Overfilling HP Color Ink Cartridges
by Barry Shultz
There is a situation that concerns most HP
refillers. In our refilling instructions we use a
suggested amount of ink that TYPICALLY will
sufficiently charge the cartridge without
overfilling it. This is just a guide and sometimes
an overfill can occur. What do you do then?
When you overfill a cartridge there is a great risk
of one color overflowing into the chamber of the
color next to it resulting in cross chamber
contamination. It can definitely cause a quick death
to that cartridge if it is excessive.
The best thing you can do is try to siphon all the
ink out of the cartridge with your injector and
inject a cleaning solvent. Siphon out the solvent,
rinse and repeat as necessary.
This can be very time consuming so a little bit of
preemptive measure may save you a lot of time and
frustration. Lets examine some of the things that
can be done to prevent this in the first place.
By inserting a toothpick into the refill holes, or
vent holes, you can get a better gauge of how much
ink is in each chamber. Use a new toothpick in each
chamber so you don't contaminate the ink. Keep in
mind that HP "D" cartridges only hold 19ml of ink,
half that of an "A" cartridge.
Another gauge would be more difficult but a lot of
people report success using it. This is the "page
gauge". You can keep track of how many photos you
print (or any print that uses a lot of color) and
when you reach a pre-determined number of pages you
know it's time to top off your cartridges. Each user
will have a different page gauge depending on their
usage and it make take a little while to figure out
what it is for your particular situation.
While we're on the subject I want to point out that
cross contamination is not always caused by
overfilling. Another effect called "nozzle
migration" can also contaminate the colors. Nozzle
migration occurs when the print head comes in
contact with a non absorbing surface such as a
plastic baggie or print head tape improperly
applied. Or even a kitchen table.
The inks can migrate across the print head by
capillary action contaminating the other color
chambers. Before applying print head tape it is
ESSENTIAL that the print head is completely dry of
any ink build up. Also do NOT store color cartridges
in a plastic bag without some protection to the
print head. The best protection is a cartridge clip.
I learned this the hard way. One time I had a load
of virgin HP color cartridges that I sent off the
remanufacturer. I got the whole shipment
back because I tediously wrapped each one in plastic
bags without anything protecting the print heads.
Every one had nozzle migration and they rejected
them all. What a waste!
Actually the effects of nozzle migration may go away
by itself by using the cartridge, If it's not too
bad, that is. Printing out a color test pattern a
few times can help a lot.
About the Author
Barry Shultz is the author of Atlascopy News, and
President of Atlascopy, Inc. Atlascopy specialized
in affordable alternatives to the high cost of
printer supplies. Sign up for the Atlascopy
Newsletter and get 10% coupons every week in your
email.
http://atlascopy.com/signup_new.htm
Go to Atlascopy to save a bundle on your printer and
refilling supplies.
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