How often should ink in printers be swapped out when not used?

4 years 2 months ago #671971 by Inez Villarin
Does ink ever go bad?

If so, how often when printer isn't used that I should swap out my ink?


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4 years 2 months ago #671972 by Nikon Shooter
To force you to spend on ink, the makers stick a chip on
the cartridge that will freeze your printer until new car-
bridges are set in — no matter the level or the age of ink.

Now you know why the printer itself was so cheap.

Light is free… capturing it is not!
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4 years 2 months ago #671978 by Inez Villarin
Is that triggered by time?


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4 years 2 months ago #671982 by Nikon Shooter
I have no idea how it works but I know it does… it got me!

Light is free… capturing it is not!
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4 years 2 months ago #671987 by garyrhook
I don't know what he's talking about, but I don't think you'll find any support for that assertion anywhere. The cartridges have chips, but no clock, nor does the printer. It (the printer or the cartridge) doesn't know how long it's been since it was used. No, that was not grammatically correct.

There may be a difference between dye inks (consumer printers) and pigment inks (professional printers).

Ink cartridges dry out, they clog, perhaps the elements in the ink separate and settle. Things can go wrong, and do. Your best defense is an offense: print something every few weeks, and keep the ink moving.

N.B. the matte black ink in my Epson 3880 has a bad habit of clogging a bit. I have to be careful to not let it sit unused.


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4 years 2 months ago #674041 by Kenya See
Doesn't the printer automatically just clean the printer each time, so ink gets swapped out when it's just empty?


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4 years 2 months ago #674189 by Shadowfixer1
My big 24" HP printer keeps a log of when ink and ink heads were installed. It will tell you when it's past prime use but it will still print. Smaller printers don't do this in my experience. 
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