Inkjet refill kit
An inkjet refill kit is a set of tools and a certain amount of ink used to refill ink cartridges. The specific tools and the amount or type of ink depends on which cartridge the kit is designed for. The purpose of an inkjet refill kit for consumers is that it offers a low-cost alternative to buying new cartridges.
Contents
Typically, a refill kit comes with a cartridge holder, bottles of ink and needles. The exact tools that come with the kit can vary by manufacturer or by which cartridge the kit is for. Some tools are found in all kits because they are necessary to refill, but others, like the cartridge holder or a needle to withdraw air from the cartridge, are optional.
The most common refill kits come with either: bottles of black ink for black refill kits; or one bottle each of cyan, magenta and yellow for color refill kits; or one bottle each of photo cyan, photo magenta and photo black for photo-color refill kits.
Refilling Process
The refill process typically involves the following steps:
- Injecting ink: Depending on the type of cartridge being refilled, ink can either be injected through a hole on top of the cartridge, or directly into the ink chambers after the top has been popped off. The ink can be injected directly from a bottle (with a needle tip on it) or from a needle filled with ink. The ink must be slowly injected into the cartridge so as not to cause damage, or overfilling, or overflow to other-color ink reservoirs. (For colors, a label on the cartridge might have 3 ordered color-dots to indicate the corresponding 3 ink colors of the reservoir chambers.
- Some refill kits include a final step where a small amount of air is removed from the cartridge in order to restore the ink-fluid balance that was present inside the cartridge before the refilling.
- Installing/running: Once the cartridge is filled, the top is placed back on (if necessary) and the cartridge can be reinstalled in the printer. Extra ink flowing from the cartridge print-head can be wiped/blotted (for a few minutes). On some cartridges the ink has a problem getting to the bottom of the cartridge (especially the colored cartridges), it must be forced to the bottom either by suction thru the jet plate or by putting pressure from the top with a syringe to purge the thru the jet plate very gently. It might be necessary to run the printer cleaning utilities on the refilled cartridge, in case any excess ink is leftover from the refilling process. A note to the unfamiliar, the capacity of the cartridge of some brands is much much more than the cartridge comes with when new (especially the colored ones), there may be room for 2 or 3 times the ink sold in some "kits". (this can be learned by doing an autopsy on a nonfuntioning cartridge, also why the ink does not reach the bottom in the case of some colored inks). In those cases the needle must be able to reach to within 0.375" from the bottom or closer to be sure that the ink can reach the jets and not just saturate the sponge. The sponge can in some cases take 2 or more charges of ink and still not reach the bottom (jets).
- Print-head cleaning: Sometimes the ink flow might be blocked by dried ink on the ink cartridge print-head. For color cartridges, typically one ink-color fails to flow due to dried ink. The dried ink can be cleaned using isopropyl alcohol (50% or higher) on a swab or folded paper towel rubbed gently 3 or 4 times across the print-head. Another method is to let the cartridge sit overnight in a shallow cup or glass or very warm clean water (not distilled water). The water depth required is about .25 or .375", remove and reclean as above and try to use.
Pros and Cons
The main benefit of using a refill kit is the savings. The average price for these kits is $10-$20 and they usually yield about three refills. Based on that, a person could be getting a new cartridge for about $5, versus the $25-30 they would pay at the store for a new one. There is also the environmental benefit, as you are reusing a cartridge that would have otherwise been thrown away after one use.
The downside to refill is the time associated with it and the unpredictability. Refilling a cartridge can take 10-15 minutes for those unfamiliar with the process, and some may prefer buying a new cartridge to the effort it takes to refill. Also, ink cartridges usually last for 4-5 refills, but there are those that can only be refilled one time before they are worn out.
The biggest perceived downside to refilling is the mess associated with it. Many consumers shy away from refilling either based on past experiences or stories they have heard. Many of the unsuccessful refill kits of the past were so-called "universal" kits, meaning they were designed for use with multiple cartridges. Because all manufacturers use different types of ink, and because different cartridge designs require different refilling processes, these universal kits had a high failure rate. Today these kits are harder to find, as refill kits made for specific cartridges have become more the norm, but perception that all refill kits are messy still remains.