THE WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT INKJET REFILL KITS

Ink refill kits for inkjet printer cartridge refill:

Many people still want printer ink refill kits which means they would rather fill up their empty inkjet printer cartridge with fresh ink. It used to be the best way of saving money, however we only recommend ink refill kits in certain circumstances these days. This article will tell you if an ink refill kit is best for your printer or if a better, cheaper way to buy replacement printer ink exists for you.

Look for something other than ink refill kits UNLESS you have an HP or Lexmark!

Inkjet refill kits used to be a good idea, now there's usually a better, cheaper and more reliable way to go.

thINK4inc.com pioneered the area of home printer ink refilling with its Inkjet Refill Kits, and for more than 12 years thINK4inc has supplied Canon ink refill kits, Epson ink refill kits, Lexmark ink refill kits, HP ink refill kits, Xerox ink refill kits, as well as any ink refill accessories that might be needed.

thINK4inc will continue to help those who receive the best possible value out of ink cartridges by refilling at home. But due to many changes in ink cartridge technology, inkjet refill cartridges may not be the clear choice that it was in the past. Each printer manufacturer has made its own real and not so real advancements in printer and printer cartridge technology. Most of these advancements are not so subtle ways to wring extra cash out of the consumer.

We'll break it down for you:

Inkjet Printer Cartridge Refilling in 2005-2006

Epson ink cartridge refilling

Epson has done the only true development of new inks for consumer printers over the last five years. These new full spectrum pigmented inks are great but Epson combined them with a printer cartridge that has a lock-out chip which made Epson printer cartridge refilling impossible. Epson's chipped printer cartridge "advancement" was actually a thinly veiled but well planned strategy to keep Epson ink cartridges from being refilled at home. We have nick-named them "death chips" around the office. However the consumer has won out with Epson ink cartridges for injet printers due to the low cost of duplicating the designs. We've been able to find low cost of reliable third party ink cartridges for modern Epson inkjet and photo printers, the final nail in the coffin for Epson ink refilling. Think4ink does stock bulk Epson inks for almost all Epson printers, but we do not recommend refilling newer Epson cartridges. Instead, we recommend either thINK4inc brand inkjet cartridges for Epson printers or for the ultimate in printing cost savings, we recommend the Cistem (Continuous Ink System).

Canon ink cartridge refill

Canon ink cartridges are relatively easy to refill, but new sponge materials have made refilling Canon inkjet cartridges less reliable than in the past. Combined with the very reasonable ($3-$5) price range for reliable Canon ink cartridges, you would be crazy to try refilling Canon inkjet cartridges. thINK4inc recommends thINK4inc brand ink cartridges for Canon printers. The Cistem for Canon printers will be available soon for the ultimate in ink cartridge savings.

Hewlett Packard HP ink cartridge refilling

The most important thing to remember with most HP cartridges is to TOP OFF THE CARTRIDGES BEFORE THEY GO EMPTY! The tri-color cartridges in particular are very difficult to reprime once they run out of ink. You alleviate the repriming problem by topping off the cartridges on a regular schedule. The black cartridge uses waterproof pigmented ink. The ink actually cools the print head during operation. When the cartridge runs out of ink the waterproof pigmented ink is baked into the print head. This clog can be difficult to remove, especially if the cartridge sits empty for a while. Again, this is alleviated by topping it off on a regular schedule.

HP ink cartridges have been the foundation of home ink cartridge refilling. The most widely used HP ink cartridges have evolved very little over the last five years, save for getting much smaller in size and volume. HP has produced new cartridge designs, but they have been used sparingly in consumer models. The vast majority of HP ink cartridges are thermal activated integrated print head designs. These patented designs are not legal to reproduce without HP licensing, but are the birthplace of home cartridge refilling and ink cartridge refill kits. In fact, the only new refill kit design from thINK4inc in the last two years is an HP refill kit for #27, #28, #56 and #57 cartridges. Although this kit is simple to use, and provides a great value, it does require dexterity and planning for proper use. Most consumers opt for thINK4inc remanufactured HP ink cartridges. These are high quality remanufactured ink cartridges that are ready to be installed in your printer for a fraction the cost of "new" HP inkjet cartridges.

Lexmark ink cartridge refilling

Lexmark ink cartridges are similar to the basic HP ink cartridge design, in that they use a thermal print head that is an integral part of the ink cartridge. Home cartridge refilling is a financially sound way to save money on Lexmark ink cartridges, but they are not the easiest cartridges to refill. Plastic welded caps that must be broken into, and a "sludge build-up" issue makes Lexmark cartridges less than popular for ink cartridge refilling. Once again, most consumers opt for thINK4inc brand remanufactured Lexmark ink cartridges.

Many consumers also opt for getting different printer with a lower cost of operation. Many times a good Canon printer can cost as little three or four Lexmark replacement ink cartridges. Unless you do almost zero printing, you should throw your Lexmark printer out the window!

Dell, Compaq, Xerox, and other ink cartridge refilling

Most other ink cartridge manufacturers use licensed versions of cartridges from one of the big four manufacturers (HP, Lexmark, Epson and Canon) and refilling will be same as with ink cartridges from the parent manufacturer. Almost all other printers fall under the same recommendations as Lexmark. Most times you will be better off getting a new, more efficient printer. Check out our Cost per Page Analysis for Inkjet Printers to see our recommendations.

NOW HAVING SAID THAT, for you diehards, we still carry everything you need for printer ink refill!

In conclusion, though thINK4inc will continue to help and support home ink cartridge refilling, we do not recommend that new users start refilling their inkjet cartridges at home.

Choose wisely when purchasing your inkjet printer and the thought will never cross your mind. New generic or remanufactured cartridges make a better value when time and potential messes are considered in the equation.