If you use your home printer frequently like I do, the cost of ink can be a substantial expense. The cost of ink cartridges at the local discount store for my printer is over $20 each for the black and tri-color for a total of about $45 plus tax. The combo pack goes for $35- $40 depending on where you buy it. This can add up to a several hundred dollars a year.
To lower my costs, I began refilling the ink cartridges myself using bulk ink kits at a HUGE SAVINGS and it only takes about 5 minutes to do. I found a online supplier that offers inkjet refill kits for the about $12 each for black and tri-color for a total of about $25 including FREE shipping. This kit refills each cartridge about 4-5 times. If I had purchased 4-5 ink cartridges at the local discount store in the combo set or individual cartridges, I would have easily spent over $200 plus sales tax. That is an 87% savings. The kits come with everything you need including instructions.
Type "Refill Kit" in the search box to bring up the bulk ink that works with most printers. Most are interchangeable as long as they have the same colors: C for Cyan, M for Magenta, Y for Yellow. Black is listed as BK or just K. (CMYK).
Prepare your work area with old newspapers or paper towels, rubbing alcohol, and I would suggest wearing rubber gloves. My cartridges are super easy but each brand can vary so refer to the instruction booklet. If you need additional help, contact their customer service. With my brand, I partially peel back the label on the top of the black ink cartridge to reveal at least one tiny hole. I insert the injector syringe filled with ink and slowly fill until the ink bubbles out of the hole. There is a sponge type material inside the cartridge so you have to give it time to absorb it. Repeat in all holes until sponge is totally full and will not accept any more ink then replace the label. Wipe the exterior clean with rubbing alcohol before inserting it back into your printer. You may have to realign the cartridges and have your printer clean the cartridges.They may leak a pinch in the beginning but that will clear up quickly.
For the tri-color cartridge, there should be a minimum of one hole for each color under the label but they are not marked. Insert a wooden toothpick to see what color goes into which hole. Sometimes there are more than one hole for each color. You want to be careful not to mix up the colors. Use the same procedure as filling the black ink cartridge.
This will not work on old, dried out cartridges. You should refill them within 24 hrs of running out or they may clog up and have to be discarded or recycled. My printer notifies me when the ink level is running low so I try not to let it run completely dry. After refilling the cartridges several times, they usually need replacing. I buy new ones about once a year. Another way to save on ink is always print using the black cartridge only and disable the footer and header stamps unless otherwise needed.
For the full article including bulk ink suppliers and other money saving tips, go to
Published by dbmeyer
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