How to refill the HP printer cartridge yourself

Ink for a printer is one of the very expensive things that you will have to work with if you create your home office. Do not be surprised by the following situation: you took dozens of pictures with a new digital camera, downloaded them to your computer, just printed a few, and soon the ink ran out of ink. Their consumption is always very large, and nothing can be done about it.

This article provides instructions on how to refill the HP inkjet cartridge yourself instead of buying a new one. With this you can save quite a decent amount.

We buy materials

To refill the HP printer cartridge by yourself, purchase an ink kit for filling in the office supply store. Many retail sites specializing in office products offer such a package at a low price (as a rule, its cost is almost half the price of a new component). You can also find these sets in various online stores.

Preparation for the process

Add the purchased ink set, a roll of paper towels, and a bit of transparent tape to a large flat work surface (table or board). Remove an empty cartridge from the device. Be sure to close the cover or fuse while you are working with it.

Put on your hands disposable rubber or plastic gloves before working with paint. Take a paper towel and double fold it twice. Work constantly over a paper towel to avoid leakage of ink on the table. Place an empty cartridge on it.

Before refilling the HP printer cartridge yourself, read the instruction manual that came with the ink kit to learn how to fill out your specific type of capsule. In this article, only general instructions are given.

Look for the fill holes on the top of the cartridge. This groove can be felt by rubbing the label with your fingers. Some cartridges have several holes, but only one of them always leads to an ink tank that can be filled. This hole will have a sponge inside.

Use a sharp pencil to pierce the fill hole in the top of the ink cartridge. Also, you can remove the top label with a knife or screwdriver (see the user manual that accompanies the kit).

As a rule, besides black, three colors of ink are applied: blue, purple-red and yellow. Follow the installation instructions using the hole to insert each color, or push the toothpick into each hole to identify the colors. It also happens that the marking on the cartridge of the device is sometimes mistaken, and you can accidentally fill in the wrong colors in the capsules with ink. This happens when users try to refill the cartridge for the HP 650 printer themselves (and similar models).

Filling process

Insert the long needle-like end of the ink bottle into the correct hole deep enough: so that it penetrates to the bottom of the cartridge. It is important to do this so as not to start the air and not create a foam when refilling the cartridge. An air pocket will prevent the ink from reaching the print head, causing the cartridge to fail to function.

To properly fill the cartridge for the HP 655 printer by yourself, add a slow, slow flow of ink. Carefully follow the filling process, so as not to overfill them too much. Quickly stop as soon as you see that a little ink starts to ooze out of the hole. Without letting go of the bottle, slowly release the air, squeezing a little paint back out of the cartridge (before removing the needle completely).

How to refill the HP printer cartridge yourself: completion of the process

Thoroughly wipe the contacts of the cartridge with a paper towel. You should completely eliminate dirt and stains on its surface.

Close the hole with a small piece of transparent tape. This works much better than the sealing points included in the refueling kit. Make sure that the ink does not leak at all from the upper holes (for this you need to use a transparent tape).

Checking the correctness of filling

Repeat the above steps for each of the ink colors to fully refill the HP printer cartridge yourself. After you fill all the colors, very well blot (do not wipe or press) the print head of the cartridge with a folded piece of paper towel. Probably, this process will need to be repeated several times. Do this until the paint stops bleeding, mixing and dirtying the towel. Stop this process only when you have 3 pure color tracks left.

If faded shades appear on the paper towel or the paint does not stand out at all, blot the print head with a wet cloth and then dry. Repeat this several times until the ink begins to stand out.

Install the cartridge in the printer. Remember that never, in any case, you can not install a leaking cartridge.

Immediately print out test files to make sure that the paint is properly allocated. Print a small number of different pages, preferably photos with bright colors.

Helpful Tips

Do not worry that you will not test and check the purchased refueling kit. It's worth the effort, and there's no need. If you damage the cartridge by your actions, you can always buy a new one. In either case, you should try refilling the cartridge for the HP printer yourself (122), since with a favorable outcome this will noticeably reduce your costs.

After you refill the cartridge, it should weigh just like the new parts. Overcrowded in excess of the norm can break down much earlier than its term. These inkjet printer accessories use sponges to store ink, and when overfilled, you moisten the top of the sponge, causing the ink to flow up, away from the print hole.

Another useful tip

And, finally, you can use one more method if all the others have failed: to find a used printer or a printer that is simpler in terms of parameters is cheaper than a new cartridge. It has in its bundle one new cartridge (or two: black and color). If this can be done, you will have a new device with 1 or 2 cartridges at a lower price than the cost of one new component. Printing companies often sell them inexpensively, planning to profit from future purchases of the cartridge - this is a well-known marketing move. Use them before consuming ink, and then look again at what is more profitable to buy.

Ink should not thicken and dry

Do not allow your ink cartridge to dry. Check and replenish it periodically to keep it in working order. Try not to leave it unused for a very long time. Print something at least once a week. This will help the device last longer, even if you refill the cartridge for the HP printer yourself (178) earlier.

In extreme cases, before buying a new cartridge, you can always try to reanimate the old one. Take a clean syringe, remove the plunger and insert the syringe into the cartridge. Attach the open top of the syringe to your mouth and blow hard enough. This can help push out substandard or thickened ink to the printhead. Be careful not to let the ink bubbles form on the top of the cartridge. Then, blot the tip of the cartridge nozzle with a paper towel. Repeat as necessary several times. This method can enhance the convenience and ease of use of refilled cartridges.

If the ink is still not emitted from the cartridge during printing, inject one or two small droplets of a special solution (mixture of ammonia and distilled water in equal parts) deep into the cartridge with a syringe. This will help dissolve the formed clots of ink.

Finishing touch

If only one of the colors after the installation of the cartridge is difficult, remove it from the printer and recheck the tape covering the filling holes. Lift it up and reposition it, correcting the strip of scotch.

After repeatedly filling the cartridge for the printer, the print head will gradually wear out. As a rule, this procedure can be repeated no more than 10 times.