The manufacturers of print cartridges and original printer units are understandably unenthusiastic about the refill option. Refills can lead to irreparable damage of the printer, says Ottmar Korbmacher from printer maker Epson.
If dust particles penetrate into the cartridge, then the printer head can be destroyed. The same applies to small air bubbles in the ink. There’s a reason why original ink cartridges are produced using a complicated procedure involving a dust-free room, Korbmacher says.
Interested in the benefits of the refill but afraid of the risks? An ink refill station is a middle path. They will handle the refill duties - for a price. Even so, it’s cheaper than buying new. Yet there are also potential hidden risks at play. Some unethical operators fill less ink than they should to save money. “But there’s no way for the consumer to recognise this,” Heise says.
Another issue: many ink refill shops are in fact relatively inexperienced at the craft. It’s a good idea to perform a test of the refilled cartridge. Another is to demand written confirmation of the completely filled ink level. “If they won’t do it, you should go to another shop,” says Heise.
Heise also notes that the printer uses the new ink for the cleaning cycle, which spurs significantly higher consumption. The refill ink will never work better than the original, since the ink refill shops cannot use the same formulation as the original manufacturers. “This is why the print results with refilled ink often vary strongly from the original,” he says.
Consumers should be careful with service offers that seem extraordinarily cheap or use universal ink. The “Premium Quality” or “XXL fill” mentioned in the ads is usually of inferior quality, Heise says. Also avoid deals like “10 cartridges for one low price.”
Brand name goods from ink makers like Pelikan, Inktec or Peach tend to be more trustworthy. It’s not necessarily a good idea to buy too much ink in advance, since the cartridges can dry up and become unusable, Veiths reports.
