Inkjet Cartridge

Guide: Making An Inkjet Cartridge Last Longer

Inkjet cartridges don't last forever. Sometime during the life of one, the nozzles will wear out and become damaged, they will dry up, or they will run out. Replacing them isn't cheap and therefore all the steps to extending the life of these small ink cubes should be taken.

It all starts with new habits. If you change your existing maintenance routine a little bit it is guaranteed that you will extend the life of a cartridge by at least 1 week give or take depending on your printer usage. Also keep in mind that you can reasonably expect an Inkjet Cartridge to perform well for 3 to 4 refills, after that you should replace them if you want to keep having the wonderful printings.

- Expiration dates: Checking the expiration dates on the package before buying it is something that you must do. This will be beneficial to you even if you plan on refilling just because you don't want to start out with a short cartridge. Note: Cartridges do not usually work past expiration date even if they have been refilled or haven't been used so take this into consideration.

- Cut down: When you don't need to use the printer don't. If you want to know how your printing will look use "print preview" instead of printing the page to check what it looks like. When you print your hard copy try to avoid errors and unwanted content to prevent large amounts of ink usage.

- Clean up: The print cartridge should be cleaned frequently in order to prevent it from building up ink and dust on the very delicate nozzles. If you do regular maintenance on them you will catch the small problems that can save you from having a can't-fix-it-buy-a-new-one issue. If you can avoid these small issues then do so.

- Print Daily: I know that I previously said to ensure minimal usage by preventing printings for previews, but printing material each day can keep the ink from drying up in the nozzles therefore not clogging up the cartridge. This is up to you though; you should not feel that if you don't print daily your cartridge will dry up. This is just a step that can be taking in prolonging the life of your Inkjet Cartridge. Sometimes it's best to just print a picture that has a rich amount of color every two days; this can have the same effect and save you ink all together.

- Run Cleaning Cartridge: If you've never used one of these before then you should try it. They will fix small problems and make your ink cartridge run better once installed again.

- Refill after first low ink warning: Taking your time to refill the cartridge after it's already warned you that it's low is a mistake. It should not happen that way. Once it lets you know the first time that it's running low take action! Letting a cartridge stand near-empty for too long will cause the ink to clog up in the nozzles and lower the life expectancy that you could otherwise have.

Now that you know these tips and instructions make sure to follow them. Be responsible and take actions you know you can and should. Inkjet cartridges are something that we need to take care of daily especially if we expect our printings to be high quality and if we expect our printer to last longer.