Peripherals: Poll: How do you refill your printer ink/toner?
- 10/26/07 10:29 AM
Best Money Saving Tips
by kiriaka - 10/27/07 1:07 AM In reply to: Use Draft Print Mode to save ink by retexan599thanks folks for all the money saving tips. I need all the help I can get, as my HP isn't cheap with the ink.
I buy from the HP website, because I've tried cheaper inks, refills - with poor results.
I have an online printing service, and when I proof jobs, I just print out a hard copy on my HP photosmart.
I'll give my 2 cents worth of tips on how to get great quality I guess.
Use the brightest paper you can find, 96 brightness and heavier 24lb stock instead of the cheaper 20lb. also, try to find packages of paper that are opened a little bit in the store (someone always opens some of them) if your brave, open one carefully yourself (I do) feel the paper surface. The less tooth, or texture to the paper, the smoother and clearer your print will be.
Also, instead of spending a ton of money buying business cards, buy business card paper from the store and print them yourself - there is a nice product out called "Clean Edge" from Avery. It has a nice silk matte lamination on it, totally writable, prints beautifully, and is heavily scored instead of perforated - so you get a pro edge instead of hairy nasty edge.
hope I helped someone like you all have helped me :))
darksunstudio
color goes down even when printing black only
by PolymorphDigital - 10/28/07 9:15 AM In reply to: guzzling ink by tedtksEvery time it runs a cleaning cycle, it uses up some color ink. So even if you set the driver to print black only, it still uses up color ink.
If you only need to print black only, buy a cheap BW laser printer. Check the price of toner before you buy one. Get one where the toner is just a container of toner, not the kind where the toner and drum are one unit.
PURCHASING INK CARTRIDGES FOR PRINTERS
by drpoolh20 - 10/26/07 5:46 PM In reply to: How do I buy ink. by cmccarle2000I HAVE BEEN USING PRINTPAL.COM FOR SEVERAL YEARS, ON 3 DIFFERENT BRANDS OF PRINTERS. I HAVE YET TO HAVE A SINGLE COMPLAINT AND THE PRICES RUN, PROX, $5 $6 OR $7 PER UNIT LESS 10% OR 15%, POSTAGE PREPAID.
THEY SHIP FAST AND ARE TOTALLY RELIABLE.
I buy off brand carts
by bigbear639 - 10/26/07 4:54 PM In reply to: Poll: How do you refill your printer ink/toner? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I purchase Carts as cheao as 99 Cents in Quantity and have never had a single problen with any. Don't believe the Hype about it voiding the Printers Warranty. It is against the Magnuson-Moss Act a Federal act passed around 1978 or so that spells out that the Manufacturer may not refuse Warranty Service.
I use the "other"
by rubberduck1956 - 10/26/07 4:58 PM In reply to: Poll: How do you refill your printer ink/toner? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I used to buy the off brand cartridges, then Wal-Mart started "NOT" standing behind the products, which can be pretty expensive, so much for "customer service:. I was on-line one day, & saw that Walgreens now has a refill program. It is at least half the price of the generics, ($10.00 for black ink cartridges & $15.00 for the tri-color cartridges), & if they mess it up, they will make it right. With ink as expensive as it is, it makes more sense to go somewhere where the company stands behind the product. Also in this manner, you are recycling the cartridge, by re-using it yourself. I have only done this once, it was my first time, but it will not be my last, as my printer had no problem recognizing the re-filled cartridges, & the quality of the print is as good as, if not better than the brand name ink.
refilling ink cartridges
by Dalesgal08 - 10/27/07 6:49 PM In reply to: I use the "other" by rubberduck1956I refill all my black cartridges. NEVER the color ones. I go to Ebay and buy the color. It is definitely cheaper than the ones at the store. I use a needle and syringe to refill the black ink cartridge. I can refill it about 3 to 4 times before it is no good anymore. It is a messy job, but much cheaper. Then I save the cartridge and bring it to either Office Max or Office Depot and they give you $3.00 credit for each empty cartridge on merchandise in their stores. When done refilling my cartridges, I put a small piece of duct tape over the hole and BINGO, its ready for use again.
recycled toner cartridge
by Eve24 - 10/26/07 4:59 PM In reply to: Poll: How do you refill your printer ink/toner? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I tried only once to use a "recycled" toner cartridge. It was only about $10.00 cheaper than the name brand, but I thought it was worth a try. NOT. It spewed toner all over inside my printer! I took it back to the store, they gave me my money back, but were not in the least concerned about the mess it caused. I had to run a lot of paper through the printer before it would print clean again.
I had a similar experience with a recycled ink jet cartridge leaking as well, although the "mess" wasn't nearly as bad as toner.
Have been wary of trying refills. I will always use new, name brand cartridges.
I buy manufacturers ink & print heads
by how - 10/26/07 5:07 PM In reply to: Poll: How do you refill your printer ink/toner? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Because no aftermarket units are available.
Hp -14 's.
I buy off-brand ink jet cartridges
by arminfields - 10/26/07 5:21 PM In reply to: Poll: How do you refill your printer ink/toner? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have an Epson something-or-other and I have bought off-brand refills from my neighborhood office supply store (not a chain) and from the internet (overstock.com).
Both worked fine without any problems and they were both much cheaper than the brand name...even at Costco or Sams
Armin
refills
by tedtks - 10/26/07 5:24 PM In reply to: Poll: How do you refill your printer ink/toner? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have an HP 6210 all in one. I tried two different places that
had recycled carts - both had trouble being read by HP.
then after 2 weeks it stopped recognizeing the cart..
went back to spending for hp carts.
ted
Using so-called "off brand" ink cartridges
by sjulty - 10/26/07 5:27 PM In reply to: Poll: How do you refill your printer ink/toner? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The first ink jet printer I purchased in 1999 was an Epson Photo 750,
It was a terrific printer specifically designed and optimized to print photos.
I paid a little over $300 for it & was terrified by the notice next to the ink chambers
which spelled out that using a non-Epson cartridge would not only produce
sub-standard results but also void the warranty. So for the following 6 years,
I shelled out literally hundreds of dollars for Epson branded cartridges and then in 2005,
one of those cartridge refilling stores opened in my neighborhood.I thought to myself
that since the printer was so old, I had nothing to lose by trying a refill.
I was absolutely right!It proved to be just as good as the original ink and cost me just
$10 rather than the $30+ for a brand new, Epson. Unfortunately the printer finally developed
a paper path/feed problem and the same refill store (which also does repairs)recommended
that I not spend the $150+ to do the repair.I was very thankful for the honest advice & after quite a
few faithful years of service, I ended up tossing it.
Next, I bought an Epson C84 from an Ebay seller for about $35 and decided that I wasn't going to worry
about only using Epson branded cartridges. Once again, this for me has been a wise decision since
I was able to get a pack of 10 (3-M, 3-G, 3-CY & 4-BL) for approx $25 and the resulting prints are just
as vivid as the original ink!
So just to summarize my experience, based on the fact that printers are considerably less expensive
than they had been in the past, it is perfectly OK to take a chance
with non-OEM cartridges or even refills!
Just my .02!
-Steve
Buy cartridges made by manufacturer and off-brand.
by Kevzy003 - 10/26/07 5:42 PM In reply to: Poll: How do you refill your printer ink/toner? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have two printers. One for printing everyday documents and photocopying the other just for photos. The everyday printing job printer I use off-brand affordable cartridges that I have had no problems with but do not want to risk quality of my photo printing so use manufacturer cartridge for it. I have been temped to try the less expensive filled cartridges you can get and then use the chip from the empty cartridge, but with all the bad luck I have had trying to refill cartridges myself am hesitant to try removing a chip and putting on. Has anyone tried this?
Cartridges - refill or not
by Tiska - 11/5/07 12:47 PM In reply to: Buy cartridges made by manufacturer and off-brand. by Kevzy003I have an Epson printer, 2 Canon and an HP. Epson I have been refilling for many years, my Epson Stylus 890 - very old. I also have a chip resetter for the same and every time I refill I reset the chip. I bought some compatibles but they have a chip which can not be removed and so one can not refill the cartridges. It is important to reset the chip or the printer will not work. I always put a parcel tape over the the holes while I am refilling. I am an very old person and I do not find difficult to refill but it can be sometimes very messy - if I am not carefull. I usually use the ink of the make Inkjet which work well with me even for some not so important photographic prints. I also refill an old Canon BCJ 620 and the HP deskjet 870 Cxi - as you see they are all old printers and still working happily. The only one (Canon i990) I keep the supply of originals. I am refilling black as well as the colour ones. It can be done and it saves quite a sum of money. I hope this helps!
I think of PAGES-per-penny instead of PENNIES-per-page.
by Michael Tsark - 10/26/07 6:03 PM In reply to: Poll: How do you refill your printer ink/toner? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I refill the ink cartridges because I prefer to think in terms of how many PAGES-per-penny I'm getting out of each full cartridge instead of having to think in terms of how many PENNIES-per-page is it costing me when I use only cartridges without refilling. Plus, I buy bulk ink and therefore I no longer have to put up with the situation of running out of ink since I always have lots of affordable ink on hand. After a little practice the routine becomes quick, easy, and no mess at all since practice makes perfect. And I no longer have the situations where I have to drop what I'm doing in order to go to the store to purchase expensive ink cartridges that only holds a tiny bit of ink in it. The next step would be to purchase a "Continuous Ink System" (CIS) which automatically pumps ink into the cartridges from 100ml storage tanks that sits along the outside of the printer. The only maintenance would then be to top off the storage tanks every once in a great while, but otherwise, ink problems? What problems? Just forget about it.
One Way to Save Ink --
by retexan599 - 10/26/07 6:35 PM In reply to: I think of PAGES-per-penny instead of PENNIES-per-page. by Michael TsarkMinimize the number of printed pages you create. My attitude in the last few years is to keep as much as possible in electronic form and only print what I really have to. Most of my communications are email; my photos are posted on photo web sites for friends and family; I keep other photos on portable media which can be mailed; lots of documents can be sent as attachment to emails. I also bought an electronic photo frame to display my family photos. So, I am keeping my ink and paper expenses down by staying in the electronic mode as much as possible. Just another two cents...
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