At Cartridge World, we pride ourselves on providing you with superior services and products for all of your imaging needs.

Whether we are refilling an inkjet cartridge, remanufacturing a laser cartridge or helping you to find the perfect OEM or compatible cartridge, meeting your needs and exceeding your expectations are our top priority.

It's our goal to make printing, copying and faxing more cost-effective and easier, so we've put together this Cartridge Care guide to help you get the best results out of all of your cartridges.

INKJET CARTRIDGES
Understanding Your Inkjet Cartridge

Inkjet printer cartridges work on the principle of rapidly heating ink in a series of extremely fine capillary holes known as jets or nozzles that have their own individual microscopic heating elements.

As the print head moves across the page and the print paper moves forward the data sent from the computer is converted in the printer electronics to electronically 'fire' the appropriate jet element at the right time. This forms a bubble of ink, which is deposited onto the paper to form part of a character, whether it is a letter, numeral or graphic, hence the term, 'bubble jet printer'.

A typical cartridge may have between 48 and 416 jets and associated heating elements, depending on the type and manufacturer, with a capability to print 300 to 4800 plus dots per inch.

The ink flowing through the rapidly heating jets is also used to cool them. This gets the heating jets ready again for the next data pulse to cause them to 'fire' again. Through this process the correct operating temperature of each individual jet is maintained.

Special Note: As the ink runs out and the cartridge empties, or if the cartridge has not been used for a long time and a blockage has occurred, jet elements can burn out if printing is continued for any length of time. This renders the cartridge useless for refilling. This condition is known as 'electrically dead'. This can be compared to an old style electric kettle boiling dry, as the element simply burns out.

Indications of ink running out or jets becoming blocked are: parts of printed characters will have lines of missing print area appearing through them or in extreme cases there will be almost no sign of print on the page. When printing color photographs a sudden change of color may occur.

As soon as you observe any print defects occurring immediately cease printing and carry out the print head cleaning procedure for one or two cycles. Carry out a nozzle or print test and repeat the clean cycle and print test if the first attempt is unsatisfactory.

Refer to your printer operation manual for full details on how to carry out these functions.

Should you still not obtain satisfactory results, the cartridge is probably empty. Note with a color cartridge one color usually runs out before the others. Do not continue printing with the remaining colors as the jets of the one that has run out will probably burn out.

In all cases of your cartridge running out of ink take it to your Local Cartridge World Store.

Getting the Most From Your Inkjet Cartridges

Follow these tips to save money and keep your printer in top condition:

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.

Don't shake your cartridge! This can damage your cartridge, making it impossible to refill.

Have the cartridge refilled as soon as possible (within a week). 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 printhead. Do not touch the copper plate on the printhead with your fingers. Use the printers cleaning cycle (refer to your printer manual). If this fails to clear the problem, call us for the best solution.

Don't leave the cartridge in a hot car. This causes the ink to expand and leak.
Keep color cartridges upright. The colors will cross contaminate if left on its side.

Special instructions apply to Epson inkjet cartridges. Please contact one of our stores for more information.
After installing a new or refilled cartridge, print at least 2 test pages to settle the new cartridge.

LASER TONER CARTRIDGES
Getting the Most From Your Laser Cartridges

Follow these tips to save money and keep your printer in top condition:

• When empty, store your laser cartridge in its original plastic bag and cardboard box. If you don't have the packaging, place it in a plastic bag in a dark area.

• Some parts in these cartridges are light sensitive and can be damaged when exposed to excessive light.

• Have the cartridge refilled as soon as possible.

Things You Should Know About Your Laser Toner Cartridges

• Laser toner cartridges operate with high voltage and an extremely fine toner powder that is placed onto the print paper via a magnetic developer roller, a laser beam process and an electro photographic light sensitive drum.

• The electrically charged characters, formed in toner, are placed onto the print paper that is also electrically charged to hold them in place. The paper is then passed through a relatively high temperature fuser roller that melts the characters and permanently fixes them onto the paper.

• The drums are susceptible to damage from exposure to light, especially bright sunlight. Drum shutters reasonably protect some types, while others have a shutter and a slot where light can readily fall on a strip of drum surface.

• When transporting a laser cartridge for remanufacture, the following should be observed:

• Place the cartridge in a black plastic bag and a suitable carton.

• Do not expose the cartridge to direct sunlight or room light.

• Do not attempt to open the cartridge.

• Do not leave in motor vehicles for any length of time, as even on a cool day the temperature can exceed safe levels.

• Store cartridges in normal room temperature.

• Keep the packaging from new and rebuilt cartridges for future transport.

• Toner is not harmful, however if your hands or clothes become stained with toner, wash your hands with lukewarm water and soap. For clothes, simply brush off outside 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.

Laser Cartridges: Remanufactured vs Refilled
At Cartridge World We Remanufacture!

There is a big difference between a refilled cartridge and one that has been remanufactured. A refilled cartridge has been drilled out and new toner placed inside. Refilled cartridges are usually good for 1 - 2 times after the initial use. Since the drum and other parts are not being replaced this can cause many problems. Unfortunately, this has given the remanufacturing industry a bad reputation.

A remanufactured cartridge is opened to replace the consumable items such as toner, gears, drum blades and any other parts that need replacing. Once the cartridge has been remanufactured, it is tested to ensure a quality print is achieved.

Most of the large manufacturers such as Canon, Hewlett Packard (HP) and Lexmark have recycling programs that allow them to re-use parts. In most cases the cartridge you are buying 'new' is in fact a remanufactured cartridge. Many of HP's cartridges contain new and recycled parts. In most cases the cartridge you are buying 'new' is in fact a remanufactured cartridge.

Facts About Ink and Paper
Ink Onto Paper

With bubble jet 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 Structure of Paper

Paper is made up of cellulose fibers from trees and other like materials. During the making of the paper the fibers form a mesh, with a 60:40 ratio, 60% of the fibers run in one direction, and the other 40% lie at right angles

Paper is also 5% (average) 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, where Bond paper, frequently found in office letters, is a high-grade paper with many finishing chemical additives.

The Composition of Ink

Ink is made up of a coloring agent, a carrier body, a solvent that keeps it liquid until it leaves the print head, and various chemical stabilizers.

The Coloring Agent may be either a dye or a pigment, regardless of the color. 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 then added to the carrier body.

How the Ink and Paper Work with Each Other

Dye-based ink actually soaks into the cellulose fibers, giving a far richer color. The trade-off is that absolute sharpness in 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 fiber. This results in a clear image, but the color 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.

Warranty Certificate

Cartridge World uses only the best quality imaging supplies and guarantees that cartridges refilled by our company will perform as well as the original equipment manufactures supplies under similar conditions.

Our toners and inks are sourced from top suppliers the world over, and are each uniquely formulated for the many different cartridges available. Our extensive range of testing equipment is further assurance of our commitment to quality control and customer satisfaction. Worn parts are replaced if necessary so that our cartridges produce sharp black text, vibrant colors, with clear graphics.

If you are dissatisfied with the results of any of our refilled cartridges, please return the cartridge within 90 days of purchase together with receipt of purchase to the Cartridge World store where purchased. The Cartridge World store will either, repair the faulty cartridge, credit the full amount against a new cartridge or provide a full refund in exchange for the faulty cartridge.

In the unlikely event of a claim that a Cartridge World product may have caused damage to the printing mechanism of your equipment, please contact your Cartridge World store with proof of purchase, they will provide advice or a qualified service technician to address any issues –at no cost to you.

This warranty is in addition and does not affect your statutory rights under local legislation.

Download the Warranty Certificate