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REFILLING YOUR OWN CARTRIDGES
COMPATIBLE CARTRIDGES
DIGITAL CAMERAS AND INKJET PRINTERS
REFILLING
YOUR OWN CARTRIDGES
A1.
Yes…. but you may need specific
formulations for the different
makes and models of Printers.
The main 5 Formulations
are:
Epson
Ink
H.P.PhotoRET
ink (for newer HP models)
H.P.PhotoSmart
ink (for earlier HP models ).
Canon Ink
Lexmark Ink
A2.
Fear not! We are so confident
that you WILL be successful,
that we guarantee it…. as
well as guaranteeing the
quality of the ink of course.
All we ask is that you follow
OUR instructions, using
OUR ink and seeking OUR
advice if necessary.
A3.
No! As a rough guide, refilling
becomes viable if you use
more than two black cartridges
and/or more than 3 colour
cartridges.
A4.
5 years…as long as you keep
the bottles out of direct
sunlight, and sealed between
use.
A5.
This varies according to
the size of cartridge that
you are refilling. As a
guide, an Epson Black Cartridge
costs about £0.40 to refill.
An Epson Colour cartridge
costs about £1.00…
a fraction of the price of
a new cartridge.
A6.
Only if you make it messy!
You should refill over a covered
area. We sometimes use an
old plate covered with tissue
paper, sometimes the bathroom
sink! In most cases, when
you refill you get a small
amount of leakage from the
printhead. This is expected
and primes the cartridge.
The leakage stops very quickly
and you then reinstall the
cartridge back in the printer.
A7.
The ONLY cartridges that
store well are all of the
Epsons. All other cartridges
should be refilled, left
to settle for about 15 minutes
and then reinstalled back
into the printer.
A8.
No! Once a cartridge is
empty it must be refilled
on the day it runs out to
prevent the internal sponge
or printhead from drying
out. The only exceptions
are the H.P.500/600 COLOUR
cartridges, which must be
refilled BEFORE they run
out.
COMPATIBLE
CARTRIDGES
A1.
Up to two years – then a
further year once they are
opened.
A2.
Yes. Chips are now found in all Epson cartridges.
Compatible
Epson ink cartridges are filled with more ink than
genuine Epson cartridges. Epson printers monitor the
amount of pages they print not the actual amount of
ink that is left in the cartridge so it is possible
to get more ink from compatible cartridges. We sell
two makes of compatible cartridge and they both work in different ways.
Inkrite cartridges (Premium)
have a smart chip and this chip will reset itself once it
has been removed from the printer. When you get the warning
to replace the cartridge simply remove the cartridge and replace
it back in the printer. You will then be able to continue printing
until the cartridge shows signs of running out of ink.
Our economy cartridge work in
a slightly different way. These cartridges generally have more ink in
them than the inkrite cartridges and you should find if the chip resetter
is used you will get up to twice the yield than a genuine Epson cartridge.
As above when the Printer states that the cartridge is empty, remove the
cartridge and use the chip resetter on the cartridge and replace back in the printer.
Once replaced in the printer the cartridge will show as full on the ink level monitor.
Then you can continue printing until the cartridge shows signs of running out of ink.
The same method can be used to refill the cartridges yourself using a chip resetter.
A3.
Possibly – although it is
a legal grey area. In any
case you have no worries
with our cartridges. In
the event of a manufacturer
invalidating your warranty
we would take over the responsibility
for repair or replacement.
We would require you to
request from the manufacturer
a written engineer’s report
stating that the failure
of your printer was due
to the use of compatible
cartridges. During the last
eight years, we have not
had to invoke this cover.
A4.
All our cartridges are 100%
guaranteed. All we ask is
that you telephone us to
describe the problem. If
we cannot resolve it we
will ask you to return the
cartridge in a sealed plastic
bag. A new one will be sent
out the same day it is received.
Our return rate is very
small – about 1 in every
1000 cartridges sold.
A5.
We are currently running down
our stocks of cleaning cartidges
so please telephone for availability
and price.
Cleaning cartridges serve
two purposes…sometimes,
when a nozzle becomes blocked
the usual Epson or Canon cleaning
process (which uses the
ink to clean the nozzles)
does not work. The cleaning
cartridges can clear this
problem and save you the
cost of repair or even the
cost of a new printer. However,
the main use of the cartridges
is to keep the printheads
clear of any debris so that
a blockage does not occur
in the first place. Each
cartridge is good for about
20 cycles and we recommend
frequent use of them: 2
consecutive cycles once
a month for heavy users
or 2 consecutive cycles
every 2 months for more
moderate users.
A6.
We sell unchipped cartridges these are cheaper than the Inkrite chipped or Canon genuine cartridges that are now available. It can be tricky to change the chip if you have not done it before but once you get the hang of it is can save you money. We would recommend that you do have a set of chipped cartridges spare in case you do damage the chip during the change over process. The chips are specific to each colour cartridge ie. Use the chip from a yellow cartridge for only a yellow unchipped cartridge. All you need to do is simply lift the chip from your previous, empty cartridge and place it in the same position on your new cartridge.
A7. First remove the cartridge and wipe the chip with a piece of kitchen towel. It may have some dirt on the chip causing the problem.
If cleaning the chip does not work then you may need to reset the printer this process varies for printer makes and models.
To reset a Canon printer place the cartridge in the printer with the computer and printer turned on.
- 1. Remove the power lead from the back of the printer.
- 2. Hold the power button down.
- 3. While holding the power button down replace the power lead in the printer and this should reset the printer and the cartridge will then be accepted.
With some Epson printers a chip problem can occur, it will say that all the cartridges are empty and need to be replaced, this is not the case. You only need to replace the last cartridge you placed the printer. Try cleaning the chip and this should resolve the problem.
A8. This is normally the problem with air not getting in the cartridge, to allow the ink to come out. First check that you have removed the tab from the top of the cartridge correctly. Not all cartridges have a tab. Some Inkrite cartridges come with a yellow tool for piercing the top of the cartridge simply place the spike in the hole on the top of the cartridge and it will pierce the seal. If you cartridge did not come with instructions, you can follow the link here to see how it is done.
A8. Canon
Epson
HP
Lexmark
DIGITAL CAMERAS AND INKJET
PRINTERS
We are often asked advice on
purchasing digital cameras
and colour inkjet printers.
Whilst we do not sell either
of these products, we do
have a lot of experience
in both fields and consequently
we are able to offer both
practical and unbiased advice.
Apart
from the quality of today's
digital cameras, two points
are often overlooked that
we consider to be the greatest
assets of taking digital
snaps. The first is the
simple fact that with traditional
photography it costs money
and takes time to experiment....with
digital cameras you can
snap away to your hearts
content experimenting with
different settings and techniques....absolutely
free.....and with instant
results! This is ideal for
those people who wish to develop
the quality of their photographs.....from
beginners to advanced. The
second point is the ease
with which you can manipulate
the images. Correcting colour,
hues, saturation, sharpness,
brightness etc may sound
like a nightmare, but as
you will read a little later,
this can be easy to the
point of falling off a ladder!
Simple software can produce
some fantastic results.
A
good question. You can of
course print your photos
as large as your printer
allows, but with regard
to the quality of the image
produced, a couple of simple
calculations can be made
as too how large your print
can be before the picture
starts to degrade. (This
is due to "blockiness" as
individual "pixels" become
visible) As you are probably
aware, each camera has a
resolution that is measured
in pixels. In each digital
camera, in place of film,
there is a sensor onto which
your photograph is captured.
This sensor is comprised
of thousands or millions
of individual blocks called
pixels (picture elements).
Therefore a camera that
has a pixel resolution of
640 x 480 has a total of
640 multiplied by 480 pixels.....ie
307,200. Now, to calculate
the maximum size you can
print your and still get
a sharp picture you need
to make sure you have at
least 150 pixels in every
inch. You may read elsewhere
that this figure should
be 300 pixels per inch,
but as a general rule of
thumb, if you are printing
your photos out onto one
of todays modern inkjets,
you will be hard pushed
to see any difference between
them! So you simply divide
your 150 pixels into the
cameras resolution and that
will give you the maximum
size that you should print
out. Therefore it can be
seen that dividing 150 into
640 x 480 gives you approximately
4 x 3. So you should adjust
your image to about 4"
by 3". Not very big huh?!
So what if you want to print
out an 10"x8" print? You
get a digital camera with
a greater number of pixels!
How many? Well....there
are a few variables here,
but most people would be more
than happy with a print
out of this size taken with
a digital camera with a
total pixel count of more
than a million (A mega-pixel
). Our own camera
has a total count of 3.3
million pixels. This allows
us to "cut out" 2.3 million
pixels, enlarge the photo
to 10"x8" and still get
a very good result. This
is very handy if you have
a photo that you want to
select only a part of to
print out. With the 3.3
mega pixel camera, you can
take a photo and then with
very simple software, select
just 1/3rd of it, cut it
out then enlarge it to 10"x
8". This of course enlarges
the picture. This is the
equivalent to a "selective
enlargement" from 35mm film.
A
camera that features a 3
x zoom lens will do the
same job....but it keeps
the same number of pixels.
This type of zoom lens is
called OPTICAL. Many digital
cameras have what is called
a DIGITAL zoom. These simply
take a portion of the picture
and enlarge each pixel.
As a general rule of thumb
these DIGITAL zooms are
a waste of space. Far better
results can be obtained
by "cropping" a non zoomed
photo and then enlarging
it....as explained already.
But don't be put off buying
a digital camera that has
has a DIGITAL zoom only.
Our own camera has a DIGITAL
zoom and this feature
is never used! Because it
has a pixel count of over
3 million, it effectively
has an OPTICAL zoom lens
of 3x (remember from the
previous calculations that
we determined that you need
at least 1 million pixels
for a decent 10"x 8" print).
There are digital cameras
available today that feature much higher
zoom and pixel counts. The additional functionality, size, weight
and ergonomics are more of a consideration as any
camera over £75 will give you a good quality photograph in good lighting conditions.
How
many pixels in a 10"x 8"
traditional photograph?......about
20 million.....this is the
reason that you can take
a tiny portion of a traditional
photo and enlarge it with
no problems....Digital cameras
will get to the 20 million
mark in the future. How
many pixels does the human
eye see? Well....using
the eyes visual receptors
(rods and cones) as pixels.....about
120 million.
How
long is a piece of string?!
It is really a question
of what your needs are.
The 640 x 480 camera we
mentioned before has a pixel
count far too small for
printing out decent sized
prints so it is virtually
useless (by today's standards)
for this purpose. BUT! because
computer monitors display only about 1-3 million
pixels (you can adjust this
in Windows via Control Panel/Display)
it can be seen that even
at 640 x 480 pixels, you
can get a photo onscreen
about 1/3rd the size of
the screen and be perfectly
clear and sharp. In short,
these low resolution cameras
are ideal for sending in
Emails and for inclusion
on Web Pages this is
why they are so popular!
Expect to pay £15.00 and
above.
So
if you want to print out
your photos at a large (up to A4)size...go
for a camera with at least
3 million pixels the
more the merrier! One thing
to bear in mind (which very
few sources mention) is
camera weight. If you want
a camera that can be slipped
into a shirt pocket then
aim for a weight of less than
200g. These cameras are
more likely to be carried
everywhere than one weighing
in at 600g. A lot of these
"low weight" cameras do
not feature Optical Zooms......so
if you think you may want
to "crop and enlarge", go
for the highest pixel count
you can afford...ideally
at least 6 mega pixels.
If
you want to match the quality
and colours of the digital
photograph that is displayed
on your monitor, then accept
you have to spend at least
£50 on a printer that has
at least 5 colours as well
as black. Having said that
the latest range of budget
Canon printers do an exceptional
job of colour reproduction with
just 3 colours and black.
Although you can
get very good results from
a lot of 3 Colour plus Black
printers, these generally
require a lot of "tweaking"
of the colour controls to
get near to the same colours
and tones as displayed on
your monitor screen. In
fact in our own experience
there is only ONE PRINTER
we have used that requires
virtually no "tweaking"
for perfect prints and that
is the Canon i960. The
Epsons are much
praised in many circles
but we have found that even
these printers usually need
a little "tweak" to get
the results they are capable
of. The latest Epson R800
produces exceptional ouput
but a set of 8 cartridges costs
about £20-30. A set of Canon i450
cartridges costs £5-7 with nearly
as good quality output!
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