Re-Ink HP Cartridges for 67 Cents

I have a HP 6310xi All In One Inkjet Printer and I don't spend more than about $8 a year on ink. I print a ream (500 sheets) per week, mostly emails, spreadsheets, pdf documents, etc. (about 95% black).

The printer came with cartridges. I am still using the original black cartridge. Armed with a 125 cc bottle of black HP pigment ink from Inksupply.com ($8). I get 12 refills from this bottle. One refill will last me about a little over a month. It depends how much I print, but it averages about 4 to 5 weeks. Then the print starts getting light, and I refill.

The refill process takes me about 5 minutes, from the time I pull the cartridge out, until I put it back in the printer. It is easy, no mess, and pretty effortless.

Under the label on the HP cartridge are holes. On the black cartridge, it is the front hole where the ink goes in. I inject 10 cc of black ink, into this hole. I put the label back on, and I am done. Of course I have to put the top back on the ink, and wash the syringe in the sink. Then I put the newspaper I used for protection, back in the recycle bin. I have not had a problem, and I have been doing this for a long time. Once in a while the printer says it is low on ink, I just press the OK button to override it, and keep on going.

This is when I know it is time to refill. The refill must occur as soon as this happens. An hour later may be too late. Ink can dry in the small print head holes, clogging the cartridge and making a refill useless. Don't refill old empty ones, it most likely will not work. If you can't refill on the spot, use a MIS Print Head Protector to keep the air away from the print head.

This is just before I start injecting ink. Plenty of newspaper. (put aluminum foil underneath if your newspaper is thin). I have pealed off the label that was on top of the cartridge. It is a metal foil label, easy to get off in one piece.

This is a close up of what the top of the cartridge looks like. It is an HP 98 black cartridge. The top hole is where the ink goes in. It is the same for all the black HP cartridges of this style.

Now I am injecting the ink, slowly into the top hole. I have pushed the needle down to the bottom and pulled it up, just about 1/8 of an inch, so the ink will flow easily. I watch around the hole, and the other holes to make sure I don't over fill the cartridge. It normally takes 10 cc of ink. My syringe holds 12, but I only fill it to 10. If the cartridge is over filled, it may not work properly, so go slow.

I am done injecting the ink. Some ink has come out through the print head. This is normal and a good sign that the head is not clogged. I did not over fill. I blot it a few times on the paper towel. But, I do not rub the paper across the print head because paper fibers can get caught in the print head holes. I put the foil label back on the top of the cartridge, being careful not to cover the air inlets (small pathways) molded into the top of the cartridge. Now I am done, so I head towards the printer to reinstall the cartridge.

After installing the cartridge, I run a cleaning cycle to make sure everything is okay. It is perfect. The cleaning cycle control is found either on the front panel of the printer (in the menus) or in the printer properties (via the control panel - printers and faxes).

As I put the top back on the ink bottle, and clean up the news paper, I am smiling, because I know I just saved about $22 dollars, and it only interrupted my work for about 5 minutes. Less time than it takes to go to the store to buy a new one. (By the way, if you get some ink on your hands, a mild bleach and water solution will take it off quickly. If you don't want to use bleach use the MIS DyeGone Hand Cleaner. This does not happen to me, only the first time.)

So instead of buying 12 black cartridges at about $22 each, It cost $8.00 for the ink, $2.00 for the syringe and needle. A savings of 12 x 22 - 10 = $254 a year is appreciated, and I get to smile all the way to the bank.

My cartridge cost (syringe excluded) is ($8.00/12)= $0.67 ... fantastic!!

I have put a couple of buy links here if you are interested in trying this.... It can also be done with the HP color cartridge.

   4 oz Bottle of HP Black Pigment Ink

   12 cc Plastic Syringe

   Package of 10 Blunt 1.5" Long Needles

Links to HP Inks and to Refill Accessories.