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MyBigMommyBiceps · October 7th, 2007

so, i got so excited when i discovered i could re-fill my ink cartridges.. i was able to refill them maybe 3 times before having problems. I noticed i had to refill them more frequently and finally couldnt make it through 2 pages without my paper spitting out in light tones (not a full color print as thought the ink ran out). my prints always come out nice, but i finally discovered my ink was leaking from the cartridge into the inside of the printer. and the cartridges no longer held ink for a good amount of time.
my question is: is this just a fluke thing, or can cartridges only be re-filled a few times and then go bad?
I also read on another post that cutting a kitchen sponge and putting that under the cartidge where it locks in will tighten the conection, will this help my situation? ive noticed even with the stock cartridges the color always seems to seep out the sides a bit, it never leaks or splothes onto the photos, i just notice it when i remove the cartridge..
buying ink is killing my bank account! so i was stoked to find out about refilling it for a 1/6 of the price..
maybe i need to go with a continuous system instead? that scares me!

also, question #2. can i refill my stock ink cartridges with other types of ink? durabrites/or pigments (still learning about those, so sorry if i have the names/types wrong). ive only found "universal" ink kits.. but im sure there are better quality brands out there online..
please help, im on a roll and having so much fun with all this!

rickcaspari · October 8th, 2007

I had that same problem with my carts.My problem was cleared up when I stopped filling my carts completely up.I fill to within 1/8 inch of the top and have no problems.Hope this helps.RICK

MyBigMommyBiceps · October 8th, 2007

have you tried using different kinds of inks your stock cartridges? wondering how that works out?

rickcaspari · October 9th, 2007

I've tried different brands of ink and the inkjet carts ink works fine, you just have to adjust your colors around to get the output shade that you like.I have used Magic Mix inks in the past,They had great colors but I constantly had trouble with the Magenta banding.The only way I could eliminate the banding was to turn up the resolution all the way up.The problem with that is if you have more than 4 or 5 prints to make it takes forever to print.Rick.

MyBigMommyBiceps · October 9th, 2007

what does "banding" mean and look like? thanks! maybe ill take a stab at it and try some pigment ink then. they say it doenst fade as bad? would you agree?

rickcaspari · October 9th, 2007

Banding is cased by the nozzles becoming clog and not putting down enough ink causing "bands" of missing color to appear in your print.You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it. You definately want to use pigment ink on your transfers,dye ink will fade in the wash.I think you will be happy with the carts and inks that inkjetcarts.us sell.Just play around with the colors under the advanced settings section of you printer driver until you get your colors how you like them.I also use a cheap graphics program called Printshop 22 from Broderbund.It only cost about $40 bucks and you can buy it at Walmart.You can do alot with it for the price, you cant beat it.It will not do nearly as much as Photshop,but it is good for basic t shirt design.I use it regularly in conjunction with Photoshop 7.If I can help you with anything just let me know.Rick.