Refillable printer ink cartridges - yay or hellno

zwixxxzwixxx Posts: 10,295
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Anyone have experience with these refillable printer ink cartridges ?

I own an Epson SX235W and am forever told to replace a cartridge only to find a whole load of ink still sloshing about inside - iiuc this is a "feature" of epson printers, telling you to replace when they ain't empty so you're not trying to printer using an empty one which would be bad for the printer (ish)

So, anyone gone the refillable route ? Do you top them up every couple of days or wait for the printer to tell you then top up and "reset the chip" (you have to do that, right ?! to make them re-recognizable by the printer, right ?!).

:confused:
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Comments

  • Andrew_BallardAndrew_Ballard Posts: 1,054
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    I use my printer *so* infrequently (which actually increases the cost per page somewhat) that the bother & hazzards of refilling don't make sense for me, but years back I did use refills and noticed the print quality suffered *slightly*. This was when printers were still using parallel cables and I was 15 :/ But it was worth it, saved me a small fortune I never had. It might be worth buying a printer/brand that offers the best value on ink cartridges (which rules out epson and the cheapest printers) if you will be printing a lot. Avoid combined colour ink cartridge printers for sure if economy concerns you.
  • zwixxxzwixxx Posts: 10,295
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    I use the non-epson inks, getting each (black, blue, red, yellow) for < £1 each, so am already saving bucket load vs a combined coloured ink printer and/or using the official epson inks. It's just throwing away a 1/4 full cartridge is most irritating.
  • noise747noise747 Posts: 30,692
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    I used to refill when I had my old lexmark, but never bothered with the cannon as third party cartridges are so cheap. Since you have got a Epson, it will be even cheaper.
    The only time I would bother with refills is if I had a bulk ink system, but my printer is too old to spend money on now.
  • neo_walesneo_wales Posts: 13,625
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    I use Epson clone cartridges myself without problem. That said I only use the printer for a couple of aged relatives when I print pictures of the grand children and the occasional letter/documents/presentations.

    I had three complete sets for about £8 delivered IIRC the last time I bought any. I've personally not bothered refilling for fifteen or more years.
  • breppobreppo Posts: 2,433
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    I've been using clone cartridges for my old Epson R300 printer for many years.
    Sadly I had to replace the Epson with a Canon printer and I changed to ARC (auto-reset) refillable cartridges that I bought in China on E-bay. Together with some Easy Refill bottles - no need for syringes! - fill straight from the bottle without mess.
    The ink I buy in Germany, made by the company that makes almost all the ink for the big brands.
    I've been refilling for half a year now and it works great.
    It's cheap, good quality and no mess,
  • tojoxjtojoxj Posts: 668
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    I had an Epson and I started to use compatibles, and thats when the trouble started. When I would replace them I would get an error message telling me that one cartridge was not right. I would replace that, and then was told that another wasnt right, I was going round in circles. I asked about this in a computer shop and was told that I should bring the printer to the recycle dump.
    I then bought a HP and wouldnt dare use a compatible again.
  • zwixxxzwixxx Posts: 10,295
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    Darn it. Making a decision would be much simpler if everyone had the exact same experience. :)
  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
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    I never use refilled or compatible cartridges. I don't trust them. If I can I always try to use the real thing. They are so expensive though!
  • breppobreppo Posts: 2,433
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    Here's a link:to ARC cartridges with ink.
  • dearmrmandearmrman Posts: 21,435
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    I never use refilled or compatible cartridges. I don't trust them. If I can I always try to use the real thing. They are so expensive though!

    Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a new printer each time, rather than use the real cartridges.
  • breppobreppo Posts: 2,433
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    dearmrman wrote: »
    Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a new printer each time, rather than use the real cartridges.

    It would seem so, but the cartridges that ship with the printers are usually only half full.
  • flagpoleflagpole Posts: 44,641
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    refilling seems appropriate for the printers that have the print head on the cartridge.

    this is not the case with epsons and compatible ink is pretty good.
  • psionicpsionic Posts: 20,188
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    I don't bother with refills any more. Had very mixed results with compatible ink/toner with various different printers over the years. Sometimes great, sometimes poor.

    Anyway I rarely print that much these days, and make use of draft/economy modes when I do. So I now stick to the original ink or toner.
  • flagpoleflagpole Posts: 44,641
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    psionic wrote: »
    I don't bother with refills any more. Had very mixed results with compatible ink/toner with various different printers over the years. Sometimes great, sometimes poor.

    Anyway I rarely print that much these days, and make use of draft/economy modes when I do. So I now stick to the original ink or toner.

    i always print in high quality mode.

    because i use compatibles.
  • SnowStorm86SnowStorm86 Posts: 17,273
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    I tried using "Tesco's Own" HP cartridges one time for my printer. Although the printer accepted these unofficial cartridges it would quite often flash up messages when I print something, saying "your ink could be counterfeit" which would become tiresome. I would worry that this would also happen if I were to use refillable cartridges. A second problem I had was after the Tesco cartridges ran out I had to remove the print head and thoroughly clean all the gunk off it as it was causing the printer to have some kind of meltdown. All in all, not a great experience.
  • flagpoleflagpole Posts: 44,641
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    hp have a very different model to epson.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 36,630
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    It depends on the printer make and cartridge type.

    Surprisingly I've had excellent results with the ultra cheap printer cartridge refill kit from Home Bargains (£1.99). It comes with a tool to drill into the cartridge, a syringe to refill and three colour and one cleaning fluid bottle as well as some rubber stoppers to reseal the holes. The black ink version comes with three bottles of black ink. It's very easy to do but can get a bit messy.

    I put down a few sheets of newspaper, and wear latex gloves when refilling but the trick is to refill slowly. Print quality is actually very good, and photos I printed a couple of years ago are still excellent and haven't faded.

    As it's cheap it's perhaps worth a try, and if you aren't happy with the results you've only lost a few quid.

    My older printer is an Epson Photo750. It's something like 10 years old now and over the years I have used a mixture of Epson and compatible cartridges without much issue.

    One thing with Epson printers though, the print head is in the printer (at least on the older models, not sure if they have changed that) not the cartridge and it can, and does, get clogged if it isn't used regularly. The ink dries and blocks the print heads. It's easy enough but a bit fiddly to soften and clean out the dried ink though.

    I've never had a problem with nearly all the compatible cartridges I have used with it over the years though, apart from some I bought at Tesco five/six years ago. They worked but the black gave text a very "feathered" look, probably because the black ink was too watery so was soaking into the paper more than the others, and taking longer to dry.
  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
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    dearmrman wrote: »
    Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a new printer each time, rather than use the real cartridges.

    It probably would be, but why do that if the printer is already working very well?
  • EarakeEarake Posts: 1,808
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    It probably would be, but why do that if the printer is already working very well?

    Perhaps because it's cheaper ?

    I can see this discussion going round in circles :D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,168
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    I have very funny memories of my dad refilling a cartridge in the late 90s, there was ink everywhere and he had magenta hands for days :D Needless to say it was the one and only time!

    The pre bought refilled cartridges are generally OK though. I find inkjets knack up regardless of manufacturer or 3rd party ink being used.
  • scruffpotscruffpot Posts: 4,570
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    http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/printchainstore/

    I use these people cheap cheerful and very speedy with delivery. never had a problem in the 40 odd cartridges i have bought from them
  • noise747noise747 Posts: 30,692
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    I never use refilled or compatible cartridges. I don't trust them. If I can I always try to use the real thing. They are so expensive though!

    I just had a look on ebuyer to see when I got my Canon, 11/07/2006, which means it is just over 7 years old and apart from the ink that came with the printer I have never used Canon ink and always got third party and my printer is still going strong. true, some are better than others in print quality, but once you get a good one you normally keep with it.
  • alanwarwicalanwarwic Posts: 28,396
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    Most of my printing is now black and white and when my expensive colour laser went up the spout I got my cheap Dell all-in-one printer out of the cupboard.

    The colour cartridge worked fine despite being unused for 2 years but it soon went empty on me.
    I simply bought a bottle of blank ink, refilled all three colours with black and its been perfect since.

    I also found a hidden setting to turn off the warning message so it its hassle free too.
    Maybe it will last near forever in that even when 2 of the jets break, one jet should still produce usable black.
  • s2ks2k Posts: 7,410
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    I don't currently have a printer but if I did I'd get a laser so as to avoid this whole problem of inks drying up through lack of use. Alternatively if it was an inkjet it would have to be one that had an efficient system to begin with (so combined colour carts are out the window straight away).

    I would personally never buy remanufactured inks since I have seen countless printers trashed by them. The print quality is also generally a lot worse and the likelyhood of getting a duff unit seems to be way too high for my liking.

    Its all a moot point though really since printers are awful things that serve no purpose but to cause misery while completely contradicting the ideology of a paperless office.
  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
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    Earake wrote: »
    Perhaps because it's cheaper ?

    I can see this discussion going round in circles :D

    True dat :p I've had my current printer for several years and will hopefully be hanging onto it until it snuffs it or it becomes nearly impossible to get ink.
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