Refill printer cartridges yourself – simple instructions

Instead of buying expensive original cartridges again and again, you can simply refill printer cartridges yourself.

Refilling printer cartridges: Explained step by step

The basic procedure for refilling printer cartridges is similar regardless of the manufacturer. However, as the cartridges differ in their design depending on the manufacturer and printer model, it makes sense to take a close look at the structure of the respective cartridge and, if necessary, search the Internet for specific instructions for your model.

• Prepare utensils: You will need a drill with a narrow drill bit, a syringe with cannula, an absorbent pad, suitable refill ink and a spatula or carpet knife.

• Preparation: Place the cartridge on an absorbent surface (e.g. kitchen roll) and carefully peel off the sticker at the top of the cartridge.

• Drill a hole: Drill a small hole in the hollow chamber at the top. The hollow chamber is the part of the cartridge that is above the sponge and is not filled with ink.

• Fill with ink: Fill the syringe with ink. Make sure that no air bubbles form. Now fill the ink slowly and very carefully into the hollow chamber. It is important that you do not overfill the cartridge. Then seal the drill hole again

• Disable fill level indicator: Deactivate the cartridge fill level indicator so that your printer does not constantly give you warning messages. Alternatively, reset the cartridge chip to be correctly informed about the fill level of the cartridge

• Test print result: Check the functionality of the refilled cartridge by printing a few pages as a test.

Filling ink cartridges yourself: You should pay attention to this

To ensure that everything runs smoothly when refilling the cartridge, the choice of ink is important, as is the timing.

• Use the right ink: By refilling your printer cartridges yourself, you will defitntively save money. However, you should not save on ink. Therefore, do not use universal ink, but printer ink that is tailored to your device

• When to refill: Do not wait until the old cartridge is completely empty before refilling. Otherwise, your printer may end up with streaky prints because the print head sucks in air.

• Visit an ink filling station: If you do not want to refill your printer cartridges yourself, find out about so-called refill stores or ink filling stations in your area.