Anyone refill their own ink cartridges?

[rosewishes]

Has anyone had success with this? How difficult is it and how much do you save? Any suggestions?

I've heard, if it is done incorrectly it will make the heads a mess.

I bought a cartridge for my HP Deskjet 4480 the other day, app. $18 at Walgreens and have ran through the ink already, printing coupons only. The clerk told me, had I brought in the cartridge, he could have refilled it for about $14.

I do realize I could have gotten it a few dollars cheaper elsewhere, but just didn't want to make the longer drive.

[Kristix3]

In the past I refilled mine at Walgreens, but it would run out of ink soooo fast! Now that ink cartridges are $14.50 at Walmart I just go ahead and buy them new (usually along with a MM overages list) and I know I have at least 200 pages. When it starts acting like it's low, I shake it like a mad woman and I can usually get another 25-30 pages. I think I was paying around $12-$14 for the refill anyway.

[couponclippingchristian]

Yes i do. Especially for the black ink. However.... if you have two black ink cartridges, the printer acts like the wrong ink is in the printer slot if you use the same black ink "brand" to fill both of those cartridges. So, get a different brand of black ink and mark them so they arent mixed up. Or, get one cheaper black cartridge, and just use the 'cheap' black refill ink for the other cartridge. I use the cheap refill for my larger one.

Note: Do all the ink change over some newspaper in the kitchen sink. WEAR the gloves! It will get all over your fingers.
Make sure you poke a hole in the cartridge and follow those directions before you put the ink in the syringe. Dont lay the cartridge down once you fill it, and PLUG the bottom with your glove on your way over to the printer to put in the slot after filled. Oh yeah, wear clothes you dont care about. Not that you will spill anything on you, but it's possible.

Try it a few times, once you get the hang of it you'll save money on that ink!

[couponclippingchristian]

Yes, but the refill ink refills a cartridges 3-4 times, versus one cartridge per $12 - 15$ at walmart.

[rosewishes]

Hi Kristix3

Thank you for the reply.

I'm afraid I wasn't clear about the refill. I didn't mean taking the cartridge somewhere to get it filled, but actually filling it oneself, with an ink and syringe kit.

I checked youtube and for some cartridges, seems fairly easy - others, not so much. Mine is an easier one, pretty much stick, fill and wipe.

[Kristix3]

Oh, Okay. My friend does that and she says that it's wayyyy cheaper. The only down side is she only has black ink, no color. I haven't tried yet but I should!

[brianswife2009]

Are their only certain printers that you can refill the ink cartridges yourself? I have an Epson nx230, does anybody know if that can be refilled with a syringe on my own?

[Marie5656]

I have done both...taking them in for refil, and using a refill kit. I, personally, did not like it at all. Being cheaper was not worth it for me. The refilled ones always seemed to not work at all, or not have as much ink in them as new. I also had issues with them leaking inside the printer, and causing a mess. I really did not have any positive experiences with it. Now I am going the route of taking empty cartridges to Staples and putting credit on my rewards card, then using the credits toward buying new ones.

[CurtisBeers]

Now I am going the route of taking empty cartridges to Staples and putting credit on my rewards card, then using the credits toward buying new ones.

How much do you get for each used cartridge when you bring it back to Staples? Does the original cartridge have to be purchased from Staples? Thanks!!

[rosewishes]

CurtisBeers - I think it is $2 per cartridge and it doesn't matter where the cartridge came from.

Details here:

Staplesrewardscenter.com®

or just go to the staples.com page and scroll down to the bottom, look for the Staples Rewards.

My understanding is they will take many different kinds, you don't have to turn in just the one type you need... also heard, sometimes they impose a limit on how many can be turned in.