After you have purchased your ink refill kit that is compatible with your printer model (if you haven't, I recommend 4Inkjets or 123Refills for great value and quality products), find yourself a flat workspace to begin refilling the cartridge. Make sure you have some towels for cleanup and clear tape for the installation, as well.

Preparing For The Refill Process

Firstly, you'll want to take the empty cartridge out of your printer. Keep in mind that the ink can be messy, so you'll want to be close to a sink or, perhaps, wear some disposable gloves. Make sure to place the paper towels down on your work area to catch any ink that might be displaced - heavy duty paper towels work best, and, when using standard ply towels, you might want to double up. Keep in mind that individual refill kits may have their own instructions, so make sure to refer to them carefully and read over the instructions included in the kit you have purchased before beginning as well.

Locate The Appropriate Injection Location

At the top of the cartridge you will find holes to insert the ink - make sure to locate those before you begin. Each hole will correspond to a color - for color printers, there will be a magenta, cyan and yellow hole in addition to the black ink found on gray scale printers. Pay close attention to the diagram included in your kit and your printer so you make sure you are filling the colors properly. Next, use the needle to draw ink and insert the proper amount into the holes - be careful to insert only the amount needed. Once you have reached the right amount, slowly remove the needle and clean any excess ink. Once you have properly filled each hole, cover it with just a small amount of clear tape to ensure there will be no leaks; also make sure to wipe the cartridge itself on a paper towel to clean up any residual ink.

Verify Ink Was Refilled Successfully

Make sure to eye the cartridge and visually check for any leakages before you insert it back into the printer. You'll want to print a test page in full color to make sure you've installed it properly, and then pat yourself on the back for saving a lot on your ink.

Compatible ink cartridges provide significant cost savings.

A great way to save on your printing costs is to utilize compatible ink cartridges rather than full-price brand name ink. Original Equipment Manufacturer, or OEM, ink is found in office supply stores and sold by the original printer manufacturer in glossy boxes at a high price. Usually, you will hear claims about how OEM cartridges are of the highest quality and will produce better results than any competitive products. In truth, however, compatible cartridges can produce a high quality of output at a much lower cost basis than brand-name manufacturer ink, if you purchase them from reputable online suppliers.

OEM cartridges do often come with warranties and guarantees, but it's much more likely that any defects will occur due to the printer hardware than with any ink refill. The relatively high frequency of cartridge replacement will mean that you'll likely use up your ink before you have any mechanical problems with the cartridge itself; in the rare cases that there is a defect, you will be able to tell upon your first print from the cartridge, and, in those cases, you can usually just exchange the product.

Buying Compatible Ink Makes Sense

Even when OEM ink supplies have a longer life, when adjusted for per unit cost, compatible cartridges are still much less expensive. For example, a black ink OEM cartridge for the HP Officejet 7210 printer currently retails for $22.99 in office supply stores. Online, at retailers like 4Inkjets or 123Refills, a compatible black cartridge can be had for almost three times less, at only $9.95, a savings over close to $13 per cartridge. The savings only multiply when one considers the need to replace separate color cartridges.

Buy Cartridges From An ISO-Compliant Supplier To Ensure Quality

Original manufacturer claims about better quality are often overstated. Contrary to any of these claims, compatible cartridges are capable of working well with nearly any printer model, in nearly any printer line by meeting level of standards required by the printer manufacturer. Simply buy from a retailer that complies with ISO manufacturing standards like 4Inkjets, and you will be safe.

Rest assured that your compatible ink clears the bar needed for working with the printer, and if you buy the right cartridge for your model, you should be able to get great results at a lower price. Additionally, compatible cartridges can often be purchased at bulk discounts that are not available for original OEM products, which are sold at high retail prices.

When choosing your next cartridge, keep in mind that there a number of alternatives to high OEM ink prices, and compatible cartridges can be found for most printer models at affordable rates.

The International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, sets quality standards for various manufacturing processes. The ISO standard is comprehensive and touches on each aspect of the supply chain from raw source materials all the way to end-user delivery. While product defects are inevitable, the goal of ISO is continued improvement to limit any problems and constant work to improve the quality of outputs.

Buying an ISO-certified ink cartridge helps ensure that, while you are saving on your ink refills, you are not sacrificing quality standards.

Look For Ink Suppliers That Comply With ISO 9000 Certifications

The most common set of standards is the ISO 9001 standard which certifies a level of quality in manufacturer business operations, output improvement and product compliance. Ink manufacturers that are ISO 9000 certified have met a level of inspection quality that ensures quality control procedures; make sure to look for the ISO seal, especially when purchasing remanufactured ink cartridges as a safeguard for quality.

ISO 14000 Standards Protect The Environment

Similarly, the ISO 14000 environmental standards set an internationally accepted set of practices for environmental quality throughout the supply chain. ISO 14000 certified companies constantly work to limit the impact of their production on the environment, and seek out ways to streamline the impact of their by-products and factories. Since recycled and remanufactured ink cartridges allow for re-use of previously used cartridges, they can potentially cut down on environmental waste and landfill material, extending the life of the original materials. Purchasing recycled ink can provide ecological as well as economic benefits, and finding an ISO 14000-accredited supplier further ensures that both of those goals will be met.

Which Printer Ink Suppliers Are ISO Compliant?

4Inkjets - Their compatible and remanufactured cartridges are manufactured in an ISO 9001 compliant factory. Because of this, they offer a 1-year moneyback guarantee that their printer supplies will match or exceed brand-name counterparts.

123Refills - 123Refills also stocks a wide variety of ink cartridges that are certified ISO complaint, and provide a similar moneyback guarantee.

Both set of ISO standards share the same basic framework in focusing on quality throughout the supply chain from beginning to end. Nearly all classes of products and companies can obtain ISO-certification which is application independent, but has a particularly important use in improving transparency in the case of 3rd party products such as recycled ink. Just as the brand name on an OEM cartridge signals a level of reliability, so does ISO certification imply a level of standards for 3rd party ink solutions.