Cartridgetech

Cartridgetech has been specialising in generic, compatible and remanifactured printer and toner cartridges since 2005.

What you should know about ink cartridges

Printer ink is made out of a variety of ingredients. The ingredients include water, colorant, alcohol, fixatives, surfactants, resins, biocides, fungicides and buffering agents.

The number of copies you will get out of your colour ink cartridges will depend upon the resolution and size of images you are printing and the manufacturer of the ink cartridges.

Fortunately, there are ways in which you can get more copies out of your ink cartridge.

• Use draft mode instead of the highest possible resolution unless you need the highest possible quality.
• Use your printer frequently. This will keep the ink from drying out and making it impossible to use. Hence you should print a few pages at least every second week.
• Use the off button whenever you are not printing something. Doing this will ensure your printer's sponges are not exposed to air, indicating they will not be able to dry out.
• Large fonts and bold text needs more ink to print, so select a smaller text like Arial or New Courier and switch off bold.
• Keep your cartridges sealed until you are ready to use them. Don't take off the yellow tape or remove them from their plastic bag. These measures are there to lock in moisture and keep the ink from drying out before you get to use it.
• For laser printers, it is recommended to shake the toner cartridge to extend it's lifetime and get the last bit of toner out.
• Don't be alarmed if your printer reports that ink or toner are empty. Chances are you have 10-30% lifetime left. So keep printing until the printer stops. However, don't waste time and make sure you get replacements in time.

The ink in your cartridge won't last forever, and you have to know when it needs replacing.
Every printer is different.
Some printers will give you advance warning by having a TONER LOW or INK LOW light flash, while with other's you'll just notice the quality of the print starts to look faded.
Either or both of the above warning signs indicate a new cartridge is required.