How to Refill Industrial Inkjet Cartridges: Tips on Ink Types, Cartridges, and What You Need for Success!

Question:

A customer recently contacted me at an industrial inkjet distribution company. They were seeking over-the-phone guidance on refilling cartridges for various ink types. They told us they used dye-based, pigmented, and solvent-colored inks and were curious whether the process differs accordingly. They also asked about getting black ink from BCH Technologies and what kits they needed to refill.

Answer:

Your question was, "Is it possible to refill my ink cartridges?" The answer is yes, as the refill cartridge process and the ink used (dye, pigmented, or even solvent type) are the same. However, you must consider some differences depending on the ink and the printer you are using.

Different Ink Types and Their Compatibility

Dye-Based and Pigmented Inks are most widely used for consumer-grade and smaller industrial printers. They're water-based, but pigment inks are generally more durable and color-fast than dye. There is no fundamental difference between refills from a refill perspective. The same cartridge grades work for both, and those are usually A, B, or C:

• Grade C cartridges are generally for home or small office printers.
• Bar code or bulk mail printers use Grade B cartridges.

These grades are closely related, so for most refills, you’ll do fine with a cartridge made for either grade. But the difference comes with the quality of the inks and the printer. Inkjet printers have a pretty simple refill process, whether using dye-based or pigmented inks. However, to avoid leakage or drying, ensure that the cartridges are clean and that the seals are intact.

Solvent-Based Inks: Solvent inks are typically used in big industrial printing presses, mainly in applications like wide format printing or signage printing. Higher-quality cartridges (Usually Grade A) are needed for solvent inks. In the US, it can be hard to find quality solvent-empty cartridges. These are often imported from Taiwan or kept by specialty vendors for their stock. Solvent ink is more difficult to source, and not as many suppliers are prepared to sell these cartridges to you outright as they tend to use these for their own refills.

One thing to note is that solvent ink printing requires a different setup, particularly for high-output industrial printers, such as plotters or printers used for low-volume bulk mail. Inkjet printers that use a proprietary blend of ink need specific HP ink that is specifically formulated to ensure that it doesn't build up under the printhead (HP45-PD5 or PD5) when ejected.

Industrial printers that handle large volumes of material, like envelope printers, require a specific combination of ejection voltages and ink characteristics. This typically requires a production manager to supervise the printer's activity and confirm that the ink is flowing correctly. The “push-through” rate—or how quickly the ink passes through the printhead—is an essential factor in preventing clogging and maintaining the consistency of the print.

Cartridge Chips: Handheld or specialty printers require many cartridges to be fitted with a chip to prevent refilling. If you are refilling them, you must deal with this issue, as these chips are programmed to monitor ink levels. Other OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) cartridges don’t even have these chips, which makes refilling easier. But for third-party printers, you’ll have to ensure that the chips are compatible or that it’s possible to bypass the chip to refill the cartridge. We have some resources for cracking these chips at BCH Technologies, but it’s expensive — with a deposit and significant development time required.

How to Buy Ink from BCH Technologies: You said that you want to buy black ink. BCH Technologies can provide black ink for industrial applications, though our specialty is different ink blends for specific printer needs. For clients wanting to explore color or ink formulations for particular printers, we offer research services for a deposit fee of $20,000, with minimum monthly quantity obligations.

Printer problems are a painstaking necessity because of their tactile behavior. Of course, we can’t offer remote troubleshooting, advice, or printer repair homework, but we can evaluate and repair your printer in person at our local diagnostic center, BCH Technologies Printer Repair Service [https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service]. Our services are in high demand and are taken on a first-come, first-served basis, so it may be weeks before we can schedule your printer for drop-off.

Whether you need a part or a full printer, we guide you through the process. Nonetheless, we are not the cheapest, so we recommend that you look for help on the Internet. We encourage you to visit our YouTube channel, BCH Technologies [https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies], where you can search for videos that may meet your requirements. You can find related videos from other creators that YouTube might recommend.

Thanks again for writing in and for being a huge supporter! If you have questions or want to ask an additional question of the day, feel free to contact us.