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INSTRUCTIONS
Lexmark 12A1980 / 12A1985 / 15M0120 / 15M0125 / 16G0065
/ 17G0060 |
NOTE: FOR REFILLING YOU WILL BE USING THE SAME INJECTION
HOLES AS USED IN THE FACTORY.
For best performance it is recommended
that you refill prior to running out of ink.
Damage to the print heads could result from running a
dry cartridge. |
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BEFORE
Before
you get started here are some suggestions for getting
the most from the refilling process while maintaining
a clean, usable work area.
Work close to or over a sink.
Wear rubber gloves and place an adequate amount of newspaper
over your work area.
Have prepared for use a cup of warm water and several
paper towels. (use clean water - filtered or bottled water)
DO NOT touch the print head or contacts.
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TIP:
To sufficiently saturate the sponge after injecting
several cc's of ink remove injector and re-insert
at a 20-30 degree angle. This will allow for more
of the sponge to become saturated.
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THE
REFILL PROCESS
For
the color cartridge you will need to remove the cartridge
cap. The easiest way to remove the cap is to place
cap in a table vise and apply pressure to the cartridge
body. Place thumbs on the cartridge label and apply
pressure. This will "snap" the cap off
Alternatively you can simply pry with a sharp knife
or razor along the edge where the cap meets the base
of the cartridge.
Insert cartridge into supplied cartridge clip. Insert
print head first into sponge material and then slide
the top of the cartridge into place until it locks.
Attach the injector tip to the injector.
With the tip attached to the injector Fill the injector
to 8 cc.
Insert the injector into the desired
color chamber as show on the image to the right
(tri-color image). Insert the injector as far as
you can go and then draw back about 1/16th to 1/8th
of an inch. .
Begin to inject ink into the cartridge
very slowly. Remember: you are injecting into a
sponge--GO SLOW. About 1cc per every 8 seconds (or
slower) is ideal. Slide the injector outward at
small increments as you inject the ink. This will
allow more of the sponge to quickly become saturated.
When you see ink begin to saturate
the top of the sponge stop injecting ink. Wait a
few seconds and slowly remove the injector.
Return any unused ink to its bottle.
To clean the injector draw water
in and out repeatedly. A good 8-10 times will do
an effective job. For more thorough cleaning remove
tip and repeat cleaning.
Affix the top of the cartridge and
secure with 'scotch' tape or masking tape. This
will hold the top in place and prevent the sponge
from drying out.
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AFTER
Initially
the cartridge may release ink. This is not common, but
can occur. Allow cartridge to sit in sink or plastic container
until it has stopped. Do not place the cartridge on a
paper towel or anything that might draw ink out of the
cartridge. DO NOT install your cartridge until the cartridge
has ceased releasing ink.
Once your cartridge has finished releasing ink, insert
into printer.
Test your printer. If you see lines in your print or incomplete
print then perform several primer pages as described below.
We recommend 2-3 primer prints, though more many be necessary
under some situations.
Make sure your injector is thoroughly clean and all bottles
are properly sealed before storing your kit.
Air in Sponge
1. Air in the sponge will make the cartridge print intermittently.
To correct this problem, fold a paper towel several
times and press against the print head. Wrap a rubber
band around cartridge to hold paper towel in place.
Allow to sit for 15 minutes. This will wick ink and
trapped air out of the sponge.
2. Print primer pages listed below.
-Electrical Contacts:
1. If ink is adequately flowing through the print heads
when attempting to wick with paper towel but no ink
will come through when attempting to print then there
is a great possibility that the contacts (the foil circuit
board) is worn or damaged. The only solution for this
is a new cartridge.
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TROUBLESHOOTING
Initially
the cartridge may release ink a few drops of ink.
This is not uncommon. Allow cartridge to sit
in sink or plastic container until it has stopped.
Do not place the cartridge on a paper towel or anything
that might draw ink out of the cartridge. DO NOT
install your cartridge until the cartridge has ceased
releasing ink.
Test your printer. If you see lines in your print
or incomplete print then perform several primer pages
as described below. We recommend 5-6 primer prints,
though more many be necessary under some situations
With all of the generic cartridges on the market today
it is very difficult to give an exact number of refills
you can expect on 'all available' cartridges. As
a general rule if you are using refillable ink jet cartridge
you should expect between 6-9 refills on a black cartridge.
OEM (Brand Name Epson) and cartridges with similar sponge
material generally get 3-4 refills before the sponge
begins to deteriorate.
Due to nature of the sponge material, it is common that
after six to nine refills that the sponge begin to deteriorate.
There are many factors involved in why the sponge will
deteriorate. How long it takes is partially up to
you. Here are some guideline to protecting your
cartridge and getting the most from it.
Refill the cartridge immediately upon running out of ink,
or as soon as "blinking light" on printer comes
starts.
Do not let cartridge sit out of a printer longer than
necessary. Too much air is not beneficial to the
sponge material.
Expect the inevitable: Cartridges will eventually
cease to work. Have an extra cartridge on hand.
All printer manufacturers recommend this as well.
It is just good practice to keep a new cartridge available
at all times
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WHAT
TO KNOW
Due
to nature of the print heads on Lexmark cartridges, it
is common that after several refills that the cartridge
components become fatigued and cease to function. There
are many factors involved in why the cartridge will fail.
How long it takes is partially up to you. Here are some
guidelines to protecting your cartridge and getting the
most from it.
-Never touch the contact points or print head of the cartridge.
Oil from your finger tips will corrode the delicate surface.
-Clean the contact points with a Q-tip or soft coated
cleaning cloth (such as those made for CDs). Using distilled
or filtered water is recommended.
-Refill the cartridge before it is empty. Lexmark cartridges
use a heating mechanism to dispense ink. Running a dry
cartridge for any extended length of time can 'burn up'
the cartridge.
-Expect the inevitable: Cartridges will eventually cease
to work. Have an extra cartridge on hand. All printer
manufacturers recommend this as well. It is just good
practice to keep a new cartridge available at all times
-Never scrape the contact points or print head area with
any type of abrasive material. This includes paper towels,
newspaper...
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CLOGGED
JETS
If
your cartridge has sat out of the printer for an
extended period of time and you are uncertain as
to whether the cartridge will work due to clogged jets
we recommend the following procedure.
Wet a paper towel thoroughly (with distilled or filtered
water), fold and place in microwave for 20 seconds (just
the paper towel--NOT THE CARTRIDGE)
Place cartridge print head on paper towel--DO NOT SCRAPE
CARTRIDGE ALONG TOWEL)
Leave on paper towel for a minute.
The hot water will break up caked ink and start the
capillary action working again.
After the allotted time, place the cartridge on a dry
paper towel or non abrasive absorbent surface to dry the
bottom of the cartridge. You may now attempt
to refill or use the cartridge (if ink is in the
cartridge).
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Primer
Pages (Color)
 Primer
pages can be used to assist in clearing blockage in a
print head, or simply for 'priming' the cartridge.
The purpose is to force ink, air and blockage out of the
cartridge.
To create primer pages simple follow the instructions
below.
Color Primer Page: Using a paint or draw program
create three blocks down the length of the page as shown
in the diagram to the right titled 'Color Primer'.
Each of the block should be in the primary ink jet colors
(Cyan, Magenta and Yellow) Cover as much of the
page as you can without overlapping colors.
To Use. Just print the page! Print as many
pages as is necessary to get the ink flowing properly.
Please take note: If you are concerned about wasting
ink by printing primer pages, consider how much a new
cartridge would have cost you. Ink in bulk is cheaper
than a new cartridge--and a cartridge that leaves lines
isn't worth anything.
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Primer
Pages (Black)
 Primer
pages can be used to assist in clearing blockage in a
print head, or simply for 'priming' the cartridge.
The purpose is to force ink, air and blockage out of the
cartridge.
To create primer pages simple follow the instructions
below.
Black Primer: Take any painting or draw program
and cover the surface of your page with a single large
block of black. The more surface that is covered
on the page the better.
To Use. Just print the page! Print as many
pages as is necessary to get the ink flowing properly.
Please take note: If you are concerned about wasting
ink by printing primer pages, consider how much a new
cartridge would have cost you. Ink in bulk is cheaper
than a new cartridge--and a cartridge that leaves lines
isn't worth anything.
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Additionally articles:
Understanding
the Lexmarks
Burn
it up. (written for the HP cartridges, but directly
applies to this technology.) |
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