Best Practices

Listed here are practices to keep your cartridges in good working order and refillable in the future. A properly cared for cartridge with a built in print head can be refilled 4 to 8 times on average.

When the printer copy shows signs of streaking and/or looks faded it is likely low on ink. Stop using it.

Color cartridges are really three cartridges in one package, one each red, yellow and blue. These will empty at different rates. When one color show signs of getting low discontinue using the cartridge.

Be careful to protect cartridges from impact by dropping or bouncing. Even gentle taps or setting a cartridge down on a work surface with an audible "click" can cause fatal damage.

Wrap your used cartridge in paper towel and put it in a zip lock bag to protect the elctronics and keep it from drying out.

Be aware of your printer's location as it relates to heater vents and air ducts. These will prematurely dry your cartridge.

Do not reuse the sealing tape that came with your cartridge. It can cause contamincation of the print head.

Do not "Scotch" tape the print head or electronic connections. Tape occludes the microscopic nozzles and leave "stickum" behind when peeled off. The additional trauma added to the cleaning process of removing the stickum may be enough to cause a failure of the printhead or connector pathways.

Do not reuse the protective clip that came with the cartridge. If installed incorrectly they can cause failure of the electronics.