Why are some ink cartridges new and some are remanufactured?
The most basic inkjet cartridge classification has (2) categories:
- Printer cartridges which contain their own printhead
- Printer cartridges which contain inkjet ink only. These are also referred to as ‘ink tanks’ or ‘reservoirs’
Inkjet cartridges that contain ink only are by definition new. Ink cartridges containing their own printhead are customarily of proprietary design and ‘clones’ cannot be produced. Hence they are re-manufactured.
What does re-manufacturing mean?
Just about all ink jet printer manuals state that user ‘should only use new and original cartridges’. The hidden sting is in that dictatorial ‘should’ that should really be a ‘may’. Why? Because hundreds of thousands of refilled or remanufactured ink cartridges are printing daily in all corners of the world. In other words, the ‘law’ requiring to use original only inkjet cartridges is honored more in the breach than in the observance.
A remanufactured ink cartridge is an inkjet cartridge refilled via an industrial process and delivered to perform as new.
The process involves the following:
- A printer cartridge electrical and mechanical test to check for potential vacuum leaks – some ink cartridges rely on a slight applied vacuum for their operation.
If the test is passed, the inkjet cartridge is cleaned, flushed through a flushing machine and readied for refilling.The ink cartridge is refilled, tested for proper operation and weighed. Weight is a measure that the proper volume of inkjet ink has been injected.The ink cartridge is packed for shipping.
Does the use of a remanufactured ink cartridge void the printer warranty?
No on two grounds.
- FTC regulations (Federal Trade Commission – Magnusson-Moss Warranty Federal Commission Improvement Act – Subparagraph C, secion 101)) specifically addresses this point. User is NOT obliged to utilize supplies furnished by the original manufacturer, to maintain the warranty. There are limits here too – if the manufacturer can prove that the supplies do not comply with the standards required by the original equipment then he can refuse to honor the warranty. But this is impossible. The printer supplies, in this case, are the inks and the inks are guaranteed to match or exceed the required specifications.
- With remanufactured inkjet cartridges the printhead is in the ink cartridge. In an ink jet printer the printhead is the heart, the ink the blood, the board the brain and the moving parts the limbs. A remanufactured ink cartridge brings new blood to an existing heart. The printhead is designed to be used for about 5 to 10 full ink recharges, depending on the quality of the printing paper, cleanliness of air etc. In the worst case the only thing that could fail is the printhead, that is the inkjet cartridge and the overall warranty of the printer is not at issue.
Can printer cartridges which contain ink only, that is, ‘tanks’ or ‘reservoirs’ damage my printer?
No, because in this case what you give your printer is just new ink. And the ink tanks are identical (in millimeters and milliliters) to the manufacturer’s expensive tanks.
New traps by manufacturers.
Or you can call them marketing solutions. Here is one, new in implementation but as old as trade. Some HP cartridges carry a ‘G’ after their part number (e.g. 51626G, 51629G, 51645G etc.) ‘G’ series cartridges contain half the ink than in the G-less cartridges. At the store you pay 1/3 less for the G cartridges than you would pay for the full cartridges. That is, you pay 30% less than a full tank but only get half a tank.
The historically curious may remember that one of France's post-WW II prime ministers was Mendes-France. Mendes-France undertook a program of economic reforms and a satirist captured their essence in a cartoon. Before the reform one kilogram of pears cost 10 francs, after the reform, half a kilogram of the same pears was only 5 francs….
How do you ship?
We offer a panoply of choices. Priority Mail, UPS ground, UPS 3 day, UPS 2 day, UPS next day and, for the economically cautious, Small Packet. Please note that UPS provides a very efficient tracking system. At any time, day and night, you can know where your shipment is by simply connecting to www.ups.com and typing in the related tracking number. As we are going to print the Post Office is rumoring about implementing a similar system some time in the future. Small Packet shipments are equally intended to reach the recipient but there is no guarantee (other than we shipped).
There was much internal (at Jet-Master.com) soul searching on how to handle shipping costs.
One option was to make the shipping appear cheap and to charge more for the goods, the other was to charge the appropriate costs for both equipment and shipping. We chose the second option. Some customers may like it, some may not. We thank the pleased and ask the displeased for their understanding.
Do you use quality ink?
Yes, our first inks (dot matrix) were produced in 1982. We only provide extra quality ink jet inks, complying with all the specifications of the emulsions involved in the various inks for the various inkjet printers. When a customer reports (unsolicited) that his printout looks better than new a tingle of pleasure runs through our corporate veins.
Do we guarantee our products and services?
Yes, we will replace ink cartridges that are defective or damaged or refund you at our discretion.
How many times can I refill a cartridge?
The statistically most accurate answer is between 5 and 10 times – that is for a printer cartridge which contains its own printhead. The wide variation depends on a number of factors, including care taken of the inkjet cartridge - e.g. not letting it entirely run out of ink prior to refilling - abrasiveness of the printer paper used (which causes the electric contacts on the printhead to wear out), how clean the environment around the printer is, etc.
The same applies to cartridges where the printhead is in the printer and the inkjet cartridges are the ink tanks. A clean printhead is key to a good printout. With use, any printhead accumulates residues – we now have available ink cartridges (tanks) filled with cleaning solutions. Field reports indicate good results. To be sure, some ink tanks rely on internal sponges to store the ink and sponges can dry if left unused. There are ways for recovering from a dry sponge and the process is not complicated.
Do I need a special "refillable" cartridge?
No, all cartridges are refillable. This is the basis of our business. You can refill the cartridges you already own, or cartridges you purchase from us online with the same quality ink again and again.
Should I refill, get a new ink cartridge (tank), or get a remanufactured inkjet cartridge?
Your choice entirely. Inkjet technology is here to stay and learning the simple but valuable art of recharging a printer cartridge is bound to pay off.
Is there a "universal refill kit"?
No, simply because ink jet inks are different. And they are different because the printer manufacturer themselves want it so. Some companies (no names please) bent in battle to bamboozle the buyer, advertise ‘universal inkjet refill kits'. The scheme (scam?) relies on the assumption that the buyer has one ink printer only and will use black first – the incompatibility in black inks is less immediately apparent, but an incorrect black ink will shorten the life of the printhead or ink cartridge.
The old adage that not all that is printed is true equally applies to television. A Post Office poster designed to warn about scams was concise and explicit. It showed an overweight lady holding in one hand a flier that said "Lose 50 pounds in 50 days". And the lady said with a caption, "All I lost was 50 dollars…"
Do your Refill Kits use the ‘harmonica’ squeeze type bottles I have seen in some stores (or on TV ads for ‘universal’ kits?)
No, for two reasons:
- Harmonica type, squeeze bottles do not allow you to measure accurately the ink you inject into the cartridge.
- Air collects at the top of the harmonica, above the ink, in the space between the ink and the needle. Air should not be ever injected into the jet cartridge ink reservoirs – air locks prevent the ink flow to the printhead. The graduated syringe-like dispensers we provide with our kits give deliver ink in accurate measure and without air.
And finally…a lighter touch
To refill or not to refill, that is the question.
Whether it is better to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous prices,
Or to take arms against excessive cartridge costs
And by refilling end them.
To refill, to print, that’s all,
And with a refill to end the spoilage and
The concurrent natural waste that spent cartridges are bound to be.
It is a consummation devoutly to be wished.
