10 Tips for the Care and Feeding of your Inkjet Cartridges
Cartridges need to be handled with care and kept in a friendly environment. When treated with respect, these creatures will be loyal and work for you through multiple refills. Follow these simple rules to keep your cartridges and printers happy and healthy.
- Cartridges don’t like drying out. When not in their home (printer cradle), they prefer the comfort of a plastic bag, or to be wrapped in a plastic blanket, keeping them moist, healthy and happy. Whether the cartridges need some more ink to feed on or if they have just been fed, providing them with a plastic shelter will help keep them in good working condition.
- Don’t let your cartridges starve. When you notice they are running low on ink bring them in for a feeding. A cartridge that still has a little ink left will perform better than a cartridge that has been starved and is completely out of ink. By feeding your cartridges when they get hungry many problems can be avoided. Important Note: Don’t let your cartridges stay hungry and on vacation for more than a month. After a month, your cartridge may become lazy and not want to go back to work.
- Cartridges like to sleep head down. This keeps cartridges properly hydrated, and prevents them from drying out prematurely.
- Cartridges are creatures of habit. Once they have found an ink they like to eat, they don’t want to go anywhere else. While our ingredients are compatible with the original manufacturers’ all restaurants may not be. Feeding your cartridge at another restaurant may cause indigestion.
- Do not shake your cartridge, this can cause damage to your cartridge’s insides and they may not be able to keep ink down.
- A cartridge’s home needs to be cleaned and dusted regularly to keep them in good physical shape. The easiest way to maintain a healthy environment is to periodically run the printer head cleaning program. Instructions should be included with your printer’s housewarming kit.
- When using color cartridges it is important to bring in the cartridge for a feeding as soon as you notice that one of the colors is not feeling well-acting sluggish or not showing up for work. Cyan, Magenta and Yellow are triplets and neglecting one will affect the stamina of the others. If all three colors are starved, their ability to work may be irreparable harmed.
- Cartridges need help getting into their cradle. Sometimes they may look like they don’t want to climb in. Be patient with your cartridge so that you don’t damage them. Your house warming kit should come with instructions for introducing a cartridge to their residence. A cartridge’s circuit board is very fragile. Try not to touch or scratch this as it could scar your cartridge and cause permanent damage.
- If your cartridge is acting out and not behaving like it should bring it in for a checkup. The faster we receive your cartridge the more accurately we can diagnose the problem and attempt to provide a cure. Bringing in a sample if their work may also help in diagnosis.
Cartridges thrive in moderate temperatures. They do not like winter when it is very cold or the high temperatures in summer. Whether they are on vacation or at home, always keep your cartridges at room temperature. Try to avoid prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures, direct sunlight and open flam