Re-filling ink cartridges........................

[PPRuNe Pop]

..............I have just re-filled black and no problem, even 'services' showed it re-set to full.

With colour..............bigger problem.......re-filled one cartridge and it just will not work. Even let it stand for 24hrs as suggested but it won't leak anything.

Re-filled another and it it worked after the 24hr soak but is showing close to empty but it certainly isn't. Is there a re-setter for HP as for Epson?

It certainly is cheaper but its certainly messy too and iffy as far as I can see.

Any views from those who re-fill as a general rule?

[mikeddavies]

My 2 sons & I regularly/successfully refill our HP cartridges, the model 27 (black) and 28 (colour) do need resetting but (unlike Epsons) no hardware is required to do this, apart from 2 small pieces of sticky paper. A £10 kit of 3x30ml colour and 3x30ml black with syringe etc is a big saving, especially with the small 27 & 28 cartridges.
MikeD

[P.Pilcher]

A google search on "refilling inkjet cartridge instructions" should give you a load of information on this topic, however this organisation (http://www.inkjetuk.com/inkjets.htm) provide a great deal of free information on refilling cartridges as well as suppling the necessary bits and pieces.
Experience has shown me that wheras refilling black cartridges for chipped Epsons and HP units is cost effective, refilling the five colours in photo epsons is not easy to achieve. Because of the difficulty in removing the trapped air, you can waste over half a cartridge of ink before all five colours are running correctly and then for how long? I would love to find the secret, but despite much effort, wasted ink and research it has so far eluded me! The three colours required by my HP unit, seems easier but I still get air sometimes. Of course refilling HP cartridges is more cost effective because of their enormous cost as they contain the jet mechanism as well. Look at the price of refilled "epson" colour cartridges here (www.tonezone.co.uk) . Is it worth the mess of refilling them yourself? (Excellent colour by the way)

best of luck,

P.P.

[slj]

The kits mentioned by MikeDavies work well on HP 56 and 57 and are very easy to use.

[PPRuNe Pop]

Great help, thank you.

I see I might have 'suggested' I need Epson but I don't I just have HP 2175 series. Mine as slj notes are 56 and 57.

Certainly we all agree that HP's cartridges are outrageously expensive and re-filling is better. But what happens when it does show empty and its not - and then won't perform?

Mike what re-fill kits do you use? I am working with InkJet at the minute. The sponges feel unduly hard but one kit has a sponge flusher - have you heard of that?

Sorry if I am making this sound more complicated than it is :O

[P.Pilcher]

A Google search on "resetting H.P. ink cartridges" came up with this (http://www.misterinkjet.com/hp57reset.htm)

Hope it helps,

P.P.

[InFinRetirement]

P.P you are a genius. I will be more than happy to get that up and running thank you very much indeed.

IFR/PPP

[mikeddavies]

Thats the same "reseter" I use. I get kits from www.printcartridge.net. Best to refill before the cartridge runs out, helps avoid air bubbles. I had one that wouldn't print - sat the prinhead in a little of the "flush" for a couple of hours and then put more ink in, left it to stand overnight - it bled out a little and it was fine. I just push the blunt needle through the sponge and then back it out a little. Now have enough syringes to use one per ink - saves contamination.
Agree that its not worth the hassle with Epsons - but if the print head goes on one its new printer time.
Best wishs

MikeD

[Biggles Flies Undone]

Sorry about the thread creep.....

I've just bought an Epson Stylus R800 and it works brilliantly - and with 8 separate ink cartridges it ought to be reasonably economical to run. I don't really want to get into re-filling but what about replacements? Epson ones run at about £11 whereas other manufacturers offer 'the same' for about a fiver.
Will I notice the difference?
Would a non-Epson cartridge cause me problems?
If not, does anyone have a recommendation for a cheap/reliable mail order supplier?

Cheers!

[P.Pilcher]

May I draw your attention to my first post on this thread - I don't want to repeat it because I may well be accused of advertising! I can assure you that only one genuine Epson cartridge has ever been fitted to any of my Epson printers - the one supplied when the printer was purchased. None of my printers has ever suffered a fault which could in any way be blamed on the "equivalent" cartridges used and the colour tone and balance in photographic work has been excellent. I have had trouble with the print heads in equivalent HP cartridges however. I know that the heads are not designed to live the life of the printer which is why they are built into the ink cartridge. Anyway I bought a set of brand new genuine HP ones (ouch!), they are now on their fourth refill and still working perfectly. I never let them get empty.

P.P.

[Biggles Flies Undone]

Ummmm PP - the second link in your first post leads me to a ringtone site.... :confused:

[P.Pilcher]

OUCH!!! Please try here (http://www.tonezoneuk.com) . Ive checked the link and it works correctly. Humblest apologies.

P.P.

[Biggles Flies Undone]

That's great - thanks :ok:

I spend my weekends about 5 miles from the shop so I think a visit is in order :D

[PPRuNe Pop]

I think I am encouraging advertising here! But I think its quite important for us to get such info, especially if it has been tried. Having said that I slso think the quality of the answers is enough for everyone so I am going to close the thread.

Thanks.