There’s enough pressure in the world without having to defend the character of your ink cartridges. However, if you plan to have an existing cartridge refilled, you may have to face the fact that the cartridge might not cut it.
There are hundreds of companies that refill inkjet and toner cartridges. Refilling, a method of recycling, is a smart thing to do because it saves money and saves the environment from having to choke down one more piece of plastic. With 300 million ink cartridges being thrown out per year in the U.S. alone, it’s really a pretty big deal.
However, cartridges must be able to be in an acceptable condition if they are to be refilled. They must be able to accept ink, of course, and also be able to pass a standard electrical test.
First off, you shouldn’t expect to go into a store that offers refills and wait while the cartridge is refilled. Some places take about 20 minutes to refill an inkjet cartridge, 1-1½ hours for a toner cartridge. You’re better off to leave it and pick up a replacement or go back the next day.
The test the cartridge will be required to take is an electrical test. Simply put, the circuitry on the outside of the cartridge must be functional so that the printer knows when the cartridge is running low or empty. If the circuitry cannot be read, the cartridge cannot be reused. Hence, failure. Apparently, this is a common problem with recycling the little things.
On the bright side, however, there are many ink cartridge remanufacturers that can use even the failed cartridges to make new ones.
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