How to Expand the Life of an Inkjet Cartridge

An inkjet cartridge doesn’t last forever. Eventually the heaters that force the ink out of the nozzles wear out and the nozzles become damaged. Replacement isn’t cheap, so extending the working life of an inkjet cartridge is a good idea. All you need to do is incorporate a few habits into your existing maintenance routine.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Refill kit
• Inkjet cartridge

1. Check the expiration dates on the packaging before buying a new cartridge, even if you plan on refilling. Cartridges have been known to not work past the expiration date even if they have been refilled or haven’t been used.

2. Cut down on unnecessary usage of the printer by using your word processor’s print preview to check for errors and unwanted content before committing to hard copy.

3. Clean the print cartridge frequently to prevent build-up of ink and dust on the ink nozzles. Regular maintenance catches small problems before they become can’t-fix-it-buy-a-new-one problems.

4. Print at least one page of material each day to keep the ink from drying in the nozzles and clogging up the cartridge. If you have a color printer, choose a picture that has a rich amount of color.

5. Run a cleaning cartridge through your printer, especially after a heavy load of printing.

6. Refill the inkjet cartridge at the first indication of low ink. Letting a cartridge stand empty or near-empty for too long will cause the ink to clog up in the nozzles.

Tips & Warnings

• A number of methods have sprung up to beat the expiration date for an inkjet cartridge including replacing the printer manufacturer’s print drivers with appropriate drivers from the operating system, resetting the computer’s clock to a date before the expiration date when printing, and even removing batteries in the printer that seem to have no purpose other than powering the memory of the expiration date.
• If you suspect that a cartridge has plugged ink nozzles, try soaking the nozzles in warm distilled water to flush out the dried-up ink.
• You can reasonably expect an inkjet cartridge to perform well for at least 3 to 4 refills before going to the round file.
• Be careful not to touch any metal parts of the inkjet cartridge while cleaning. The print head is how your printer sends and receives information from the cartridge, and if these metal areas are scratched, the cartridge may be unusable.