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So if you get a bottle of each ink you are ready to refill? Sorry, no. It is not quite that easy. You
need to learn a little about how an inkjet printer cartridge works.
If you think about the name "inkjet" you will understand part of the technology. The principle of how the
cartridge works is to shoot ink out through jets in the print head. The ink is heated during this process, which helps to create a fine spray through the jet.
So in any cartridge, there are three variables:
How many jets or nozzles are there in the cartridge How quickly is ink pushed through the jets What temperature is reached in the process
To properly fill a cartridge, you need to use an ink that is designed to work under the specific conditions that apply
to that cartridge. These conditions vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and also from cartridge to cartridge from the same manufacturer.
In addition, you need to be aware that some cartridges use a dye based ink, whilst others use a pigmented
ink. High success rates will not be achieved by using the wrong sort of ink.
So someone tells you that you can use "universal" ink. This is often what is advertised on TV and elsewhere in
refill kits. A universal ink is one that will work in a lot of cartridges, but this is "lowest common denominator" stuff. It is not designed for the specific cartridge you are refilling, but it works
reasonably well in a lot of cartridges. This is why we stock different inks for various cartridges: the best inks are designed to work with the particular cartridge's characteristics. Your success rate
with such ink will be very much higher--and your customer will get a very high standard product with sharp blacks and clear colours, not a washed out effect. Therefore your customer will come back for more--and
recommend you to friends.
How Much Ink Do I Buy
Having done the science, now we do the maths.
The typical fill of an HP 51645 cartridge is 42ml of ink. On that basis, you will get enough in a kilo of ink to
fill 22 cartridges (allowing a little for wastage.)
Colour cartridges take between 7 and 15ml of each colour
of ink. So three kilos of ink will fill between 60-140 cartridges.
To estimate your ink usage:
Decide how many cartridges of a type you hope to process in a month Check out the inks required: use this link to look at the cartridge-ink tables to identify the inks to use
Determine the fill of the cartridge. Multiply the fill by the number of cartridges you intend to fill. Remember that the fill in colour
cartridges is spread over three inks. Round up your figure to allow for wastage. The answer is the estimated number of kilos of ink you need for one month's production.
Points to Note:
You buy ink by weight (kilos) but dispense it in mililitres. Ink is sold by weight because of differing
specific gravities (more science). This is why cartridges are always weighed to estimate the volume of ink they contain. We sell ink by the kilo, but can supply in smaller quantities if required. Work out how much you need
and then call us to discuss the figures. We would be happy to check your figures.
And if You are Still Unsure:
Try the Promax Imaging Ltd Ink Calculator. This easy to use Excel spreadsheet lets you enter the number and type
of cartridge you wish to refill. It then works out how much ink you need and prepares an indicative quote. A great tool for the start up company or larger organisations wishing to estimate ink requirements
on a per batch basis. Click this link to obtain a copy.
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