How do I fix an "over-refilled" ink cartridge?

Dec 16, 2008

Question on Printers:

I refilled my ink cartridge with too much cyan and now the results are bad. Printouts are now such that the bright colors turn into dark and moody colours. For example, I tried to print out a pink-colored heart and the result is a dark olive green heart. All my projects are now dark colored instead of being bright. What should I do?

Submitted by Reader

Answer:

Leonard Goh
Writer

As a general rule of thumb, I usually do not advise users to refill ink cartridges because it can lead to undesirable consequences, as you have already experienced.

To immediately rectify the problem, the fastest and best way would be to jot down the model of your printer and ink cartridge, head to your local store and buy the original supplies. Plug the cartridge in and run several pages of test prints to flush out the existing ink in the tubes now.

However, if you insist on using refills, there are some things you need to take note of. If your cartridge houses three or more colors, you'll need to know which nozzle outputs what color and fill the corresponding tank with that ink. In your case, I presume you may have added cyan ink into another tank. If that's true, I would deem this cartridge to be unusable and it is best to replace it.

Take note also, that if you damage the printer due to the use of unauthorized supplies, the warranty may become void.