Lending Your Printer Cartridges Longer Life
We are all aware that ink cartridges don’t come cheaply. This is one of the biggest surprises of the printing industy, when you get a great deal on a super printer and then get your first look at how much the ink cartridges are going to cost! Thankfully now it’s possible to purchase remanufactured ink cartridges, which are cartridges that are reused and refilled. These cartridges are less expensive than the brand name version, but work exactly the same way. Still, you will want to make sure that you take fairly good care of your ink cartridge so that you get the most life out of it.
Generally, people don’t realize that ink cartridges have to be treated well to continue performing at maximum potential. They may believe the best way to use an ink cartridge to try to print with it until it’s totally bone dry. This is true, but if you follow a few easy steps, you’ll be able to get more ink out of the cartridge. First of all, make sure that you never touch the copper plate that is on the head of the ink cartridge. Because static electricity could damage the ink cartridge head, the copper plates should come covered in a little piece of protective plastic. This will ruin your cartridge for sure.
Another tip to follow is to keep a wary eye on the papers that print out. If you begin getting blurry points or lines on your prints, it’s time to clean the ink cartridge head. Usually, printers will possess a cleaning option for addressing just this issue. Run the cleaning option on the cartridge to see if the blurriness clears up. It may take two or three cleanings to get it entirely cleared off.
When you’re using a tricolor cartridge, one color will run out before the others do. This is a sign that your cartridge is slowly but surely running out of ink. You’ll be able to tell this is happening because you’ll still be able to get some color out of the cartridge, but the colors will seem distorted or off in some way. Don’t continue to use the cartridge after a line has run out. It’s also vital that you never let an ink cartridge completely run out of ink. It’s tempting to do so, as you may think that you’ll squeeze a little more ink out of the cartridge, but it’s definitely not recommended. The circuit head of the printer cartridge can burn if it continues to print when there is no ink, and this can cause overheating and serious damage in your printer.
Make sure that you read the instructions on your ink cartridges, as they all have special instructions, and make sure that you never leave it in a vehicle where it can overheat, as the ink expands and can then leak. If you take good care of your cartridge, you’ll find that it will last you for a fairly long amount of time.
For more great information about printer cartridges, ink cartridges, and the technology that goes into using and working with them, check out the Ink Cartridge Blog. It’s full of good information about technology and printer news, like ink refills for printers.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
