HIT: Refilling Laser Ink Cartridges

[Kathy Walker <Walker3715@AOL.COM>]

I received several viewpoints on the subject of refilling laser ink
cartridges and a couple of requests for the information I received so I am
posting a hit.  Hope this info is helpful for someone else, too.  Thanks to a
great group!!

Kathy Walker
Library Media Specialist
McCrorey-Liston Elem. School
Rt. 1, Box 154
Blair, SC  29015
walker3715@aol.com

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Based on actual use of various cartidges, we found that original
cartridges, either Apple or HP, gave far more copies/load and therefore
were cheaper in the long run.

TonerTuner, from Working Software in Santa Cruz, CA allows you to set the
ink density with each print command (it shows up in the print dialog box)
-- if you do a large amount of draft copies, 50% black is plenty dark
enough to read and you extend the use of the cartridge even further.

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I have an HP laser jet printer.  We have a vendor who will come and pick
up the used-up cartridge and bring us a remanufactured and refilled one.
The cost is about half of what a new one costs.  I am sure an office
supply or computer store in your area will refill the same way.  I have
had no problem with the refilled ones.  In fact, since the only new ones
were the very first ones I bought, I have only had refilled/remanufactured
ones.  (Ask if the cartridges are remanufactured because that means they
were checked over for defects and repaired before refilling. A
remanufactured and refilled cartridge is the more desirable one.)
Hope this helps.

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I have the toner cartridge for my Apple Laserwriter II refilled all the
time. I have had this printer for six years and it has been very
dependable.  It has now made well over 200,000 prints.  It costs 35.00 for
a refill (it may be more in other environments because the technical
services department does it).  The cartridges can be refilled many times;
however, at some point you may have to replace a part.  I highly recommend
refills as opposed to the high cost of replacement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I had one experience with refilling cartridges on my Hewlitt Packard 694C and
didn't enjoy it. Ink leaked in the printer and print smudged too easily. I
may have not put in right but it was enough to convince me to stay with
purchasing cartridges.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our library experimented with having toner cartridges for fiche
reader/printers refilled.  It sounded great - it was half the price.   It
was a disaster!

1)  We decided to only have one refill done for each cartridge since
there's a mechanism in the cartridge that gives out after about 5000
copies.   Our vendor guaranteed that we would get our cartridges back.
Wrong!   We got cartridges back that weren't ours (from a different
company, not our markings).   Who knows how many times these were filled?
2) We got empty cartridges back - somehow they slipped through.   Then
they insisted that WE pay to ship them back for the refill!
3)  We got cartridges back with colored toner in them - and boy, did that
mess up the machines!   We had several hundred dollars in repair bills,
and when we told them that the blue toner messed up our machines, they
swore they didn't send us blue toner.   (The fact that we were looking at
blue toner spilling out of the cartridge didn't hold any water with
them.)
4) The toner spilled out all over the inside of the reader/printers -
what a mess! - and more repair bills!

The experiment lasted about one year.   We are back buying cartridges new
each time, and haven't had any repair problems associated with the
cartridges.

I realize that these are not for computer printers, but you asked for our
experiences, so here they are.   I'd advise you to "bite the bullet" and
buy new cartridges each time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have a company here that does it for us $45 per cart. any style and they
pickup and deliver for that price and guarntee them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I use a company called Recharge Enterprise to refill my HP laserjet
cartridges.  The quality is excellent.  You can contact them to see if
they can do yours.
Recharge Enterprise
201 1/2 N Pierce St
PO Box 22
Delphos, Ohio  45833
1-800-253-8634

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