How to Refill a Color Inkjet Cartridge

Running out of inkjet printer ink is always a surprise and an inconvenience. Because they are expensive, they are often purchased only when needed, so that means you rarely have an extra ink cartridge on the shelf.
The next time your printer tells you it's low on ink, instead of replacing the entire cartridge, refill the existing cartridge. Not only does it cost less, but refill kits include enough ink and refill tools to do the job 10 times or more! So the next time you run out of inkjet ink, neither your pocket book nor your nerves will suffer. The following instructions are for three-color inkjet cartridges; modify them as needed for two- or six-color (or black) cartridges.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Ink
• Plug extractors
• Plugs
• Injector fitting needles

Refill an InkJet Color Ink Cartridge

1. Remove ink cartridge from the printer.

2. Each color has its own hole and plug, usually located under the sticker on top of the ink cartridge. Following the instructions that come with the refill kit. Locate and unplug one color plug.

3. Insert the needles into the hole where the plug was, and release the same color ink into the hole. (If the hole contained yellow ink before, refill it with yellow ink.) The cartridge can be on its side, or you can hold the cartridge in your hand while doing this.

4. When finished injecting the new ink into the hole, plug the hole with a plug that came with the refill kit (not the plug you removed earlier).

5. Repeat the last three steps for each color inside the cartridge, ensuring you are refilling the correct color (pink ink where the pink resided before, blue ink where the blue ink resided before, etc.).

6. 
    
   Inkjet printer with cover open

   When all colors have been refilled and all holes plugged, return the cartridge to the printer.

Tips & Warnings

• Most refill kits provide enough ink and refill tools to refill an ink cartridge between 10 and 18 times, sometimes even more.
• Keep your fingers away from the gold strip along the bottom of the cartridge. Some refill kits include a cleaner for this strip in case this happens.

Resources

• Find the right refill kit for your inkjet printer