When using a printer or MFP, toner is gradually consumed. One day the paint runs out completely. As a result, the question arises: For this, most users turn to the service. However, do not forget that you can do this procedure yourself.
In fact, there is nothing complicated about refilling laser cartridges. It is enough to understand what needs to be done and in what order. Therefore, we will introduce you to detailed instructions where we will tell you how to properly charge the cartridge:
- First you need. It is not difficult. For example, you can use the instructions that came with your device. In addition, many models of printers and multifunction devices have cheat sheet pictures describing how to remove the cartridge.
- Next, you will need a table on which you will refuel. You need to lay oilcloth or newspapers on it. Also prepare a clean cloth, screwdrivers, tweezers, and pliers.
- First of all, we disassemble the cartridge. To do this, unscrew the screws holding the side covers. Then, using a flat-head screwdriver, pry up and remove the metal clamps (arms) that held the photosensitive drum. By the way, many cartridges have different latches, so remember which side one or the other was installed on.
- Next, take out the photosensitive drum. You should not touch it with your hands. It is best to use cotton fabric. By the way, then the photodrum must be immediately removed to a dark place. You can't keep it in the light. Be extremely careful - the slightest scratch on the photosensitive drum and the print quality will noticeably deteriorate.
- Also, when refilling and cleaning many cartridges, you have to remove the charge roller. It is shaped like a photodrum, but its surface is covered with special rubber.
- Now the “dirtiest” work begins. You need to use tweezers or the same awl to separate the special pins that connect the halves of the cartridge. Sometimes they are difficult to notice right away. Some manufacturers fill the pins with plastic. In this case, it will need to be cut off in order to grasp the pins with small pliers or tweezers.
- Once you disassemble the cartridge, some toner will spill out of it. You should not use this toner for further refilling, because it contains a lot of debris and small particles of paper. All this can damage the photoconductor.
- We clean all components of the cartridge from adhering toner. Including a container with waste toner and a dispenser blade. You can use a napkin or a brush. Finally, it’s a good idea to wipe everything down with a lint-free cloth. Some people even remove old toner using a vacuum cleaner.
- After cleaning the cartridge, we assemble it. Don’t forget to put the photoconductor and charge roller back in place. This completes cleaning the cartridge. Let's move on to refueling.
- Most laser printer cartridges have a plug on the side. By removing it or unscrewing it, you gain access to the hopper (container) for filling toner. In other models, the dye is poured into a special slot. The main thing is not to overdo it with the amount of toner. There can't be too much of it. The best option is to fill the toner compartment to 80%.
- When refilling toner, it is important to hold the cartridge correctly. As a rule, you need to hold it vertically and press the magnetic shaft against the body with your fingers. So, the toner will not be able to spill out through the gap that appears.
- Be sure to shake the cartridge so that the toner is evenly distributed inside it. By the way, it is convenient to add the coloring matter using a funnel made from a regular A4 sheet.
What is important to know?
If you are not well versed in technology or do not like such scrupulous work, then it is best to contact a service center where they will refill the cartridge for a small amount of money. In addition, do not forget that there is no universal toner suitable for all devices. Therefore, you need to find out what kind of ink is used on your printer model.
Another important point is that some cartridges have a special chip (for example, the latest models of HP, Samsung, etc. printers and multifunction devices), which monitors the ink level or the number of printed pages. It will not be possible to refill such a cartridge at home. At least for the first time. The easiest way is to contact a service center, where all chip readings will be reset or a new one will be installed.
How many times can the cartridge be refilled? Its service life is usually limited to a few refills. However, if you regularly clean it, which we described above, then the cartridge may last for several years of active use.
Some users practice a different method for refilling a laser cartridge. To do this, they do not disassemble it or clean it. They just drill a special hole through which the toner is poured. Then it is simply sealed with a strip of tape. It is not recommended to refill the cartridge this way. After all, this is not how garbage and waste toner are removed. As a result, the cartridge quickly fails.
Precautionary measures
It is important to remember that the toner used to refill printer cartridges is quite toxic. It contains harmful elements such as lead and cadmium. Therefore, the dye should not be allowed to come into contact with the skin, much less the respiratory tract. When refilling a cartridge, only wear rubber gloves and a protective gown!
In addition, it is advisable to carry out all work in a well-ventilated area where there are no children or pets. It is best to wear safety glasses over your eyes and protect your nose and mouth with a respiratory mask. Be careful not to spill toner.
Often, when working with a cartridge, a small amount of toner gets on your hands. No one is immune from this. Even the most careful master. In this case, it is enough to wash off the toner with warm (but not hot!) water and soap.
The financial costs do not end with the purchase of a printer. As sad as it may be, the truth of this statement cannot be disputed. After a certain time, the ink in the cartridge runs out. The commonplace statement that nothing lasts forever under the sun becomes an obvious fact in the form of the technical imperfection of a particular device. At such moments, a practical user thinks about how to refill an HP cartridge. Because I am convinced that this is the most effective way to protect yourself from unjustified expenses on expensive consumables. As you understand, the article is dedicated specifically to printing devices of the American brand Hewlett-Packard, whose logo is often associated with the term “usability,” which you can see for yourself by putting into practice the tips and recommendations from the material presented.
How to refill an HP cartridge correctly: step-by-step instructions
It's no secret that users often approach the troubleshooting process unprepared. That is, having only superficial information about what needs to be done, and having no idea at all what wrong actions can lead to. At the same time, a trip to a specialized store for a new cartridge could easily be avoided.
Step No. 1. Wise diagnosis
Before you worry about running out of ink or start experimenting with how to refill an HP cartridge, there are a few things you can do using your printer software.
- Make sure that the printing device (PU) “sees” the cartridges as a correctly installed component.
- What ink level is detected by the printer?
If the cartridge has sufficient ink volume, but the diagnostic page prints blank, proceed to the next step.
Step #2: Clean the nozzles
- Using the printer software, access Device Services.
- Activate the “Clean Cartridges” process.
As a rule, the last point has a three-step execution scenario. Therefore, carry out a full cleaning cycle. If the described actions do not have a beneficial effect or the detected ink level is critical, the HP cartridge must be refilled.
Step No. 3. Preparing the tool
In order to properly fill the containers of a refillable cartridge (REC), you will need:
- Four syringes with needles.
- Napkins.
- Scotch.
- Gloves.
- Dye.
This is a standard refill kit for a block-type slam-shut valve with an integrated print head. If your modification of the PU is serviced by a different type of cartridge, be aware: there is a separate syringe for each color.
Step No. 4. Color filling of tanks
Typically, the outside of the cartridge has a special sticker that displays information identifying the printing component. Peel it off carefully. Each hole (sometimes there are two for each paint compartment) is a filling channel for a specific color.
Important! The practical steps that will result in you understanding how to refill an HP cartridge should be done slowly. Utmost attention is your best friend in such a situation as the location of the colored tanks is often confused by the user. For example, red ink flows into the yellow compartment of the cartridge, etc. Usually the color of the ink is visible when examining the refill hole in detail. Otherwise, use a match, the wood of which will stain when it comes into contact with the absorbent material of the chamber.
- First fill the syringes with ink.
- Slowly inject paint into the corresponding color compartment.
- Cover the filling holes with tape (cut to the size of the stickers).
- Use a tissue to remove any traces of ink from the surface of the print head.
Attention! Movements should be predominantly tangential rather than rubbing. Do not turn the PZK container upside down, as ink may flow out of the print head, which, in turn, will negatively affect the overall process, and you will never know how to refill an HP cartridge.
Step #5: Clean and Print a Test Page
If you did everything correctly, then a “colorful” result is guaranteed. When the printed page “sins” with the displacement of some parts of the design, it is necessary to carry out another type of adjustment - aligning the cartridges, which can be done by launching the process of the same name in the printer control panel.
Summing up
So, you have received the necessary knowledge on how to refill an HP cartridge yourself. Now, in a situation where you run out of paint, you will feel like a confident user. However, this is only a small part of what full operational maintenance of printing devices includes. Do not forget that, in addition to electronics, the printer has quite a lot of different mechanics, which will work for a long time and properly only if you know and follow the simple rules. All the best!
The cost of printers and MFPs is falling so rapidly that no one can be surprised by a home computer equipped with a printing device. Computer hardware stores offer three types of such devices: matrix, inkjet and laser. Since matrix models do not have full color printing capabilities, and prices for color lasers start at $140, there is nothing surprising in the popularity of inkjet printers. However, their lucky owners are soon faced with the need to replace cartridges - special ink containers, the cost of which is often 80-90% of the price of a new printer. As a more affordable alternative, many computer companies offer to refill existing ones with ink instead of buying new cartridges. However, there is nothing complicated in this operation, so you can refill the cartridge yourself at home.
Warning
It is important to remember that refilling cartridges voids the owner’s warranty on the device! Moreover, it does not matter who, how and how many times performed this operation. At the same time, with due care and following the recommendations, the risk of damaging anything is minimal.
Inkjet printer cartridges must be refilled with ink when any color begins to disappear during printing or gaps appear. Of course, provided that the printer was used correctly and there was no downtime for more than two weeks.
For refueling you will need:
Syringes, one per color. It is desirable that the piston be rubber - this allows the ink to flow more smoothly and also prevents sudden injection. Also, the thinner the needle, the better. The volume of the syringe is no more than 5 ml;
Cotton wool and paper napkins. They are necessary to remove possible leaks;
- gloves;
- several old newspapers to cover the work area;
- correct ink. They can be purchased at any computer store. Knowing the printer model, the consultant will help you choose the right ones.
Depending on the printer model, the cartridge carriage system may vary. The instructions always indicate exactly how to remove the ink tank.
For example, in Canon models, when the lid of the printer is turned on, the entire unit extends.
When working with a cartridge, do not touch the contact pads and nozzles. After removing the sticker, use an awl or small scissors to increase the diameter of the holes.
The syringe needle should fit loosely into each of them.
This is an important point: there must be a distance between the needle and the walls of the hole through which air will be squeezed out of the cartridge when refilling. The container for black ink has one hole, and the container for color has several, so you first need to use a search on the global network to determine which color ink to fill where. In the absence of such information, you can insert a needle into each hole and find out the match by the traces of paint on it. So, in this example, the PG-446 cartridge has red on top, blue on the left, and yellow on the right.
Having filled the syringe with 1-2 ml of ink, carefully insert the needle into the hole. The material inside is porous, so minor resistance must be overcome. The needle should not go too deep, as this may damage the filter membrane.
1/3 is quite enough.
After this, slowly squeeze out the ink. There is no need for haste here, since the inner material should be evenly saturated with paint. The volume of the container is determined experimentally. Typically, 4 ml is enough for a black cartridge, and 1-2 ml of each color for a color cartridge. The exact values depend on the degree of emptying of the container. When refilling, air will be squeezed out, causing paint bubbles - this is normal.
Refilling is complete when the ink is no longer absorbed. The spilled residue must be “pulled” into the syringe.
Greetings! Today I’ll try to tell you in a nutshell how to refill a laser printer cartridge yourself. Laser printing has long ceased to be a luxury and a laser printer is in almost every home, or at least available to many for purchase. As a rule, for home use for school or household printing, a fully refilled cartridge lasts about one year. After this, it begins to streak, fade or blur.
Printing defects indicate that the cartridge requires urgent refilling. You can take it to a service center, where they will fill it up for you for 200-300 rubles, or you can do it yourself, because there is nothing tricky about it.
How to refill the cartridge yourself?
All you need is a special powder - toner and
I would like to warn you right away that if inhaled, laser printer powder can enter your lungs and settle there. It is very harmful, so be careful and attentive.
All work must be carried out in a well-ventilated area. Also, the powder consists of very small particles and if you accidentally spill it on your clothes, you will not be able to get rid of it completely quickly.
Please note that clothing stained with toner should be wash only in cold water, because when heated, the powder is baked and it is very difficult to wash it later.
To reduce contamination of your home area, we recommend covering the space allocated for refilling a laser printer cartridge with several layers of old newspapers. We will need: rags that you don't mind, narrow-nose pliers, a Phillips screwdriver, rubber gloves, a funnel (can be made of paper) and a brush.
So, after you have bought toner from a special store and prepared your workspace, we can start refilling the cartridge.
Many people prefer to refill HP cartridges themselves at home, and this is a completely obvious solution, since the cost of a new consumable can reach the cost of the inkjet printer itself. Moreover, many manufacturers of printer cartridges create them with a predetermined resource, which often exceeds one refill cycle several times.
An inkjet printer has two main print head designs: combined with a cartridge and separate. If your cartridge has a built-in print head, the cost of the device can reach up to 50 percent of the cost of the entire printer. It is quite obvious that users are looking for ways to refill an HP cartridge themselves. After all, this is a great way to save money.
Refilling 122 HP cartridges at home - preparation
To refill the cartridge yourself, you first need to prepare a place and some auxiliary items. The procedure does not require any special knowledge or skills. Moreover, you do not need to purchase a special tool.
Prepare your work surface in advance. For example, a desk will do, removing unnecessary items from it. It’s a good idea to lay several sheets of paper or newspaper on top, preferably in several layers. This way, if paint spills on the table, you will protect its coating and other things.
When refilling the HP 122 cartridge, the following will be useful:
- ink (up to 10 ml for black and maximum 3 ml of each shade for color);
- the cartridge itself, which needs to be refilled;
- medical syringes with needles (one for a specific color);
- paper towels (or napkins) and cotton pads;
- If desired, you can wear rubber gloves.
Cartridge diagnostics
Before you worry about running out of ink or start experimenting with how to refill an HP cartridge, there are a few things you can do using your printer software.
- Make sure that the printing device (PU) “sees the cartridges as a correctly installed component.
- What ink level is detected by the printer?
If the cartridge has sufficient ink volume, but the diagnostic page prints blank, proceed to the next step.
For a color cartridge, the order is strict:
- yellow;
- red;
- blue.
Lower the needle into the desired hole 2–3 cm and inject ink. You need to act slowly, ideally 15 seconds per 1 ml. And watch carefully when ink begins to appear in the filling hole. After all, ink in a color cartridge is not consumed equally and it is impossible to know how much will be needed for a full refill. If you accidentally overfilled it, you can pull the syringe plunger back and take some of the paint back. We do the same with red and blue.
Refilling the black HP 122 cartridge has some features. The picture in red shows the place where the additional chamber is located, which also needs to be filled with ink. To do this, you will need to pierce the cleaning filter with a needle. This doesn’t sound very good, but it’s the lesser of two evils; otherwise, when refilling, the filter does not allow ink to pass through and air accumulates in the additional chamber. Which, in turn, leads to printing problems.
If you press too hard while piercing the filter and allow the needle to go deeper than shown, you may damage the print head. This will not happen if you point the syringe at a 45 degree angle.
To avoid getting smeared with ink, perform the entire refilling procedure wearing rubber medical gloves. Cover your work area with old newspapers. If you have overfilled the cartridge with excess ink, carefully pump it out using a syringe.
If the cartridge is dry, place the printing surface in warm water to a depth of 5-7 millimeters and leave to soak for 2-3 hours. Try to refill an empty cartridge immediately!