Is it hard to refill ink cartidges?

[Armageddon415]

I'm considering a lexmark z53 printer. Are the cartridges for it easy to refill?

 

[Budman]

no they are not.

 

[sad]

I've filled carts for that exact printer. Refilling the black carts was easy. You basically have to enlarge the pre-existing hole on the top of the cartridge, and then insert the needle of a syringe and fill.

The color on the otherhand was difficult. It didn't take much to contaminate the colors. You have to pop the top off with a razor blade or box cutter and then fill the separate compartments. You can't put too much or it'll spill over.

 

[HouRman]

I'd highly recommend a DIY kit like the "Universal Inkget Refill Kit" as seen on tv. It was on sale for just 9.99 at Fry's and can refill any brand and any model.

It comes with an injector needle syringe, print head cleaner, blue/magenta/yellow and some plugs and screws.

It took me under 10 minutes to refill my Compaq color printer. It's very simple to just pop the cover off and then use the syringe to pierce the sponge and fill the cartridge with ink. If you're skilled enough to work with a syringe without stabbing yourself and a razor it will be easy.

Just follow the directions and start with the lighter colors and clean the syringe thoroughly after each use and you won't contaminate colors.

One difference I did notice was that my blacks are marginally lighter than before. But with enough ink for 3 refills or more for $10... I think it's worth it since now I can print pages and pictures like a prodigal madman.

 

[lenjack]

Difficult and messy...wear latex gloves and cover your work area.

 

[HalfCrazy]

I use a Lexmark z42 printer my self. Which I used the "Universal Inkjet Refill Kit" to refill my black cartridges. It's real easy to fill the black cartridges just like sad said. But the color can be a pain in the neck to refill.