I have a P915 Lexmark Printer. I have seen Walgreens advertisement advising they refill used cartridges. Twice I have taken them in and when I get them home, they don't work. The first time, I came home. pulled out the cartridges that were in there and put in the new ones (black and colored). They didn't work. So I thought maybe I put them in the incorrect places, ie the color cartridge where the black belonged and vice versa. I got new cartridges and just bit the bullet. Last time, I just took a black one and paid attention to what I was doing including leaving a bit of ink in it. Well, it didn't work either. Any suggestions for me or ideas about what is going on? Maybe you can give me suggestions on filling them myself. I had an HP for years and filled them all the time but have not had any luck since that printer died. Thank you in advance.
Just a suggestion - I don't refill. I buy from 123inkjet.com and simplyink.com and get the remanufactured ones for my Epson. It's cheaper than refilling for my printer. The only problem I've had is the color one drying out sometimes because I rarely print color. I have heard of soem cartidges that have a chip in them, and if you try to refill it, it won;t work. Don't remember the brand, though. I googled and found this: http://reviews.ebay.com/Common-mistakes-when-refilling-ink-jet-cartridges_W0QQugidZ10000000000048084 The first thing talks aobu there needing to be a hole for air to get in. I read anothe rlink on EHow on how to refill, and one of the steps was drilling a hole in one side and out the ohter and not blocking off that second hole, which seems to agree w/ wha the EBay link above was talking about. Can you see a hole on your cartridge? That's about the limit of my knowledge on the subject. LOL!
TYVM Strait-- I have all these kits and will try them a couple more times and if it isn't any better, will try the companies you suggested.
Refilling cartridges is an art. Took me a while, but, I haven't bought a new cartridge in 6 years. Some of the newer printer cartridges will expire. On my newer printer I made my own InkBag System with the new cartridge that came with the printer so it won't expire. If you intend to do it regularly, stop buying kits, by the ink in 8oz bottles and get 4 decent syringes with removable needles (1 for each color - mark them & never mix - clean after use). Inks have different viscosity, buy the brand of ink recommended for your printer! Latex gloves are a must! The important part is prepping the cartridge. The condition of the ink jets in the cartridge you are filling need to work. If you used it down to the point where your prints came out missing spots, or very light print, "You've got some cleaning to do ..... Lucy", before you can refill it. Printer heads are heated in the printer. Letting them get too low will cook some of the jets closed with ink. The best scenario is to start the process with 2 cartridges. 1 new - 1 old in the machine. Never let the old one run to the max low point. When the old one gets semi-low, swap it out and refill again. Regular refill means no prep on the cartridge. Store your refills buy reusing the plastic tape off the print head of the new cartridge and then put it in a zip lock with most of the air removed. If you ran it low, immerse the print head in a small bowl of alcohol (about 1/4" deep). Leave it there for about 2 to 3 hours. Occasionally give it a swish. That helps remove the cooked ink. Take it out & wipe it dry. Fold a paper towel about 6 times. Now blot the printer head on the towel, hold it there for a good 5 seconds. Are all the jets leaving ink? If not put it back, or, wet it in the bowl and take a soft brush and lightly scrub 3 or four times. Rinse and repeat. When you see all the jets leaking ink it's ready to fill. (Stubborn ones: Pull the label off the top and blow in it. If you ran it 'real low' you'll have to inject a very small amount of ink into the cartridge to blot test it.) After filling and sealing your hole(s) you should 'touch' blot on the paper towel till you see a nice distinct pattern in the jets. That takes off the excess ink pressure from the rear port. PS: I forgot, after filling, let it stand for 1 hour before putting it in the machine
