CCS-Digital.com refillable cartridge instructions
Before use you must open the air hole on top. If air can't get in, ink will have a hard time getting out. Depending on the model, on some cartridges you peel off a piece of yellow tape. On others you unplug the clear plug on top. (Not the colored plug - that's used to refill the ink.)
Epson printers dont like mixing epson and non epson cartridges in the same printer at the same time. You should replace all epson cartridges with compatibles and not one at a time. Though most of the time the printer will recognize the cartridges even if mixed, the different ink formulas can cause streaking and the black can look grayish or greenish. After you replace the cartridges, it may take a few pages for the old ink to be completely replaced by the new ink. The first few pages may look grayish or greenish.
If your printer has a display screen, it will tell you which cartridge needs replacement or which cartridge has an issue. If it doesn't have a screen, the red light can be flashing on the printer and you have no way of knowing what is the problem. If you run the replace procedure from the computer (and not the printer), it will display the cartridges with an X through the one it doesn't like. You can then try to reseat that cartridge or replace it.
If the printer doesnt recognize the cartridges immediately, turn the printer off for a minute. If that still doesnt work, remove the cartridges, turn the printer off and on with no cartridges, once for each cartridge (either 4, 5 or 6 times depending on the number of cartridges the printer uses). Reinsert the cartridges. If they are not recognized, turn the printer off and on once again. If that still doesnt work, email sales@ccs-digital.com
Don't worry too much about the ink level shown on the printer. Epson printer ink levels are notoriously unreliable and even worse with non epson cartridges. Because the cartridges are transparent, you can see how much ink remains. If the printer says the cartridge is empty and it isn't, you can go through the cartridge replacement procedure and put the same cartridge back in. The chip will be reset to full - something which doesn't happen with ordinary cartridges. But make sure you have at least 1/3 of the ink remaining. Don't re-insert a cartridge with a low ink level. If you run out of ink and the printer keeps going, it can burn out the print head, even if you have black ink and are only printing in black.
Don't wait until the ink is empty to refill. Since the chips can get reset to full even if you don't refill them, it's possible to print with an empty cartridge which can damage the printer. Keep an eye on the black, since this usually goes fastest. When the black is down to about a third or when the printer warns that it's low, take it out and refill it. Then check the other colors and refill if necessary.
You may want to put on plastic gloves or cover your hands just to avoid the possibility of getting ink on them. Before refilling the cartridges, you might also want to cover the hole on the bottom (where the printer punctured the cartridge) with a small piece of scotch tape, being careful not to cover any portion of the chip on the front. This will reduce leakage during the refilling process. If you do this, do not remove the tape before re-inserting the cartridge in the printer. Let the printer puncture it for a better seal. When refilling for the second or third time, peel off the old tape first.
Our large ink bottles and some of our smaller ones with caps have a two-piece cap. The first time you use them, you must remove the entire cap and puncture the foil seal (puncture - dont remove completely). Screw the cap back on and then remove just the tip which unscrews separately. We also have small orange bottles where you remove a black cap, insert the tip in the cartridge and use an orange "plunger" to carefully inject the ink.
If the cartridge has a colored plug, this is what you remove to refill. If there is ONLY a clear plug, this is where you refill. Remove the plug from the cartridge and insert the nozzle of the ink bottle. Gently squeeze in the ink. Be careful not to overfill. There must be some air space above the ink level or the pressure can cause it to leak or spew ink. One small ink bottle should last for two refillings. (If the cartridge contains 25 ml and you refill when it reaches about 12, you are only putting in 12-16 ml which means you have enough for another refill.) When refilling any cartridge, check the others to make sure they are not low, because it is possible for them to get reset to full when you change a different cartridge.
You may be able to fill a cartridge without removing the cartridge from the printer but you won't be able to see the level. It is easy to spill ink and damage the printer if you try doing so. For best results you should remove the cartridge from the printer.
After refilling, replace the plug.
Simply adding ink to the cartridge will not reset the level. The printer doesn't know how much ink is in the cartridge. The cartridge will first have to be seen as empty before it will reset to full. It may happen automatically or you may have to go through the replace cartridge procedure. Taking the cartridges out and putting them back in, running head cleanings and nozzles checks will have no affect on the ink level displayed.
Video showing how to refill refillable Epson cartridges:
Read the other articles on www.ccs-digital.com about ink jet care and solving cartridge problems.