Refill Canon Cartridges

Replacing Canon ink jet cartridges can be expensive. If you have a color printer, the cost of the ink may add up quickly. Most Canon cartridges are refillable, and you can save money by replacing the ink yourself. Refilling Canon cartridges can be accomplished by obtaining an ink refill kit so you can refill your cartridges at your house.

Steps

Check your Ink Cartridge

1. Make sure the ink cartridge is empty.
   • Many Canon ink jet cartridges have an electronic device that counts down with every character printed.
   • When the counter reaches 0, you will get an error message on your printer.
2. Follow manufacturer's directions to remove the Canon ink jet cartridge.
3. Look to see if the ink reservoir is empty.
   • If there is still ink in the reservoir, reinstall the cartridge, and when you receive another error message, push the "OK" button to continue printing.
4. If the cartridge is empty, refill the Canon ink jet cartridge.

1. Obtain an ink refill kit at an office supply store or online. To refill ink cartridges, you will require a 30 cc syringe with a needle, a thumb drill and printer ink.
2. Place the ink container on newspaper or paper towels. When refilling Canon cartridges, you may have some ink leakage.
3. Select the ink. For instance, if you are refilling your yellow ink cartridge, you will need yellow ink.
4. Put the needle on the yellow ink container.

Replace Ink

1. Find the hole where the ink exits. This will be located on the sponge area of the cartridge.
2. Squeeze a couple drops of the correct color ink on this hole to fill the sponge with ink.
3. Tape the exit hole with tape to prevent ink leakage while you finish refilling Canon cartridges.
4. Drill a small hole in the ink cartridge with a thumb drill bit beneath the cartridge label.
   • Look on the cartridge for a letter denoting the color of the ink, and beneath it, a circle with a dimple in it.
   • When you refill ink cartridges, you want to drill the hole in the middle of the dimple.
5. Set the needle into the hole you made in the cartridge, and carefully push in the ink. When refilling Canon cartridges, watch the cartridge so that you don't overfill it.
6. Remove the needle from the cartridge, take it off the container, and put the top back on the ink so it will not spill.
7. Seal the hole with glue, hot wax or electric tape when you finish filling up Canon cartridges to prevent leaks.
8. Remove the tape you placed over the sponge area.

Reinstall Ink Jet Cartridge

1. Install the cartridge and select maintenance on your printer.
2. Run the printer through its cleaning cycle when you refill ink cartridges.
3. Let the refilled cartridges set inside the printer for around 8 hours so that the sponge soaks up all the new ink.

Tips

• If your refilled cartridge doesn't print, it may have an air bubble or frothy ink (ink with little air bubbles). Put a small droplet of rubbing alcohol on the sponge exit hole to remove air bubbles and froth. The alcohol will dissolve the air bubbles.

Things You'll Need

• 30 cc syringe with needle
• Thumb drill
• Printer ink
• Newspaper or paper towels
• Tape
• Glue, hot wax, or electric tape

Related Articles

• Clean a Laser Printer
• Replace an Empty Ink Cartridge
• Stop Your Laser Printer from Smearing
• Fix an Old or Clogged Ink Cartridge the Cheap Way
• Check the Ink Level of a Canon Inkjet Printer

Sources and Citations

• http://www.refillinstructions.com/Canon/C24.htm
• http://www.oddparts.com/ink/cbc30_31.htm

See also

• Change Black Ink to Color on a Dell 940 Printer
• Add a Local Printer in Linux
• Clean Printer Rollers
• Print Tickets
• Fix a Print Spooler
• Clear a Paper Jam
• Print on an Envelope with an Inkjet Printer
• Connect a Printer to Your Computer
• Share a Printer
• Install a Printer

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