track of how many pages are printed. Once the cartridge has been used to print a certain number of pages, the cartridge will be deemed as being empty by the printer and you will be prompted to replace the empty cartridge, even though there will still be ink left in the cartridge. Using Google you will be able to find instructions, on how to put the printer in override mode which will let you keep using the cartridge - you can choose how many pages to be printed. You can keep printing until the cartridge starts getting low on ink and the print quality suffers. If you reach the page limit you set, and the print quality is still fine, you do another override and keep using the same cartridge.

    I only discovered this recently when I had to replace a cartridge, but the replacement remanufactured cartridge (less than a quarter of the cost of new HP ones) was broken and couldn't be used. I needed to find a way to keep printing with the "empty" cartridge still in place until I got a replacement for the defective cartridge (which was replaced for free). It turns out that the cartridge was not even close to being empty.
     
  13. Techwiz

    Techwiz Registered Member

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    Companies are trying to phasing out refillable ink cartridges in favor of smaller recyclable cartridges. Not that it would matter considering the price of the ink and those damn ink level warnings. Once you drop below the level, a refill doesn't shut the the dam thing up. I'm thinking a customized ink cartridge is going to be needed, and that plastic printer could be just the tool we need. Don't forget to recycle your old cartriages @ staples. Savings add up if you turn return them in bunches.
     
  14. The Shadow

    The Shadow Registered Member

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    I have Costco refill my empty inkjet cartriges. I have a Dell inkjet, but I'm pretty sure that Costco also refills some other major brand cartridges. Refills run about $10/cartridge and Costco guarantees its performance. While the refilled ink-quality and trueness of color seems just as good as official Dell-cartridges (and last as long) the Dell printer reports that the refilled cartridges are out of ink when they are actually full !

    TS
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2012
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