Comments on: HP Ink Cartridge Hack: Save plastic and ink

By: Cartridge Shop

Cartridge Shop — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 15:20:12 +0000

I have also looked into saving money around the office. I was spending far too much on printing so I looked into the costs and found that printing in a font size 10 can save you a lot of money in the long run. Also keeping your margin lines to a certain width will save money on ink in the long run. If companies did this on a large scale they could save a great amount, and possibly making the difference between breaking even and profit. Thanks for the post! :)

Kathy Blackmore | Cartridge Shop

By: Ron Ungerer

Ron Ungerer — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 23:26:41 +0000

Just found this blog when searching for a long-term hack for the expired cart issue. I’m a former HP tech (3rd party) on the laser printers – but not the inkjets… So was looking.

Anyway, my C6180 MFP has an operator level over-ride at the control panel. I just got the message and had to press keys to over-ride.
On the ink refill issue, when I purchased the printer about 2 years ago, I went on eBay and purchased a bulk refill system. Seven containers sit beside my printer and feed the cartridges through capillary tubes. VERY easy to refill outside of the printer, can see the ink level at a glance. FAR less expensive and less impact on the environment than the travel here – travel there – travel home more ink – more plastic -more $ – more travel to get a refill….

BTW, don’t blame HP for an ink = $$ conspiracy… Their left hand has no idea what the right hand is doing – trust someone who has had to deal with them!!!
Just say’n

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 01:33:00 +0000

Shaggyman, I wish I could answer your question about the printer, but I’m not really a tech person, and in fact, I couldn’t even find the CMOS battery on my printer! But switching to Cartridge World refilled cartridges has seemed to have helped. My ink cartridges always appear empty, but the printer will print anyway. No idea why it works, but it does.

Stacy, that sucks about Staples. Have you looked into Cartridge World refills? They are way less expensive than the tiny discount you get from Staples.

By: Shaggyman

Shaggyman — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 20:55:39 +0000

I removed the CMOS battery on my HP C6180, and although none are reported as expired the printer now reports all ink cartridges are empty, and refuses to print.
Ideas?

By: Stacy

Stacy — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 20:52:51 +0000

Staples reduced the reward for recycling ink cartridges from $3 to $2 and no longer offers $6 for the XL HP ink cartridges. http://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/products/3dollar_inkrecycle/

That totally sucks!

By: Greg Streif

Greg Streif — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:08:55 +0000

Anyone with HP OfficeJet 9110 and has expired cartridges (new, used but expired or those installed with remaining ink but expired), there is a way to trick the system. Open the large access panel on the left side of the unit (when you are looking at it head on), pull out the aluminum shield (this is where additional memory is located/installed) and on the lower left (beneath memory slot B’s left release) is a CMOS battery. Slide the battery out and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Reinsert the battery, plug the printer’s power cord and USB cable and if applicable, reinstall your old ink cartridges or install new (but expired) cartridges. You should no longer see the expired message. Do this each time you get the expired message or install expired but new cartridges.

By: Jim

Jim — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:12:37 +0000

Hey Gator fans a Cartridge World will opening after the first of the year in Gainesville ….If all goes as planned…will keep you posted

By: Meg

Meg — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:28:14 +0000

@Eleanor

Howdy neighbor and go Gators!

I see from your blog you’re a fellow weed eater! We’ll have to compare notes sometime and I’ll definitely take a closer look at your blog when I have some time (and more awake brain cells).

By: Clif

Clif — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:11:40 +0000

I don’t follow Thom’s reasoning. He said the expiration date “protects the printing components”. Since all of the printing components are contained within the cartridge itself, how does shutting it down at some date have anything to do with protection of anything except HP profit?

The logic is as follows: An expiration date will make the cart useless to prevent it from possibly becoming useless. Huh?

Once a cart is shut down it is useless unless the printer owner takes the time and effort to figure out how to over-ride the expiration time-out. Since this expiration date stuff is news to almost everyone, how many would know how to defeat it? This is nothing but a pain-in-the-platen for the consumer.

If the customer is really who they have in mind, the default would be an inactive expiration date unless the user DELIBERATELY activated it. In that way the customer would decide on the value of having an expiration date, not HP. Want to guess how many customers would activate it. Survey says: zero.

By: Eleanor K. Sommer

Eleanor K. Sommer — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:53:13 +0000

A response to Thom Brown, the HP expert.

We don’t have a Staples near where I live in Gainesville FL. Office Depot discontinued its program with HP. So my plastic cartridges either go into the landfill or I send them back to HP and receive NO CREDIT for my efforts. And as I mentioned, I don’t automatically get a new (PLASTIC) mailer to send them back to HP. I must make a separate online request each time I want a supply of bags.

Not to mention, am I really doing anything constructive? Using a PLASTIC bag to mail back 6 cartridges for recycling??

What happens to all those plastic bags?