Tips & Advice

Cartridge World ensures that the ink and toner we use to refill your empty cartridge is top quality, and also compatible with your printer to produce high quality documents. After we've refilled your cartridge, follow these tips to keep your printer and cartridges in top condition. Taking these steps will help you save money in the long run.

Inkjet cartridge care:

Never let a cartridge run out of ink completely. Your inkjet will burn out if it continues to fire while the supply of ink is cut off. Always have a replacement cartridge on hand. If the cartridge is showing 'empty', have it refilled or replaced immediately.

The cartridge cannot be stored for an indefinite period.

When lines and/or missing dots form on your text or graphics, it's time to clean the print head. Do not touch the copper plate on the print head with your fingers. Use the printer’s cleaning cycle. Refer to your printer manual for instructions. If this fails to clear the problem, call us for the best solution.

Do not leave the cartridge in a hot car. This causes the ink to expand and leak.

Keep colour cartridges upright. The colours will cross-contaminate if cartridges are left on their side.

After installing a new or refilled cartridge, print at least two test pages to settle the new cartridge.

Laser toner cartridge care:

Do not attempt to open the cartridge.

Do not leave the cartridge in your car for any length of time, as even on a cool day, slightly elevated temperatures can distort the plastic in the cartridge.

Store cartridges at normal room temperature.

Some parts in these cartridges are light sensitive, so store away from excessive light to avoid damage.

Once your cartridge is empty, store it in its original plastic bag and cardboard box.

Have the cartridge refilled as soon as possible.

If your hands or clothes become stained with toner, wash them with lukewarm water and soap. For clothes, simply brush off outdoors in the open air. Do not wash toner-stained clothes in hot water, as the toner will set into a permanent stain. Use cold water only.

Facts about ink & paper:

Ink on Paper

With inkjet printers, liquid ink is projected onto the paper to form an image. Before we see how the ink and paper interact, let's look at the structure of ink and paper.

The Composition of Ink

Ink is made up of a colouring agent, a carrier body, a solvent that keeps it liquid until it leaves the print head, and various chemical stabilizers. The colouring agent may be either a dye or a pigment, regardless of the colour. The difference is that a dye is a chemical solution, and the pigment is a mineral oxide, ground exceptionally fine, and put into a chemical compound. Both are then added to the carrier body.

The Structure of Paper

Paper is made up of cellulose fibres from trees and other similar materials. During the making of the paper the fibres form a mesh, with 60% of the fibres running in one direction, and the other 40% lying at right angles.

Paper is also approximately 5% water. If it weren't, it would be as brittle as an autumn leaf. Paper is also chemically treated and finished depending on the end use. For example, newspaper is a very coarse paper, whereas bond paper, frequently used for office letters, is a high-grade paper with many finishing chemical additives.

How the Ink and Paper Work with Each Other

Dye-based ink soaks into the cellulose fibre of the paper, giving it a far richer colour than pigment-based ink. The trade-off is that absolute sharpness is not achievable.

Pigment-based ink behaves completely differently. The ink is projected at the paper, the carrier body then evaporates, and the pigment adheres to the paper fibre. This results in a clear image, but the colour doesn't have the saturation of dye-based ink.

Note: If you have any problems with the ink not drying, or soaking through the paper, change to a different type of paper.