What to do with spent cartridges

[rdm01]

What do most of you do with your spent ink cartridges for your wide format printers. Do you just toss them, or is there rebates for the empties like with desktop printers. Tossing them seems like it could be an environmental danger as well.

Just curious, after tossing cartridges for the past couple of years, I started to think about alternatives.

 

[Pro Image]

I give them to my nephews to play with.........They build Ink castles.......LOL

I keep them...I have around 60 on a shelf just getting dusty........Maybe one day Mutoh will want to reprogram all those flash card.......and might be willing to pay you for them........

 

[Capital Signs]

Yeah, I have a ton of them. I was thinking one day of opening each one up, and squeezing each bag out the remainding ink that is in there to make ANOTHER cartridge. So far, I have not had any time, and probably wont till the end of the year...

 

[Baz]

Yeah, I have a ton of them. I was thinking one day of opening each one up, and squeezing each bag out the remainding ink that is in there to make ANOTHER cartridge. So far, I have not had any time, and probably wont till the end of the year...

Thats what i do. Just before i converted to Max Inks i went a month using refilled ecosol cartridges. I saved almost a grand in ink for two hours work!

I also use the refilled cartridges as a safety net if i ever (and i have) run out of ink on a weekend and need to get the job out.

 

[rdm01]

Never really thought of saving the little bit at the end to combine with others. How many cartridges did this take? I may start doing that. Is there any way this could be bad on the printer?

 

[Baz]

I dont know how bad it could be for the printer. I havent had any issues ... But i am verry carefull with not allowing any air to go into the refill (using a syringe of course).

You get about 20ml out of an empty cartridge. So just count it up as you fill back the cartridge.

 

[Sign-Man Signs]

We trash ours. Anybody using bulk ecosol for Mutoh?

 

[GregT]

We trash ours, after opening them.

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

I have a box full of them waiting for Roland to come up with some sort of recycling program. Save the earth

 

[bob]

... Save the earth

Save it from what? Or, more better, save it for what?

Do you really think think that the odd ink cartridge tossed into the trash is going to seriously effect the course of history? Or any number of cartridges? These sorts of efforts have about as much impact on anything as an extra cup of water over Niagara Falls.

 

[Mike Paul]

I toss them. I'd go to a bulk ink system before I started cutting them open and refilling empty cartridges. Seems a lot more convenient.

 

[Mason]

Toss em out

 

[TresL]

Posted on Printing digital:

"Ok if anyone already does this or if its already been talked about, sorry.
Otherwise we use a SP300 with OEM inks. Multiple times when the ink runs out I can take apart the cartridge, place enough paper towel in with the bag to push the ink from the back to the front, This usually gets us about 15cc to 30cc more or ink. When splitting open the cartridge take your knife cut the sticker all the way around and use your screw driver to unsnap the plastic.

Hope this helps anyone that reads this.

Wildman @ the Decal Corral Signage CO."

 

[gabagoo]

I used to save them but thought...WHY? If you save them to get ink out later you have to wonder why they have expiry dates on them. Maybe they start to breakdown and get gummy. Maybe not worth the risk.

 

[D&Tgraphics]

Just toss em

 

[TheSnowman]

I used to save them, then set them out for our city spring cleanup, and now I just started tossin' them.