No Use Crying Over Spilled Ink

The dreaded blinking light, it happens to the best of us. Your school project is due in one hour or your boss wants a copy of the latest business report on his desk as soon as possible, preferably before the early morning meeting with the president. The only problem is there?s no more ink left in your printer!

Think about this: how much money have you spent over the last year on replacing your empty ink cartridges?

If you need a stiff drink (or two!) after calculating the total, you?re not alone! The prices of ink cartridges seem to cost more then the printers themselves. So what is one to do?

A great solution is to refill your ink cartridge yourself. While it might sound complicated or difficult, it?s a lot easier than you might think. And cheaper, not to mention the fact that it?s environmentally friendly. Though most households don?t use the same amount of ink as businesses or schools do, everyone can benefit from the savings. But what exactly is involved with ink refills? Well, let me tell you.

You can find an ink refill kit almost anywhere nowadays, especially at office supply stores. It is used to replace ink manually in an inkjet cartridge. It is a simple kit that includes ink bottles, syringes, and an air balance clip. You won?t need any other equipment other than what is given to you in the kit, and of course the empty ink cartridge. You might want to keep some scrap paper nearby as well, in case any ink drips.

Refilling your cartridge is easy and once you get the hang of it, it shouldn?t take more than five minutes to do. Using the syringe provided in the kit, fill it with ink from the ink bottles and then transfer the ink to the empty cartridge. It?s that easy. The air balance clip is used to balance the air inside the cartridge so that the ink will flow properly. The kit comes with illustrated, easy to follow, instructions. Remember to keep some scrap paper handy in case any ink spills since ink stains are tough to get rid of.

For the best results, your ink should be refilled before the cartridge is completely empty. This will avoid any residual ink from drying out inside the chamber. Also, before placing the cartridge back into the printer, let it stand upright for a few minutes. This is because when refilling the cartridge, there is a build-up of internal pressure that will stabilize on its own simply by letting it sit for awhile. It is the ink drip from the print head that stabilizes the pressure. When injecting the ink into the cartridge, do it slowly to keep air bubbles from forming. Any air bubbles can keep the ink from reaching the print head. The cartridge can usually be refilled several times before throwing it away.

If you are still not convinced that refilling your inkjet cartridge is simple and easy, take a look at the advantages it offers. Many may think that the quality of ink will decrease but the ink used in ink refill kits is the same quality used by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). The cost of a single cartridge of ink is sometimes more expensive than the printer itself! By using an ink refill kit, you can save up to 70% of the cost of buying a new inkjet cartridge. Not only will you save money, but with the inkjet refill kit, you?ll also avoid the headache of buying a new cartridge every time yours is empty. Massive amounts of plastic and metals are dumped into landfills every year. You will also be helping the environment by purchasing an inkjet refill kit by reducing the amount of solid waste.

Once you?ve bought the printer, it?s unlikely you are going to replace it every year with a new one. The printer manufacturers know that for the printer to function, you need ink. It is the same with a flashlight; it needs a battery to operate, just like a car needs gas in order to run. Therefore, the company charges consumers high prices for ink because they know that is what we are going to buy. Or will we?