Why didn't my cartridge print the full amount of pages? Why was the yield lower than what was quoted online?

Customers often worry about the yield of their cartridges. They often mistakenly try to track yield by time. The amount of time it takes for a cartridge to go empty is a bad indicator of yield. The cited yield for ink and toner cartridges is given at 5% coverage. This is usually not a lot of print on a page. Typically only a short memo is at 5% coverage. If you are printing letters, using legal size paper, printing photos, web pages or doing any kind of graphics your coverage will vary greatly. This will cause the yield to drop greatly.

There are two ways to properly check for yield. First is to utilize any page count your printer has. Refer the user's manual for instructions. The other way is to count reams or boxes of paper you have used with each cartridge. Both of these methods will tell you how many pages per cartridge you are using.

Both methods give you a raw number. You should also take into account your typical print coverage. If you only do memos then you should reach the manufacturer's stated yield specifications. If you write full page letters or print graphics your yield will be considerably less. When printing text and full page graphics a 4000 page yield cartridge will run out of toner in around 800 pages.

Introduced in June 2004, the ISO/IEC 19752 standard method for testing page yield was introduced. It created a comprehensive process to test page yields. This standard method means that from now on all printer manufacturers and cartridge manufacturers will be quoting ink and toner cartridge yields using the same testing process. On the right you can see the sample page that is used to test yield. If your documents have more page coverage you will get drastically lower page yields from each inkjet or toner cartridge.

Why is my new ink cartridge not printing?

This can happen to cartridges with attached print heads such as HP, Lexmark or Dell. All cartridges are weighed and tested before leaving the factory so lack of ink isn't the problem. It usually has to do with the print head of the cartridge not having any ink to feed it. This happens because cartridges are kept flat or upside down for weeks or months before being used and the ink settles away from the print head. The easiest remedy is to open the box and stand the cartridge upright for a few minutes before using. Then get a damp paper towel, fold it into quarters and sit the cartridge print head down onto it. Hold the cartridge down to the damp paper towel for three minutes. This will help pull the ink out of the print heads, priming them and getting them ready to print. Finally, install the cartridge into your printer and print a few test pages.

How can I get dried ink out of my inkjet print head so I can print again?

Place the clogged cartridge in about 1/4 - 1/2 inch of warm water for a few minutes. When ink starts to slowly leak out take the cartridge out of the water and dry it using a soft cloth to "Q-tip." Then place it back in your printer and run the print head cleaning utility that comes with your printer software. You may have to run this 2-4 times before printing quality is reestablished. If your print head is destroyed, as can happen, you will have to buy a cartridges and refill that cartridge before it is fully empty.

Why don't you carry Epson refill kits?

Epson printer incorporate a high quality print head onto their printers instead of disposable print heads on their cartridges. So, due to the sensitivity of the Epson print head we do not endorse or sell refill kits for Epson printers.

Can I order by check?

If you would like to pay by check or money order please use the online checkout process. Start by selecting the items you wish to order. When you have all the items you want press the "check out" button. Continue through the checkout process by entering your shipping address. Under the payment option you will see an option to "Pay by Check" select this option and continue. Please note your order will not be shipped until your check has been recieved.

What are inkjet refill kits and how can they save me money?

Inkjet cartridge refilling consists of personally recycling your empty inkjet cartridges so they can be used again. Using InkTec refill kits you can refill your cartridge 2 times using our tools, high quality ink, patented refill clip, and easy to follow pictured and written instructions. Refilling allows you to save money compared to buying new cartridges and help the environment at the same time.

How many times can I refill my inkjet cartridge?

The amount of times you can refill a cartridge depends on the care taken between refilling and the inkjet print head. Until this wears out you can keep recycling your empty cartridges. As a rule of thumb you can usually refill your cartridge 4-8 times.

When is the best time to refill my inkjet cartridges?

If possible you should refill your inkjet cartridges before they run out. This will stop ink from drying in the print head between refills.

Will my warranty be voided if I refill my cartridges?

Often customers have expressed a legitimate concern as to whether the use of compatible cartridges in their printer will void their printer's warranty. The answer is NO!

What follows is a partial quote from the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act, which protects your rights and your warranty.

MAGNUSON-MOSS WARRANTY IMPROVEMENT ACT
United States Code Annotated
Title 15 Commerce and Trade
Chapter 50 Consumer Product Warranties
15 Section 2032

... (c) No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer's using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade or corporate name; except that the prohibition of this subsection be waived by the commission if:

1) The warrantor satisfies the Commission that the warranted product will function properly only if the article or service so identified is used in connection with the warranted product, and

2) the Commission finds that such a waiver is in the public interest.

More simply put, this means that your printer warranty cannot be voided just because you choose to use compatible products unless the manufacturer can prove that the compatible product caused direct damage to your printer. In cases such as this, the manufacturer may choose not to repair your printer but your warranty would remain in effect for all other warranty issues.

How should I handle my cartridge?

Never touch the electronic print head with any abrasive material. Use care when setting your cartridges down and do not place the print head in contact with any surface besides the printer.

Universal Refill kits and ink quality information?

Ink quality is the most important part of refilling. The print head on your cartridge may get clogged or destroyed by the inks that can not match the OEM's specifications. InkTec inks are formulated and tested under strict laboratory conditions to ensure the highest output quality at all times as compared with other OEM products.

Every time I add a second item to my shopping cart the first item disappears. What is wrong?

Most likely you have cookies disabled and that is why you are having problems ordering. Cookies allow us to track you while adding products to your shopping cart while ordering. If you enable cookies you should be able to finish ordering online. If not please call us at 888.321.2552 and we will gladly take your order over the phone.

What is a remanufactured inkjet cartridge?

These professionally remanufactured inkjet cartridges are original manufacturer's brand inkjet cartridges which have been through one cycle of service and have been recharged. Every inkjet cartridge has been thoroughly cleaned along with the printhead nozzles. Then the cartridge is filled with the same ink formulation, checked if it has the correct internal atmospheric pressure, inspected for any possible shell leakage, tested the operation of all electrical circuitry and finally ran through an actual print test. If the cartridge passes our rigid standards, it has been remanufactured!

If a coupon forces my order to go under $50.00 will I still get free shipping?

No, the order total after any coupons or discounts must be over $50.00 in order to receive free shipping in the contiguous U.S.

Does the letter at the end of the HP inkjet cartridge part number matter? For example, if the cartridge is a C6656A will the C6656AN work as well.

The letter at the end of HP ink cartridge numbers signifies the volume. Most HP cartridges only have one type such as the #56 which you will also see shown as the C6656, C6656A and C6656AN. HP sometimes shows the cartridge as the 56A or C6656A, but the full part number is C6656AN. All versions are the same product with the same ink volume. Only if the first letter after the numbers was different would it be the same cartridge with a different volume. Other first letters at the end such as 51645G and 51645A are the identical cartridge, but with different volumes. The G is the free starter cartridge that comes with a printer and the A is the regular high volume cartridge that is sold in stores. When our cartridges are manufactured we always fill the cartridges completely. So, regardless of the letter at the end of part number or the letter you are used to order you will always get a high volume cartridge for us.

Some cartridges come in big sets for example, 4 black and 2 of each color. Can the cartridges be mixed around within the set so that we can get more of one color than others? No. The cartridge sets can not be mixed. We have price breaks on the individual colors so you can order them individually to get better prices on them.

Does the free shipping apply to Canada orders too?

Orders shipping to Canada will ship Priority Mail according to the rate chart found here. Due to higher restrictions, safe guards, and customs inspections, orders can take up to 6-12 business days to arrive. Unfortunately, Canadian shipments do not have tracking numbers. Usually light orders take 6-7 days while heavier orders take longer. Customers are responsible for any duties or taxes imposed by Canadian Customs.

Do you buy back empty cartridges?

We currently do not require customers to send in empties as an exchange in order to get our low prices as some of our competitors do. We do accept some empty cartridges and pass them on to our recycling partners and suppliers. It helps keeps our costs down and retail prices low as you can see from our advertised prices. If you wish to help recycle cartridges please email recycle@ldproducts.com with your mailing address and if you have inkjet or toner cartridges that we can recycle, we can have a prepaid recycling label mailed out to you.

We cannot take every type of cartridge back, so please specify what kind of empty cartridge you have. Please state the cartridge number, if it is an original empty OEM cartridge or a remanufactured empty cartridge, and the quantity of empties that you have. This will help keep our cost on shipping low. If they are remanufactured empties, please collect around eight to ten cartridges and we can mail out a label right away. Be sure to email us your address so that we can have a label sent out once you have collected enough cartridges. If you have any further questions send us an email or call the toll free number listed below. Your prepaid recycle information should arrive in the mail about a 10 days after we respond to your email.

What is the shelf life of compatible brand ink cartridges?

They have a three year shelf life.

Do you charge sales tax?

We only charge sales tax on all orders inside California. Our local tax rate is 9.75%.

Do you offer expedited shipping?

Yes, we offer UPS 2nd Day and Overnight shipping. 2nd Day shipping options will be available during the checkout process. If you would like to get your package delivered Overnight you can get a shipping quote by calling us at 888.321.2552 as this option is not available online.