From: dchien@turing.seas.ucla.edu (David H. Chien)
Newsgroups: comp.periphs.printers
Subject: FAQ Refilling Inkjet Cartridges 3.1 (406 lines, spelling changes only)
Keywords: Inkjet, refill
Date: 12 Jan 93 18:46:24 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: SEASnet, University of California, Los Angeles


                     FAQ REFILLING INKJET CARTRIDGES 
                         11 JAN 93 - REVISION 3.1 
                      406 lines, 2961 words, 19.6kb 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
. Minor spelling corrections.
. I need a copy of the news article, by a person with a Singapore address,
  describing the ingredients he used to make his own ink batch.
. I appreciate comments on the clarity, format, length, style, and 
  usefulness of this FAQ.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
00 About this FAQ.
01 Corrections or comments? 
02 How often is this updated? 
..
05 Why refill? 
06 Which refill options are available? 
.. 
10 What do I need? 
.. 
20 How do I refill? 
21 How do I learn more about refilling my cartridge? 
22 How do I clean the clogged nozzles? 
23 Refilling HP Deskjet, Deskwriter cartridges.
24 Refilling HP Paintjet, Paintjet XL cartridges.
25 Refilling Apple Stylewriter, Canon BJ10/BJ10e/BJ10ex/BJ20 cartridges.
26 Refilling Xerox 4020, Diablo C150, Tektronix cartridges.
.. 
30 Which inks do I use? 
31 Using different colors for refills.
32 Using colors?  Four-color output from B/W inkjets!
.. 
40 Where do I get syringes? 
41 What else can I use besides syringes? 
.. 
50 The print quality.
51 How can I improve the print quality? 
.. 
60 How much do inks cost? 
61 How much do syringes cost? 
62 How much do syringe substitutes cost? 
63 How much do commercial refill packages cost? 
64 How much does good inkjet paper cost? 
..
70 Paper sources. 
71 Commercial refill packages and OEM cartridges sources.

====================================================================== 
00 About this FAQ.
   This FAQ provides information about the various methods available for
refilling used inkjet ink cartridges, like those used in HP DeskJets and HP
Deskwriters.
   Data is given on the costs, necessaries, and the purchasing locations of
materials.  Instructions are included for those refilling HP Deskjet/Deskwriter
cartridges, and can be modified for other types. 
   Using a refilled cartridge may void your printer warranty, or cause severe
losses and damages.  Use the information given and refill cartridges at your
own cost, loss, sanity, .... 


01 Corrections or comments? 
   If you find anything that can be improved, tell me! 
   Send comments, corrections, and additional information to: 
   [Internet  ]   adorable@cerf.net
   [Snail mail]   9341 Larkspur Drive, Westminster, CA 92683-7412
 
 
02 How often is this updated?
   This FAQ will be periodically posted (about each month) to
comp.sys.printers.  You may redistribute this FAQ as you wish.  This FAQ will
be updated as new information is sent received and incorporated.
 
 
05 Why refill? 
   Inkjet cartridges often cost ten to thirty dollars new.  If you wish to
reduce waste, refilling cartridges will cost half a to five dollars for each
refill.  Eventually as well, the manufacturer will stop making new cartridges
for old printers. 
   My HP Deskjet cartridge refill is fifty cents.  Also, you can introduce
different colors not made by the original manufacturer, eg. blue or pink. 


06 Which refill options are available?
   There are two.  One, buy ink and a syringe - the cheapest.  Two, buy a third
party refill package which includes a syringe filled with ink. 
   The first is fine for many cartridges and colors.  However, color printers,
like the HP PaintJet, demand that refilled primary colors match the original. 
In that case, it is simpler to buy the commercial refill package, unless you
are a budding artist and wish for unique colors. 
 
 
10 What do I need?
   There are only three items that you need to refill most inkjet cartridges:
ink, syringe, and used cartridge.  Certain cartridges, eg. high-capacity HP
Deskjet/Deskwriter ones, require glue and tape.


20 How do I refill?
   The concept behind refilling is how do we put more ink into the container. 
Of course, the cartridge should be close to empty.  Many cartridges allow air
to flow into them as the ink is used up.  Many also have a foam sponge inside
to hold the ink.
   This same hole or passageway allows us to pour ink in.  But in most cases,
we need a syringe to do this for us because the hole is too small for us to
pour ink into.  For the cartridges which do not have a hole, we must drill one
in a place where ink will not flow back out, when the cartridge is in the
printer. 
   If we attempt to pour ink into a small hole, we quickly realize that the ink
simply runs down the cartridge into our hands, and refuses to seep into the
hole due to the surface tension of the ink and internal cartridge air pressure.

   To avoid inky mess, we also refill over a sink, or outside - somewhere where
the ink does not permanently stain, and can be cleaned up. 
   Start with 1 cc, a small amount of ink and inject it into the cartridge.  At
some point of injecting more and more ink, you will notice that the cartridge
begins to drip profusely from the nozzles, or the ink flows freely out of the
hole.  At this time, it is full.  Simply clean the cartridge and nozzles with
paper and you can use the cartridge. 
   Remember how many cc's you have injected, and use that as the starting
amount for next time.


21 How do I learn more about refilling my cartridge? 
   The easiest way besides reading this FAQ is to buy a commercial refilling
package.  Not only will it include the syringe for future use, it also will
have detailed refilling instructions regarding where the ink is to go in your
particular brand of cartridge.


22 How do I clean the clogged nozzles? 
   Be gentle.  Use damp paper to wipe the nozzle area clean.  Try the printer
instructions regarding this.  Blow hard into the top hole, and watch out for
ink coming from the nozzles.  Wipe with alcohol-damp paper. 


23 Refilling HP Deskjet, Deskwriter cartridges.
   There are three cartridges available: the standard one, HP# 51608A; a
high-capacity one, HP# 51626A, and the color one, HP# 51625A, for Deskjet
C/Deskwriter C color models.

   Follow <<20>> the general method for the standard cartridge.

   The standard cartridge contains a foam core which holds up to 20cc of ink. 
The high-capacity cartridge does not contain a foam core and can hold another
20cc of ink.  A bubble generator in the high-capacity cartridge serves, in
place of foam, to regulate the flow of ink from the cartridge.  The internal
air pressure is adjusted additionally by air bags which expand and collapse
according to barometric and temperature changes.

   With the high-capacity model, the method is to plug the hole at the bottom
of the cartridge with glue - try epoxy, superglue, plastic model glue, etc. -
tape, or anything which will stay there to prevent any ink from leaking.  Then,
inject ink into the corner, top hole until full per <<20>>. Finally, plug that
hole with putty, gum, or anything removable later so ink does not run out when
the cartridge is in use. 
   Since refilling this is not as easy, quick, or drip proof, stay with the
standard cartridge for fewer problems.

   I have no information on refilling the color cartridge, but try <<26>>.
 
 
24 Refilling HP Paintjet, Paintjet XL cartridges.
   There are five cartridges available: the black one, HP# 51606A; the 3-color
one for the Paintjet, HP# 51606C; and the three primary color ones for the
Paintjet XL, HP# 51606B, 51606R, 51606Y.
   For the black cartridge, follow <<20>>.
   For the color cartridges, buy a commercial kit unless you want different
colors, in which case follow <<20>> for each hole for each color, or try
<<26>>.
   Ethylene glycol is used to prevent the ink from drying out.

25 Refilling Apple Stylewriter, Canon BJ10/BJ10e/BJ10ex/BJ20 cartridges.
   There is only one cartridge model: the black one, BC-01.  It is made by
Canon and used in many, many printers and typewriters, including the StarWriter
series by Canon. 
   One method is drill a small hole where the BC-01 top label is, and refill
per <<20>>.


26 Refilling Xerox 4020, Diablo C150, Tektronix cartridges.
   One suggestion is to use premixed, liquid watercolors which cost about $2-
$3.50 per bottle.  These inks come bottled with eyedroppers in the caps.  Two
brands to try are:
   Windsor-Newton's premixed Brilliant Watercolors.  Try the black, cyan,
magenta, and Marigold.
   Dr. P H Martin's Transparent Watercolors (not the Concentrated Watercolors). 
Try black, cyan, magenta, and yellow.
   The 'maintenance fluid' in the maintenance cartridge is distilled water.


30 Which inks do I use? 
   The vital requirement of refill ink is that it does not clog the print
nozzles.  A good rule of thumb is to choose inks which are water-based,
non-pigmented, and non-permanent. 
   Scrips ink by Shaffer, packed in bright yellow boxes; Parker Solv-X
permanent; and Mont Blanc are commonly used.  I have always used Scrips with
good results.  Avoid technical or India inks which are permanent and pigmented,
eg. Pelikan Drawing Ink or Koh-i-noor Universal.
   For color inkjet printers, I have not found inks besides those in
third-party packages match the manufacturers colors.


31 Using different colors for refills.
   If you wish, you can use different colors like blue, red, or pink.  To use
the darker colors, you can inject an empty cartridge with the color desired,
and after ten to fifty pages, anything printed will be in that color.   
   The best method for lighter and all colors requires a rinse step.  Inject a
small amount of water and print pages to clear out most of the old ink first. 
Then, inject your new color.


32 Using colors?  Four-color from B/W inkjets!
   Look around at various advertisements for ideas.  Like using a Crayola set,
your text doesn't have to be solely black-and-white.
   A good idea, which I have not tried, is to empty three cartridges.  Buy a
color package that has cyan, magenta, and yellow, rinse the cartridges, and
refill each with one of the above.
   Using a program, such as Pagemaker, with these cartridges and a fourth black
one, if deep, dark blacks are desired, you can now print full color pictures! 
Simply set up your color document, do a three- or four-color separation, and
print each using the appropriate color cartridge on the SAME sheet of paper.
   Naturally, it takes longer and the registration might be off, but you can
use your current B/W printer for color output!


40 Where do I get syringes?
   In some states, the sale of syringes without a prescription is illegal.  You
may buy them from a hospital, university store with a medical program, pet
hospital, local drug store, park corner (Berkeley's People Park(:), through
mail order from a medical supplier, etc.  Any regular syringe like those used
by diabetics are a good choice.


41 What else can I use besides syringes? 
   Hobby oilers, chemistry pipets, thin straws, or anything thin enough to fit
into the hole on your cartridge.
   Personally, I started with a WD-40 red straw whittled to a point at one end;
carefully sucked ink from a Scrips bottle up the straw, NOT into the mouth;
pushed the pointed end into the Deskjet cartridge hole; and blew.  Took a
while, messy, but works.
   After that, I borrowed a glass chemistry pipet with squeeze bulb and fine
tip.  Squeeze bulb, draw ink, insert tip, squeeze bulb.  Nifty, but expensive,
so now syringes. 


50 The print quality.
   The first thing you will notice with most inks is simply your text takes
longer to dry.  Using Scrips ink, I have had no problem with one page staining
the other on top.  However, you may need to separate each page if you use an
ink that takes longer to dry.  Some commercial inks have been formulated to dry
as quickly as the original.
   The print quality will vary from ink to ink and from refill to refill.  In
the case where the ink is too watery, you may notice fine bleed lines spidering
from the characters.  If the nozzles has been carelessly damaged during the
refill process, fuzzier text or missing dots may be the effect.  With care, the
quality can match the original.
   With some inks, such as Scrips, you may also notice that the text printed is
not as dark as the original.  Whether this is of concern is a personal
preference.
 
 
51 How can I improve the print quality?
   A clean printer and a clean cartridge are both necessary for high quality
prints.  The nozzles of the cartridge should be near spotless, using alcohol as
necessary to remove debris and dry ink.
   Also, we must choose paper that does the most in preventing bleeding,
smearing, or fuzziness.  A good choice to start with is Xerox 4024 DP 20 lb.
copier paper.  It has a nice smooth surface, free of most visible
irregularities, and the non-glossy surface absorbs inks quickly without
bleeding.

   I believe that a quality paper will have a flat, non-glossy surface that
absorbs liquids quickly.  Thus, glossy magazine paper will not work well -
simply dab a bit of saliva on it and notice the very long time taken to absorb
the saliva; the Xerox will absorb quickly any.
   On the far end, we also would like a quality paper to feel like normal
paper, as people do notice and view negatively resumes and such printed on
'weird' paper.  However, I believe that HP PaintJet paper is wonderful for its
ultimate color saturation, intensity, and sharpness of print, despite its
unique feel.  I use it as a photocopy master for my resumes and other
need-to-impress prints. 

   Because a copier can ignore the fuzzy stray dots surrounding the characters
and fused carbon is much darker than ink, making a copy of the original output
will improve the sharpness and contrast of the text on some copiers.
   Since there is also the desire to improve laser printer prints, paper
companies have produced special bright white laser papers which may also be
excellent inkjet choices.


60 How much do inks cost? 
   Inks cost anywhere from a dollar to ten for a bottle.  I use Scrips.  It
costs under two dollars and I use about a fourth of the bottle each refill
($0.50 each time).


61 How much do syringes cost?
   They are sold for under three dollars apiece.


62 How much do syringe substitutes cost? 
   A can of WD-40 for the red straw, nothing if you sneak coffee stirrers, and
easily $20-$100 for glass pipets. 


63 How much do commercial refill packages cost?
   They usually cost $10-20 for a pack of two, $5-10 per refill.


64 How much does good inkjet paper cost? 
   Xerox 4024 DP is probably under seven dollars a ream (500 sheets).  HP
Paintjet paper easily goes for over twenty dollars for 200 sheets.

70 Paper sources.
   PaperDirect, Inc. has a 80+ page mini-catalog filled with many paper items. 
Included are laser and inkjet printer papers; exotic papers; blank, printer
greeting cards; brochure and resume stocks; etc.  
   PaperDirect
   PO Box 618
   205 Chubb Ave.
   Lyndhurst, NJ  07071-0618
   (800) A-PAPERS, (800) 272-7377, (201) 507-1996
   (201) 507-0817 FAX


71 Commercial refill packages and OEM cartridges sources. 
   Many office/computer suppliers now carry refill packages for popular
printers.  Here is a sample of these packages and companies.  Also, prices for
OEM cartridges are included.
=======================================================================
Global Computer Supplies 
2318 E.Del Amo Blvd., Dept 32, Compton, CA 90220  
1-800-845-6225 (1-800-8-GLOBAL)                     
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
  Ink Refill by Graphics Utilities, Inc.   
  Transparent, accordion-styled, plastic squeeze bottle with angled tip. 
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
                                                    Price per twin pack   
  Description                         Color           1      2-4     5+   
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
  HP DeskJet/Plus/500                 Black        $13.99  $13.29 $12.65  
           ""                         Blue          14.99   14.25  13.55 
           ""                Indelible Black        14.99   14.25  13.55 
  HP PaintJet, PaintJet XL            Black         18.95   18.05  17.19 
  HP PaintJet           Cyan,Magenta,Yellow         23.65   22.55  21.49 
  Canon BJ-10e,ex,Apple StyleWriter   Black         17.65   16.79  15.99 
  Canon BJ300/330,130/130e            Black         19.65   18.69  17.79 
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
  NEW HP Deskjet cartridge     HP51608A Black   $15.75 each 
  NEW HP Deskjet High Capacity HP51626A Black   $23.79 
  NEW HP DeskjetC color carts  HP51625A 3-color $25.99 
 
 
MEI/Micro Center 
1100 Steelwood Road, Columbus, OH 43212-9972 
1-800-634-3478 (order), 1-614-486-6417 (fax) 
  Description 
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
  NEW HP Deskjet cartridge     HP51608A Black   $16.97 each 
  NEW HP Deskjet High Capacity HP51626A Black   $25.37 
 
 
Misco 
One Misco Plaza, Holmdel, NJ 07733  
1-800-876-4726 (order), 908-264-1000 (NJ order), 908-264-5955 (fax)  
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
  CompuJet\InkRefill by American InkJet\Graphic Utilities 
  Transparent, accordion-styled, plastic squeeze bottle with angled tip. 
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
                                                          Price Each  
  Description                    Color      Pack Size     1-2     3-5 
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
  DeskJet/Plus/500               Black       2 Pack     $19.95  $18.95  
         "             Indelible Black       2 Pack      19.95   18.95  
         "                       Red         2 Pack      19.99   18.99  
         "                       Blue        2 Pack      19.99   18.99  
  ThinkJet/Dionix (inkjet paper) Black       6 Refills   49.99   46.99  
         "        (plain paper)  Black       6 Refills   49.99   46.99  
  PaintJet/PaintWriter           Black       2 Pack      24.95   23.99  
         "                       Magenta     2 Pack      24.99   23.99  
         "                       Yellow         "          "       "  
         "                       Cyan           "          "       "   
  Canon BJ10e,ex,    
  AppleStyleWriter     Indelible Black       2 Pack      23.95   22.99   
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
  NEW HP Deskjet cartridge     HP51608A Black   $20.95 each 
  NEW HP Deskjet High Capacity HP51626A Black   $31.95 
  NEW HP DeskjetC color carts  HP51625A 3-color $33.95 
 
 
Uarco Business Products 
121 N.9th St., Dekalb, Ill. 60115  
1-800-435-0713    
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
  AspenJet by ??? 
  Syringe with plunger, straight tip. 
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
                                                      Price Each 
  Description                    Color                1-9     10+ 
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
  HP DeskJet/Plus/500       Indelible Black         $9.95   $8.95 
  Canon BJ-10/10e/10ex             "                 9.95    8.95 
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
  NEW HP Deskjet cartridge     HP51608A Black   $19.95 each 
  NEW HP Deskjet High Capacity HP51626A Black   $31.95 
  NEW HP DeskjetC color carts  HP51625A 3-color $34.95 
=====<<EOF>>=====================================================<<EOF>>
Newsgroups: comp.periphs.printers