Keeping printer ink costs low.

[Ben Vukicevich SRA]

David,

Not messy at all. Unless you can't pour from a big bottle of bulk ink to the little overhead bottles. Plus, no one comes in my office anyway.

Most parts supplied by Pep Boys Auto. Plastic lines supplied by my daughter's asthma nebulizer machine but you could get them at Pep Boys too.

Imagination/Engineering by Ben who epoxies things together very well. OK, as long as it's 60 second epoxy, I'm fine. I can't hold things together longer than that by hand. So I use the expensive 60 second stuff. I think it costs $2 more at Pep Boys.

Basically, all you're doing is removing the internal HP ink source and creating an external source for the ink. Not rocket science but common sense, plus I'm cheap and hate spending all that money for 4 cartridges.

Let's see 2oz of HP ink in a cartridge $35.

2oz of bulk ink at $1.67

HABU analysis says go for the bulk ink as I was spending more per month on ink cartridges than my new car payment. LOL. And you can't be a good appraiser unless you do a proper HABU analysis, right???

Ben

 

[MARKETVALUE]

$16 a cartridge.....unbelievable. I wish I had your luck. We run higher a higher end HP for B&W and just bought the color laser HP ($900 total for two of each toner) havent burnt through them yet so dont know how long they will last. The pictures as mentioned above are absolutely flawless. PDF has saved us a ton, we only print if requested.

At $16 a cartridge, count your blessings. Cant fathom how you could do better than that.

MRM

 

[Doug in NC]

To clarify, the refill kits were $16 each for each color. I figure it is worth a try, as opposed to spending at least twice that amount for new cartridges.

My second attempt at buying a printer on Ebay was successful. The first one was DOA, fortunately the seller had a DOA policy which guaranteed against it. He paid for expenses to re-ship the printer back to him. Note: if you ever ship back, make sure you get a return receipt from the post office (or other shipper) so that the receiver has to sign for receipt. Someone on this site also stated that by using Paypal, you are covered against getting a bad deal (if the seller claimed one thing and you recieve a worthless piece of equipment).

The seller had a good selling record and explained that the printer was in "near new" condition. Sellers can also tell you the print count (the lower the better) for color and black copies made, if you ask them. I tried to buy a printer that had not been used much. I saved several hundred off of a new model. All it needed was a new yellow cartridge to start printing. That is one other question I asked sellers, "Is the printer in good working condition and ready to use the day I receive it, or is anything needed that you won't be supplying?". I figured it was time to move up in quality, rather than keep spending $200 a year on printers that won't stand up to much use in the appraisal office.

 

[Jesse Michaels]

I saw Ben's contraption at a computer show in Jacksonville, FL (or one just like it). The pages printed looked good.

 

[TEL2002]

Ben,

I got the bulk ink, the bottles, the plastic tubing. I am having a heck of a time in figuring out a non leaking hookup into the cartridge. I've wasted about 5 old cartridges so far in experimenting (and 2 white T-shirts with black ink splatters...just proves I have never been very coordinated). My tube to bottle system works fine. What tiny orifice did you find to tie into the cartridge? Do you go into the top edge of the plastic bag or do you gut it and tie into the plastic near the bottom?

I would love to talk to you about it, if you have time to call me. My toll free # is 866-666-8588. If I'm not in leave a message as to when I should call you.

Have a great day everyone.

Terry

 

[Ben Vukicevich SRA]

Terry,

Don't mess with the plastic bag. I tried that first with hypodermic needles and tubing but it leaks. You have to wreck some more clothes. The plastic bag has to go. It's a mess. Cut the bag off and leave a small portion of it at the bottom to use as a form for the epoxy you will pour to secure the plastic fitting into the ink inlet. When the bag is cut away, you will see the small hole for the ink inlet. It will be one of two types. The old ones allowed a 3/32 plastic windshield washer fitting to go right in. Be careful if you have that type as there is a small plastic butterfly vavle down in the inlet hole. If you insert the fitting in too far, you will hold it open and it will not pressurize/work. The newer ones have a very small fitting-nothing will go into it. I use a toothpick through the fitting to center the fitting OVER the hole while I pour the epoxy around it. Once again, be careful with the plastic valve, don't puncture it with a pointy toothpick. I usually bite the end off the toothpick until it just goes into the hole. Use the 60 second epoxy and pull the toothpick out before it becomes glued into the hole.

Let it set up for awhile because the plastic tubing puts alot of stress on the fitting when you push it on. Sometimes its easier if you heat the tubing with a hair dryer to make it more supple.

Once you're set-up, feed the plastic tubing through a hole in the top of the ink cartridge that you make with a pointy steak knife or the like, snap the cartridge top back on the base and you're in business for a long time. I take no responsibility for your actions with a steak knife. :lol: :lol:

Don't cut yourself

Good luck.

Ben

 

[Charlotte Dixon]

Sam's Club for me. Little 840C HP Deskjet cartridge color - 2/$32, black & white - 2/$29.
Don't use it much; doing the PDF thing, too.

Workhorse HP Laserjet 4000 .... I'm now determining it's cheaper to buy a new cartridge than recycle ($108 to recycle). New lasts longer.