When Do Ink Cartridges Expire
Nov/100
INK CARTRIDGE – Getting the most out of it?
I own an HP Deskjet 950C inkjet printer. What pisses me off about it is when i purchase a new Black ($40) or Color cart ($70) within the month or two the unit is non-functional. Now i would estimate that I am able to get about 4 printouts by that time (i use it very infrequently).
I’ve heard that HP (and likely others) have some special timer electronic chip on the ink carts in order to expire the unit regardless of how much cheap ink is left within it. The other thing is they’ve gone to great lengths to make drying out a possibility in the carts.
My question, is there a reliable way of prolonging the use of purchased inkjet carts for my printer? I’ve investigated replacement ink but with the so-called timer chip this is useless. Perhaps theres a brand or relaible empty catridge i can purchase to get around such things making refills more reliable? How do you cope over several months/years with excessively high ink cart prices and shady manufacturers.
Thanks
The HP deskjet 950 has no chip in it. So it cannot be disabled by any electronic expiry.
If you are printing very infrequently, the ink is probably dried out. Do not take the ink out of the printer, that will make it worse because the printer actually has a cap that tries to keep the printhead moist.
There are a few options you can try:
1) Keep your printer on. The printer will occasionally service the cartridge and this may prolong the time before it dries up.
2) Print 1 page of something once every 2 weeks.
If your usage is very infrequent, this may not be the right printer for you. You should consider a laserjet machine. The toner does not ‘dry up’. So you will still be able to use it even if you print infrequently.
Besides, if you are wasting $40 every couple of months drying up cartridges, you will probably recover that with a low-end HP laserjet. Believe it’s about $65 or thereabouts now.
Expired ink, HP Designjet Z2100 / Z 3100
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