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Thread ID: 17388	2002-04-04 04:28:00	Inkjet refills - your experiences???	Guest (0)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
41706	2002-04-04 10:07:00	HP930c Have used Candida kits for black and colour. The ink levels are reported incorrectly which is not a great hassel. The black went well with no mess but with some lines not printing perfectly. I messed the colour one up by assuming that the colour spots on the cartridge related to the actual colours and ended up with some interesting colours. Will be changing refill brand next time with the hope of better results. With the HP cartridge the printhead is in it and so they are very dear(colour $170) and I have heard that they are going to degrade the quality of the printhead so that people can't do refills.	Guest (0)
41707	2002-04-04 10:08:00	I am currently using an Epson Stylus 300, previously a 200. The 300 print head can be removed by flipping out the stainless steel clip. In the 200 the black and color heads were interchangeable.The main problem with refilling is the air getting in when you release the cartridge, my fix is to modify the cartridge clamp with appropriate holes to allow refilling without removing the cartridge from the print head, kid the setup program that a new cartridge has been installed, and all is OK. I have purchased refill kits from Stroud in Aussie and the service is A1 complete with syringes etc.	Guest (0)
41708	2002-04-04 10:42:00	Hello Robo, I agree with you, there does need to be an article on this subject, as there are a lot of misconceptions, and even more misinformation around on inkjet filling pro's and con's. The first thing people have to realise, is that ink like most other things varies in quality,if you buy a cheap refill kit, be prepared for quality that is not as good as the original, and a potentially messy refill operation (involving drills etc) However for a few dollars more there are refill kits available that guarantee quality as good as the original OEM manufacturers product and provide good refilling equpment. Inktec is the brand that I have first hand knowledge of, as this is what I use and supply to my customers, I have yet to have one complaint in regard to this inks quality in comparison to the original OEM product, in fact I think it's often better. Having said that, I still don't recommend refills for all printers, as cartridges vary from printer to printer and it depends on the model as to the ease and successfulness of the refill. My experiences and recommendations are as follows. If your printer has a single colour (C Y M or B ) cartridge, it can almost certainly be refilled and reused with no problems (providing you don't let the cartridge dry out prior to refilling, this happens very quickly and refilling should be done as soon as the cartridge is empty)use a refill brand that guarantees quality as good as the original OEM ink. If you have one of the common tri (C Y M) ink tanks, refilling is not so straight forward and success depends on your make of printer, for instance, I won't refill any of the HP 7, 8, or 9 series colour cartridges as getting the inkflow right on them just takes to much time. With Epson printers you are better off buying generic already filled cartridges (again only from companies offerering quality as good as the original OEM)the Inktec brand costs around half the price and is again very good quality. avoid at all costs brands that want you to remove the 'smartchip' and replace it onto their refill. Canon and Lexmarks are similar to HP (blacks no problem, Colours vary)however the majority of these cartridges are OK to refill. Lastly, you will not void your warranty by using refilled cartridges, providing they don't damage your printer. The only way they can do damage is if they leak, again use a good brand of refill and stay away from drills etc and you will no problems. hope this helps some. Alan	Guest (0)
41709	2002-04-04 10:46:00	Hello Robo, I agree with you, there does need to be an article on this subject, as there are a lot of misconceptions, and even more misinformation around on inkjet filling pro's and con's. The first thing people have to realise, is that ink like most other things varies in quality,if you buy a cheap refill kit, be prepared for quality that is not as good as the original, and a potentially messy refill operation (involving drills etc) However for a few dollars more there are refill kits available that guarantee quality as good as the original OEM manufacturers product and provide good refilling equpment. Inktec is the brand that I have first hand knowledge of, as this is what I use and supply to my customers, I have yet to have one complaint in regard to this inks quality in comparison to the original OEM product, in fact I think it's often better. Having said that, I still don't recommend refills for all printers, as cartridges vary from printer to printer and it depends on the model as to the ease and successfulness of the refill. My experiences and recommendations are as follows. If your printer has a single colour (C Y M or B ) cartridge, it can almost certainly be refilled and reused with no problems (providing you don't let the cartridge dry out prior to refilling, this happens very quickly and refilling should be done as soon as the cartridge is empty)use a refill brand that guarantees quality as good as the original OEM ink. If you have one of the common tri (C Y M) ink tanks, refilling is not so straight forward and success depends on your make of printer, for instance, I won't refill any of the HP 7, 8, or 9 series colour cartridges as getting the inkflow right on them just takes to much time. With Epson printers you are better off buying generic already filled cartridges (again only from companies offerering quality as good as the original OEM)the Inktec brand costs around half the price and is again very good quality. avoid at all costs brands that want you to remove the 'smartchip' and replace it onto their refill. Canon and Lexmarks are similar to HP (blacks no problem, Colours vary)however the majority of these cartridges are OK to refill. Lastly, you will not void your warranty by using refilled cartridges, providing they don't damage your printer. The only way they can do damage is if they leak, again use a good brand of refill and stay away from drills etc and you will no problems. hope this helps some. Alan	Guest (0)
41710	2002-04-04 10:48:00	Thanks heaps for this, general impression is that benefit is variable based on brand of printer, but is worth trying. I haven't replaced any ink in my Officejet (hell, it is only two and a half years old) because I use a laser mostly. Keep em coming if you have an experience to share. robo.	Guest (0)
41711	2002-04-04 13:39:00	I have an Epson Stylus 300 B & W and have been refilling cartridges fairly succesfully for a couple of years. I say 'fairly successfully' because there are a few tricks to getting it consistently right and it took a while to find them out. This printer actually uses a Canon print engine and Canon BC-2 cartrides are usually a bit cheaper than the 'Epson' ones. These cartridges (and I think most others too) have a sponge in the tank to hold the ink. If the ink is used up slowly some dries in the sponge, progressively clogging it, hence successive refills usually hold progressively less ink. To minimise the clogging don't wait till the cartridge is empty before refilling - top it up at, say, monthly intervals. Introducing some as when refilling is usually unavoidable and with BC-02 cartriges it pays to leave them overnight on the printer before using them. Also, with this (and ? other printers), Epson recommends leaving the printer plugged in and switched on all the time, as in standby mode (when it is 'switched off' by the computer) a tiny element keeps the printhead slightly warm and improves ink flow when the printer is subsequently used. I have used several brands of refill ink and the quality varies - mainly in the density of blackness. Calidad seems OK but possibly not quite as dense as the genuine stuff. Use rubber gloves when refilling!	Guest (0)
41712	2002-04-04 22:28:00	I have refilled my own for 4 years with very good results. Now have a newish Epson C40UX and use Calidad cartridges that work perfectly (black) and also have refilled with Calidad ink: great results but it takes a few hours for the ink to settle down and print correctly, maybe due to air getting in the refilling process. Also have an old Cannon 210 and refilling has been no problem.	Guest (0)
41713	2002-04-05 03:36:00	Thanks for the info within your submission about leaving the Epson printer on standby keeping that keeps a slight heat on. With an Epson 440 I use Calidad inks from 'Warehouse Stationary' much ceaper than Epson inks. I have noticed if I haven't used the printer for a few days it does not print properly.I have to do a print-head clean to fix it, as it seems some of the nozzles become blocked, I suppose with dried ink. Will definitely try your suggestion that helps to keep the ink flowing, thanks EC	Guest (0)
41714	2002-04-05 05:06:00	An interesting inkjet refill site is at: http://www.alotofthings.com/	Guest (0)
41715	2002-04-05 07:47:00	I used to own a cheap and nasty HP400 deskjet and tried refills. I used the Calidad brand as most people have and initially found the exercise worthwhile considering the HP cart prices. I found that I can refill an original cart (black as well as colour) about 2-3 times with a single refill kit. That alone saved me approx $50 - not bad for 15mins of mucking about with newspapers, gloves, etc. After that, I found that the cart would start having problems and it was better to get another HP again and start all over when that runs out. The drying out sponge explanation sounds about right. Initially, the HP black cart would have a small cap on top which you can insert the refill needle into. Later on, HP changed the cart top and Calidad responded by supplying a small screw thingy that you can use to drill a small hole into the side of the cart. The colour cart caps used to be a breeze to pry off to reveal the sponges. Later on HP must have changed the glue or laser welding of the cart as it got a bit difficult - a sharp box cutter did the job. Resealing involved taping the cap back on. Judging by what HP did to the carts, I believe Calidad and other after-market suppliers where starting to make a dent on HP's razor-blade business plan. The quality of prints was not bad, considering the capability of the printer to start with. The Calidad black ink did seem runny and I had to print a few pages before the smudges disappeared. The colour refills were a lot better , i.e., brighter, crispier. I eventually got sick and tired of the paper jams and shopped for better quality colour printing and paper handling; I now have a Canon S400 with individual colour tanks. I did my maths on this basis - the cyan and yellow inks would run out faster than the magenta which would have approx. 1/3 capacity left; I was throwing away 11% of what I've paid for each time I replaced a tri-colour cart. I have not tried after-market refills for Canon although I will definitely give them a shot. The tank design makes the process less messy and you only replace what you've used up. I know that the heads need replacing after several tanks but the final cost works out cheaper.	Guest (0)
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