Want to Save on Printing Costs? Refill Your Ink and Toner Cartridges
It’s no secret to anyone who owns a printer that replacing cartridges is expensive. A United States resident can purchase about 2,652 gallons of regular gas for the same cost as a single gallon of printer ink. When buying new ink and cartridges is so expensive, having a cheap alternative can save you a lot of money.
So why not start refilling toner cartridges?
Refilling toner cartridges is a little more work than going out to Staples and buying a replacement cartridge, but the money you save is almost always worth the cost.
You can buy printer toner refills from most places that sell office supplies or ink cartridges. Just make sure that the refill kit you buy is compatible with your cartridges and printer. Otherwise you may risk damaging your printer or reducing the quality of your prints.
Most kits come with very specific instructions for refilling toner cartridges. Make sure you follow them to the letter, especially when it comes to safety measures. For instance, you should usually be wearing a dustmask and gloves when refilling toner cartridges. Most ink and toner isn’t dangerous, but some can act as carcinogens, so it’s best to be safe.
Be sure to refill your cartridges before they completely run out. If they’re almost empty, they run the risk of drying out and blocking the flow of the new ink you put in. When you know you’re starting to run out of ink, that’s when you should refill the cartridge.
If you don’t feel comfortable doing the refill yourself, you can send it away to a cartridge service that will do it for you. Another alternative is to send your cartridge in for recycling and buy remanufactured cartridges, which have been refilled by a third party already. They’re usually cheaper than original manufacturer cartridges and work just as well.