Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!SFAUSTIN.BITNET!Z4648252 From: Z4648252@SFAUSTIN.BITNET (Z4648252) Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st Subject: REFILLING HP DeskJet INK CARTRIDGES -- a warning... Message-ID: <890922.08325265.044109@SFA.CP6> Date: 22 Sep 89 14:32:54 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Organization: The Internet Lines: 54 Jeff Long happily shared his experiences of refilling HP DeskJet cartridge. Since I'm the culprit who originated this alleged technique a few months back and shared it on the net, I'd like to reinforce something. Hewlett Packard is very unhappy with our attempts to shave costs from those $18.00 jewels! I bought my DeskJet because I wanted laser-type output but could not afford the laser platform costs. Everything about the DeskJet is cheap except for those cartridges. They don't last worth a hoot and one is always having to buy them. HP's answer to their short life is to use draft mode, thus saving ink. Give me a break....! I bought the DeskJet for its output quality. Anyway, a $5.00 price tag for each cartridge would be about right but that'll never be. HP's answer for their obscene ink cartridge price is that the quality of the output is visually comparable to that of a laser, hence, toner pricing schemes of a laser are used to compute the cost of the ink cartridge. Also, my suggestion that the cartridge should be compared, cost-wise, against a printer ribbon, was unacceptable due to the laser comparison. Here is the official warning from Hewlett Packard. Refilling the ink cartridges will probably void your warranty. SUPPOSEDLY, any ink used other than HP's ink will result in the priming tube clogging meaning that the prime functions will begin to die. You would then get streaks on the paper during the first passes of the cartridge. Secondly, the ink cartridge is not designed for long life. Refilling the cartridge will cause eventual quality loss of the print job. To enforce their view further, they state that non-HP ink will 'crust'. Ok, as far as crusting is concerned which can clog the tubes and make a general mess of things..... I've yet to see crusting that is differant than that of the HP crusting. Also, I was able to extend the life of my December cartridge to the month of June. How many print jobs did that poor thing do? I don't know. Let's just say that it printed daily about an average of 15 pages/day and began to lose quality output during May. I'd think that I saved about five cartridges during this almost 1/2 year period. Refilling the cartridge is not meant to make the cartridge permanent as HP seems to think that I'm doing. I'm just trying to make things a bit more affordable than they are. HP's argument that the DeskJet visually gives laser output, thus requiring the cost of $18.00 would be like buying a Chevrolet and to get it to operate, one would have to purchase $50.00/gallon gasoline to run it because the Rolls Royce uses gasoline. ...or something like that! I'm not good with logic! grin So, be aware that if you refill the cartridges, you will receive no sympathy from Hewlett Packard. And...as usual, we as individual users will suffer. You see, offices will buy ten of these cartridges in one order without thinking anything of the cost. That is why I've been so disturbed at Atari trying to enter the business market. Once the B word is applicable to a product rather than the H word (home), then costs will be out of sight for individuals. Just my opinion.... Larry Rymal: |East Texas Atari 68NNNers|