Inkjet Cartridge Care


Tips to Get the Most from Your Inkjet Cartridges

Most Cartridge World stores carry more than 150 different premium inks and toners. This will ensure that the ink we use to refill your empty inkjet cartridge works with the specifications of your printer and helps you produce high quality documents.

After we've refilled your cartridge, follow these tips to keep your printer and cartridges in top condition. This will help you continue to save money in the long run:

  • Never let a cartridge run out of ink completely. Your inkjet will burn out if it continues to fire while the supply of ink is cut off.

  • Always have a replacement cartridge on hand. If the cartridge is showing 'empty,' have it refilled or replaced immediately.

  • The cartridge cannot be stored for an indefinite period.

  • When lines and/or missing dots form on your text or graphics, it's time to clean the printhead. Do not touch the copper plate on the printhead with your fingers. Use the printers cleaning cycle (refer to your printer manual). If this fails to clear the problem, call us for the best solution.

  • Do not leave the cartridge in a hot car. This causes the ink to expand and leak.

  • Keep color cartridges upright. The colors will cross contaminate if left on its side.

  • After installing a new or refilled cartridge, print at least 2 test pages to settle the new cartridge.



Laser Toner Cartridge Care


Tips to Getting the Most from Your Laser Cartridges

Follow these tips to save money and keep your laser printer cartridge in top condition:

  • Do not attempt to open the cartridge.

  • Do not leave the cartridge in motor vehicles for any length of time, as even on a cool day the temperature can exceed safe levels. Doing so may distort the plastic in the cartridge.

  • Store cartridges in normal room temperature.

  • Some parts in these cartridges are light sensitive and can be damaged when exposed to excessive light.

  • When empty, store your laser cartridge in its original plastic bag and cardboard box.

  • Have the cartridge refilled as soon as possible.

Note: If your hands or clothes become stained with toner, wash them with lukewarm water and soap. For clothes, simply brush off outside in the open air. Do not wash toner-stained clothes in hot water as the toner will set into a permanent stain. Use cold water only.



Facts about Ink & Paper

Ink On Paper

With inkjet printers, liquid ink is projected onto the paper to form an image. Before we see how the ink and paper interact, let's look at the structure of ink and paper.

The Composition of Ink

Ink is made up of a colouring agent, a carrier body, a solvent that keeps it liquid until it leaves the print head, and various chemical stabilizers.

The Colouring Agent may be either a dye or a pigment, regardless of the colour. The difference is that a dye is a chemical solution, and the pigment is a mineral oxide, ground exceptionally fine, and put into a chemical compound, both then added to the carrier body.

The Structure of Paper

Paper is made up of cellulose fibers from trees and other like materials. During the making of the paper the fibers form a mesh, with a 60:40 ratio, 60% of the fibers run in one direction, and the other 40% lie at right angles.

Paper is also 5% (average) water. If it weren't it would be as brittle as an autumn leaf. Paper is also chemically treated and finished depending on the end use. For example, newspaper is a very coarse paper, where Bond paper, frequently found in office letters, is a high-grade paper with many finishing chemical additives.

How the Ink and Paper Work with Each Other

Dye-based ink actually soaks into the cellulose fibers, giving a far richer colour. The trade-off is that absolute sharpness in not achievable.

Pigment-based ink behaves completely differently. The ink is projected at the paper, the carrier body then evaporates, and the pigment adheres to the paper fiber. This results in a clear image, but the colour doesn't have the saturation of dye-based ink.

Note: If you have any problems with the ink not drying, or soaking through the paper, change to a different type of paper.