How to refill printer ink cartridges

If you want to refill printer cartridges yourself, you can save a lot of money. We’ve got the best tips for you.

What you need to change printer cartridges

Make sure that no air bubbles form in the cartridge during filling. Such an air bubble can – if it sits in front of the nozzle – prevent ink transport. Even low or high pressure often fail to impress air bubbles once they have settled in, since the air can compress and expand again easily.
Depending on the printer and cartridge model, additional hurdles build up, such as security chips or coding, which you have to deal with separately. Moreover, you have to be aware of the fact that there may be slight deviations in terms of colors, light and abrasion resistance.
So check the Internet first to find out which refilling method you need to use and what additional considerations may need to be taken into account.
We do not recommend storing refilled cartridges, as they are or were usually open in several places and tend to dry out quickly.
Incidentally, the gentlest way to remove ink residue from your hands is with soft soap.

Time needed: 20 minutes.

Usually every ink printer cartridge can be refilled. Here’s how it works in most cases:

Remove sticker
Remove the sticker on the top of the printer cartridge.
Make a hole into the ink tank
To be able to fill the ink into the cartridge you need to make a hole into the ink tank of the cartridge. Some cartridges may have a button to open the cartridge, depending on the manufacturer of the cartridge.
Draw up ink into the syringe
Draw up enough ink with the syringe.
Fill up the ink tank
Carefully and slowly fill up the ink tank.
Let the ink tank rest
Leave the ink tank open for about 15 minutes to let any air bubbles escape.
Close the hole to the ink tank
Either place the removed sticker over the hole or close it with a drop of hot glue.
Put the cartridge back into printer
Put the ink cartridge back into your printer and deactivate the ink level indicator to avoid constant error messages.
Print a test page
Print out a test page to make sure the printer recognizes and uses the ink correctly.

There are some alternatives to refilling single-use ink cartridges for your printer yourself:

You can use the service of ink stations in supermarkets to get your cartridges refilled by a professional.
For some printers you also have the option to send in your old, empty cartridges and get refilled cartridges in return. The cartridges are cleaned and refilled by the manufacturer.
When buying a new printer, you can choose a printer that has refillable cartridges. The refilling process then is very simple and quick. Also, these cartridges are better for the environment.