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How to Refill Ink Cartridge

You can refill your empty ink cartridge by taking it to any stores providing ink refilling service or purchase an ink refill kit and do it yourself.  There are two types of ink refill kit: 1) the universal kit which can be used in a wide range of brands and models and 2) ink refill kit that is designed for specific ink cartridge model.  Since each printer cartridge model has different designs and ink formulations, it is better to use a kit specific for your ink cartridge.  It will make things much easier as the kit provides detailed instructions of how and where to locate the injection inlet, how much ink should be injected and whether an air balance is required.

The ink refill kit usually includes a refill clip and/or a screw tool, injection syringe (ink container), injection needle, ink suction syringe (optional), a pair of disposable hand gloves and use instructions.  The refilling process is quite simple and it only takes 10-15 minutes.  However, you should read the use instructions before refilling your cartridge.

1)     Remove the empty cartridge from your printer.

2)     Wear a pair of disposable hand gloves and put a piece of paper towel on the desk.

3)     Insert the cartridge to the refill clip until you hear a click sound, use the screw tool to remove the plastic covering the ink injection inlet (depending on the ink cartridge model, some kits only come with the refill clip or the screw tool).

4)     Remove the cap of the ink container and connect the injection needle to it.

5)     Insert the injection needle deep into the ink injection inlet with the needle directed towards the nozzle, then pull out the injection needle 5mm backward.

6)     Press the piston of the ink container and slowly add the ink (this avoids the formation of air bubbles).

7)     Connect the suction syringe to the rubber hole near the nozzle and pull out 0.5-1 ml of ink, then remove the syringe (this step is optional and it cleans the nozzle to improve print quality).

8)     Remove the refill clip and dab the nozzle on a piece of soft tissue to remove excess ink.

9)     Leave the ink injection inlet open.  Replace the cartridge into the printer and run the cartridge cleaning process before use.

Note: for multi-color ink cartridges, a label sticker is provided.  The label indicates the injection spots for different colors (cyan, yellow, magenta).  Simply inject different color inks into designated spots one by one.

Precaution:

1)     Remember to refill the cartridge before it is completely empty.  Don’t let the ink chamber or the printer head dry out.

2)     Using the printer regularly can prevent the print head from drying out.

3)     Avoid touching the metal electrical contact points with your hands.

4)     Some cartridges have a smart chip which keeps track of the ink level.  You will need a resetting tool to reset the memory on the chip when refilling these cartridges.  Otherwise, the printer may not print properly if it thinks the refilled cartridge is still empty.

5)     You can only refill an ink cartridge a few times and the print head will eventually wear out.

6)     Never overfill an ink cartridge.

7)     Inject the ink slowly to avoid air bubbles or overflow of ink.

8)     Never put a leaking ink cartridge into your printer.

Shop for Refill Kits:

Canon, HP, Dell, Lexmark, Sharp, Xerox