If you work a few times in your office’s printer, then you have a high risk of letting your printer ink dry out. As a small business owner myself, I have faced this a lot.
As printer ink is costly. So it is not the wisest idea to dry out your ink cartridge. However, the solution could be keeping printer ink fresh. But how?
Well, we have got your back. Because in this article we are sharing every possible method on how to keep printer ink fresh along with some frequently asked questions about printer ink. So, stick here till the end.
The first question that will come up in this situation is, How long does it take for the cartridges to dry out? Right?
How Long Does It Take For Ink Cartridges To Dry Out?
The average time limit for your printer ink to dry out is mainly about 24 months or 2 years. Infrequent use of ink cartridges will cause the inks to settle inside the cartridge and dry. But why do ink cartridges dry out? Well, Improper usage and storage is the main cause behind it.
Now, what will you do? How will you use or save them?
How To Keep An Opened Ink Cartridges From Drying Out
If you have already opened the cartridges from their original packaging and if not using them frequently, then you have to take some measures to preserve them. Follow the steps for how to keep printer ink fresh
Use Ink Cartridges Frequently
You have to keep your ink cartridges active if you want not to let them dry. For this, print several pages for test printing in a week and make sure to use all colors.
This will soak the cartridges with ink inside and the inks won’t get dried easily. It will also relieve you from the pressure of dry ink while printing important documents.
Moisten Cartridges
Moistening cartridges properly will increase the lifespan of your ink cartridges. To Moisten Cartridges
- First, wear safety gloves.
- Then remove the cartridges from the printer and
- After that, wipe them with wet cotton from top to bottom.
Do this with each of the cartridges, especially which are not used so often.
Consider And Adjust The Temperature
You must maintain a suitable temperature in your office. Excess hot or cold temperature is the main reason behind ink cartridges drying out.
So, try to adjust a comfortable temperature for ink cartridges to keep them free from drying out. A comfortable temperature will also be helpful for your office employers.
Store Cartridges In The Correct Manner
To store cartridges, you have to-
Store ink cartridges in an airtight container
You at first have to store it in such a container that fully vacuums or an airtight plastic compartment. In case you don’t have any plastic containers available, then you can use a plastic bag with a zipper to store them.
Make sure there is no air pocket in the plastic bag. Avoid using polyethylene for this purpose.
Place The Cartridges In The Upright Position
Now when you are placing the cartridges, make sure you are placing them in an upright position so that the inks don’t leak. What will be best is to not touch any of the nozzles of the cartridges while storing.
Keep A Piece Of Fabric Inside The Container
Later, when you have placed the cartridges inside the container, take a piece of fabric. Take a wet piece of fabric and then keep that fabric inside the container. This wet fabric will supply the required moisture to the ink for preventing dryness.
But there are some risks while storing opened ink cartridges. We suggest you never open an ink cartridge until you need it. But if you have already opened it without knowing, then you have to be careful while storing it.
However, let us say, if you don’t follow the steps properly, then air will go inside the cartridges and the inks will dry.
How To Store Printer Ink Cartridges
Haven’t opened the cartridges and want to store them properly? Then you must-
- Store them in an upright position
- A dark and cold place is the best place for storing these cartridges. Because sunlight can degrade the ink quality and heat can dry out the inks.
- Lastly, don’t open the cartridges if you don’t need them right away.
That’s the way to store ink cartridges properly!
How To Fix An Ink Cartridge That Is Dried Out
Your inks have already dried up. The worst scenario ever. Now, what to do? How to fix it?
Well, don’t panic. We have the solutions to this problem too. Let’s go to the steps directly-
Clean Printhead
If your inks are dried out due to infrequent use, then at first you can run some cycles of printhead cleaning. You must wait at least 5-6 hours between each print head clean cycle so that the inks get soaked inside properly.
You can check out our guidelines on printhead cleaning for more details.
You can find this feature in every inkjet printer. You will get this option either in your computer or printer settings. If you haven’t, then go for the manual. This is a very effective way and you can get to see the improvement after each cycle.
Soak The Ink Cartridges
It means you have to dip the ink cartridge in warm water. For this take a big bowl of warm water. Keep the cartridge soaked for a couple of minutes and then dry it using a piece of fabric. If this doesn’t work, then rub cotton pads soaked in warm water across the ink cartridge nozzle.
Dissolve Dry Ink With Alcohol
This is similar to warm water and cotton swabs. Rubbing alcohol is also used to clean blocked nozzles.
That’s how you can store your ink cartridges properly and also can fix your dried cartridges. Before we give our final verdict, let us look at some frequent questions that are related to this article.
FAQs
1. Should You Remove Ink Cartridges When It Is Dried Out?
It is a bad idea to remove your ink cartridges completely if they are dried out. Because these ink cartridges are expensive and with just a few tricks it’s possible to reuse the ink cartridges. So, it is not suggested to remove ink cartridges when it’s dried out.
2. Can you store ink cartridges in the fridge?
You should always have to store ink cartridges in a cool and ventilated place. If you want to store cartridges properly, you have to consider the temperature. Because heat can create bubbles and foam in liquid ink. But it is not necessary to keep them in the fridge.
3. How do you seal ink cartridges?
You can seal ink cartridges with tape and clips. For this-
- Take a blue tape and lay it gently overprint head
- Keep your thumb over the printhead and press to hold the tape. Don’t remove your thumb until you place the clip.
- Put the removed board
- Then place the clip over the cartridges.
4. How long does unopened ink last?
The life span for an original ink cartridge is about 24 months or 2 years but a compatible cartridge’s lifespan is approximately 36 months. But due to improper storage and as time passes, inks dried up inside the cartridges. This dried ink settles inside and creates a clog in the printer.
5. Does laserjet ink dry out?
Unlike inkjet printers, toners do not dry out even if you do not use them for a long time. So, if you are using a laserjet printer, you will get this advantage.
6. Can I clean ink cartridges with alcohol?
Yes, you can clean your printer’s ink cartridges with alcohol, especially with isopropyl alcohol There is 1/3 of alcohol and 2/3 of water is in isopropyl alcohol. . For this you have to soak a sponge or cotton swab into the liquid and then clean copper circuit heads.
Final Verdict
Have you got your answer yet?
We tried to explain the procedure readily in this article on how to keep printer ink fresh. We hope this will be helpful for you to take measures to store inks in a way better than before.
So, from now on you don’t have to remove your ink cartridges when they are dried out.
That’s all for today. Have a good day!
