Ink cartridge

How to Refill Epson Cartridges | Hardware Secrets

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An ink cartridge or inkjet cartridge is a component of an inkjet printer containing ink that is saved to paper during printing.

Each ink cartridge contains one or more ink reservoirs; Certain manufacturers also add electronic contacts and chips that communicate with the printer.

Video Ink cartridge

Design

Thermal
Most consumer inkjet printers, such as those made by Canon, HP, and Lexmark (but not Epson) use thermal inkjet; inside each partition of the ink reservoir is a heating element with a small metal plate or resistor. In response to the signal provided by the printer, a small current flowing through the metal or resistor makes it warm, and the ink in contact with the heated resistor is evaporated into a small vapor bubble inside the nozzle. As a result, the ink droplets are forced out of the cartridge nozzle to the paper. This process takes a fraction of a millisecond.
Printing depends on the smooth flow of ink, which can be blocked if the ink begins to dry on the printhead, as can occur when the ink level becomes low. Dry ink can be cleaned from the print cartridge head using isopropyl alcohol or water. Isopropyl alcohol will damage the print head, IPA can dissolve plastic in joints and rubber gaskets. Tap water contains contaminants that may clog the printhead, so distilled water and non-furry fabrics are recommended.
The ink also serves as a cooler to protect the metal plate heating elements - when ink supplies run out, and printing is attempted, heating elements in thermal cartridges often burn out, permanently damage the print head. When the first ink begins to run low, the cartridges must be replenished or replaced, to avoid overloading the printhead.
Piezoelectric
All Epson printers use piezoelectric crystals in each nozzle instead of heating elements. When it is currently applied, the crystal changes its shape or size, increasing the pressure in the ink line and thus forcing the ink droplets from the nozzle. There are two types of crystals used: which extend when exposed to electricity or bi-morph that bend. Ink ducts in the print heads of piezoelectric ink jet prints can be formed using a variety of techniques, but one common method is the lamination of metal sheet piles, each of which includes various forms of micro-fabrication precision features (ie containing ink ducts, holes, reservoirs and crystals). This cold environment allows the use of inks that react badly when heated. For example, about 1/1000 of every ink jet is evaporated due to intense heat, and the ink must be designed to prevent the printer from clogging with thermal decomposition products. It can also make smaller ink drops in some situations than inkjet thermal schemes.
Maps Ink cartridge

Variant

Color inkjets use the CMYK color model: c yan, m agenta, y ellow, and k ey, black. Over the years, two different forms of black have been available: easy to blend with other colors for graphic printing, and watertight variants for text.

Most modern inkjet printers carry black cartridges for text, and either a single CMYK or discrete cartridge combined for each color; while keeping separate colors initially scarce, it has become common in recent years. Some of the higher inkjets offer cartridges for additional colors.

Some ink cartridges are specially formulated to print photos.

All printer suppliers produce their own ink cartridges. Cartridges for different printers may be incompatible - both physically and electrically.

Some manufacturers insert the printer head into the cartridge (for example including HP, Dell, and Lexmark), while others like Epson keep the printheads part of the printer itself. Both parties filed claims regarding their approach which led to a decrease in costs for consumers.

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Pricing

Ink cartridges typically sell for $ 13 to $ 75 per ounce ($ 1,664 to $ 9,600 per gallon) of ink, meaning that refilled cartridges sometimes cost most of the printer cost. To save money, many people use compatible ink cartridges from vendors other than the printer manufacturer. Others use aftermarket ink, refilling their own ink cartridges using a kit that includes bulk ink. The high cost of the cartridges also provides incentives for counterfeiters to supply fake cartridges claimed by the original manufacturer. The print cartridge industry lost about $ 3 billion in 2009 because of this, according to International Data Corporation estimates.

Another alternative involves modification of the original cartridge that allows the use of a continuous ink system with an external ink tank. Some manufacturers, including Canon, have introduced new models featuring ink-built continuous ink systems. This is seen as a welcome step by users, especially small business owners who rely on mass printing solutions, such as internet cafes and small print shops.

Some printer manufacturers set their cartridges to interact with the printer, prevent operation when the ink level is low, or when the cartridge has been refilled. A researcher with the magazine Which one? over-rode like an interlocked system and found that in one case he can print up to 38% more quality pages, after the chip states that the cartridge is empty. In the United Kingdom, in 2003, the cost of ink has been the subject of an investigation of the Office of Fair Trading, such as which magazine has accused manufacturers of a lack of transparency about the ink price and is called for industry standards to measure the ink cartridge's performance. Which one? states that the color of HP cartridges cost more than seven times more per milliliter than in 1985 Dom Perignon.

Sometimes it is cheaper to buy a new printer than to replace the set of ink cartridges that are included with the printer. Major printer manufacturers - Hewlett Packard, Lexmark, Dell, Canon, Epson, and Brother - use the "razor blade" business model, often breaking even the money that sells the printer while hoping to profit by selling cartridges over the life of the printer. Since most of the printer manufacturer's profits come from the sale of ink and the sale of toner cartridges, some of these companies have taken various actions against the aftermarket cartridges.

Codonics Color Ink Cartridges for the SLS 500i - Box of 4 Ink ...

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Third party refund and replacement

Since printer cartridges from original manufacturers are often expensive, demand exists for a cheaper third-party option. These include large quantities of ink, cartridge refill kits, machines in stores that automatically refill cartridges, remanufactured cartridges, and cartridges created by entities other than the original manufacturer.

Consumers can recharge their own ink cartridges with the kit, or they can take the cartridge to a refiller or remanufacturer in which the ink is pumped back into a cartridge consisting of components from a previously used cartridge product. PC World reports that refilled cartridges have higher failure rates, print fewer pages than new cartridges, and demonstrate more problems on the page such as scratches, curling, and color bleeding.

Another option is for consumers to buy "bulk ink" (in glasses, quarts, or gallons) and refill the cartridge itself. This can be very cost-effective if the consumer is a heavy user of the cartridge, although care is required when refilling to avoid ink stains on hands, clothing, or surrounding areas. A pint of US (437 ml) is enough to fill about 15 to 17 large capacity cartridges (or 34 to 39 per liter of ink).

In general, Canon, Dell, HP, and Lexmark cartridges are not hard to refill, although some Lexmark cartridges use built-in counter chips that can not be reset; Epson cartridges and some newer Brother cartridges also have built-in chip counter, but it is possible to buy resetter chips for this model. Because older Brother cartridges generally do not have chips and consist of only a sack of ink, they can be easily replenished.

Some third-party manufacturers have offered refilled cartridges with automatic reset chips to simplify the process of recharging. These refill cartridges are less harmful to the environment and are often easily rechargeable.

Probably the easiest, most problem-free method of refilling ink cartridges is through the use of CISS (Continuous Ink Supply System). The CISS consists of a set of cartridges connected by a tube, in which the ink keeps flowing from the ink reservoir on the outside of the printer. Instead of refilling the cartridge itself, users simply refill the bottles on the outside of the printer. The initial CIS system consisted of OEM cartridges that had been drilled and equipped with fittings to receive ink delivery tubes, a set of 'ribbon' tubes, and plastic bottles with holes drilled in caps for tubes and vents. The CIS system is currently mass-produced in China, often incorporating all ink vials into a partitioned container. They usually use an automatic reset chip, which means the cartridges rarely have to be removed from the printer.

Laser toner or inkjet cartridges sold as reinstalled cartridges that have been reassembled with parts that have been manufactured, and replenished with new ink. Many new cartridges are manufactured by third parties, these are named compatible cartridges and refer to cartridges that are not manufactured by the printer's original manufacturer. Inkjet cartridges sold as "compatible" are usually newly produced cartridges. Compatible and OEM cartridges can be reproduced and recharged. Inkjet cartridges sold as "remanufactures" are cartridges that have been used at least once by the consumer and then replenished by a third party.

The legality of the industry was brought to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in the case of Lexmark Int'l v. Static Control Components . The Court ruled that reverse-engineering handshaking procedures to enable compatibility do not violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The United States Supreme Court also ruled in May 2017 at Impression Products v. Lexmark that the company can not use the patent law to block the reuse of patent-protected products as soon as the product is sold, which, in the case of ink cartridges, enables the sale of refurbished cartridges both in the United States and abroad.

HP has fiercely defended its printing interests of the refill industry, including filing patent complaints and fraudulent advertising law claims that inferior ink is not distinguished correctly from genuine HP ink.

Environmental impact

Fact

The list below outlines some facts about toner/ink cartridges and their impact on the environment.

Every year more than 350 million cartridges are dumped into landfills.
In 2012, 500 million laser cartridges and 1.8 billion ink cartridges are dumped in landfill.
The cartridge can take up to 425 to 1000 years to break down.
Each ink cartridge becomes 3.5 pounds of solid waste.

New law

Many programs have been implemented in the United States and Europe to encourage recycling of ink cartridges. New York has implemented recycling laws for businesses and consumers regarding toner and ink cartridges. In California, the Public Contract Code (PCC) section 12156 encourages businesses to purchase recycled ink and toner cartridges. In the UK, major compatible cartridge manufacturers have implemented a recycling program to recover empty cartridges for refilling HP cartridges, Lexmark, Dell, etc. Because there is no compatible version available.