Inkjet Printer Cartridges

The most commonly asked questions about Inkjet Cartridges.
Covering topics from refill quality, print heads, and guarantee.

Prolonging your Inkjet Cartridges.
Tips, and advice on how to handle, and store both old and new cartridges.

Factors Governing Inkjet Print Quality.
How papers and inks can affect each other, causing different print blemishes.

 

The life of a cartridge can vary dramatically. The record for the maximum number of refills is seventeen and the worst is zero. There are several factors governing a cartridge's lifespan.

As good as original and in some cartridges it's superior. All our refilled cartridges are tested and the test sheets are shown to the owner on collection.

Black cartridges can be refilled in 10-15 minutes if the cartridge is "fresh" out of the printer, colour cartridges take approximately an hour or longer as there are three or more print heads. Cartridges with blocked print heads can also take longer as they require a ultrasonic cleaning.

Yes. We fill the cartridge to the same capacity and in some cases we can exceed the original capacity.

No! Not until we have tested your cartridge. We have an 80% success rate in recovering blocked print heads, on new and remanufactured cartridges.

• Print head electronics failed
• Print head nozzles blocked with dried ink, due to poor storage or lack of use
• Air lock in print head

Yes.

No, but we can supply a compatible cartridge saving you approximately 40%.

No. We do not modify the inkjet cartridge, when correctly filled it will not leak into your machine.

All our cartridges are guaranteed 100%. The only exception is if the cartridge has dried out or is empty.

Back to top

• Store new, reloaded and used inkjet cartridges in a cool/dark place. Never leave your inkjet cartridge in the sun or in a hot car.
• Stop using your inkjet cartridge as soon as it shows signs of running out of ink. If you do not the print head will over heat and cause permanent damage to the print head.
• Remove the cartridge from the printer and place in storage box or re-fit original print head seal. (If necessary with the aid of sticky tape). Place in zip bag or wrap in "cling wrap". Do not cover colour cartridge print head with tape as this can cause contamination, place in storage box or large plastic bag.
• Have the cartridge refilled as soon as possible and re-sealed.
• Clean the print head when lines and/or dots are missing from your text or diagrams, using the "On Board" cleaning cycle, (refer to your printer hand book). If this fails to clear the problem return the cartridge to us to be steamed or ultra-sonically cleaned. If the problem persists after cleaning, it is usually due to a cartridge electrical failure.
• Do not touch any electrical contacts as the natural oils in your skin will corrode the contacts and cause the cartridge to fail.
• Print at least 2 test pages after installing a new or refilled cartridge.

With your help we should be able to fill your cartridge several times before the print head wears out, unless it suffers an electrical failure.

Back to top

Many times when poor print quality is encountered it is assumed the ink is the cause. More often than not, the problem can be the wrong paper, or the printer setup is improperly set for the type of job on hand. These factors can have a dramatic effect on the print quality and should be considered whenever poor print quality is experienced.

Paper and Inkjet printing
Paper or media on which you print has a basic job to dry the ink as soon as it comes in contact with it. The way paper absorbs ink is what we are concerned with. The terms used to describe problems associated with paper are:

Blooming
This term refers to effects seen when the size of the original dot has expanded outward like a flower making the print fuzzy and blurred.

Wicking
This term is used when the ink is absorbed by the fibres in the paper creating a spider web effect.

Bleeding
This is seen when colours are right next to other colours or black areas and they start to mix, creating a muddy undefined look in that area.

All of these problems are caused by the ink sitting on the surface, it is wet and problems can occur. Laser or Photocopy paper is not suitable for inkjet printing, unless it is specified on the wrapper for inkjet use and even then, some are better than others. The Majority of inks are dye based and will fade if exposed to constant light. In direct sun light some prints will fade within 90 days.

Hi Resolution Paper
This type of paper will improve the quality of any inkjet printed image, because the surface has a chemical coating which causes the ink to combine with it and stops the ink from bleeding into the paper.

Photo Gloss Paper
This has the same effect as hi-resolution paper, but has a gloss finish and is available in various thicknesses.

Printing On Specialist Paper
When printing on specialist papers remember to change the printer settings to match.

Back to top