Can you combine ink cartridges in a jam?

[SignProPlus-Chip]

Basically, what I am asking is, if I have two ink cartridges that are half full, can I open them, pierce the bags with a large syringe to siphon out ink from one, then add it to another?

Any down side to this?

I would assume the small hole in the bag from the syringe could be sealed over, or even left alone after?

 

[jfiscus]

What is wrong with using one until it's empty & replacing it?

 

[SignProPlus-Chip]

What is wrong with using one until it's empty & replacing it?

Cartridge reads as empty but still has 20-40% ink in it. Wanted to combine the "leftovers" so to speak.

 

[otctech]

Once you pierce a bag and try to use it you will get air in the lines.

Think about where the needle on the machine goes into the bag. If there is air in the bag then as soon as the ink level drops below the spot where the needle enters the bag you will be sucking air into your machine.

 

[genericname]

Cartridge reads as empty but still has 20-40% ink in it. Wanted to combine the "leftovers" so to speak.

Been covered to death on the forum. General consensus is that it's not worth the trouble.

I've had issues from time to time where errors read my carts as empty as well though, and when they do, I "add extra" until it won't let me anymore. Then I swap the chip on the cart with another one that's actually empty, and "add extra" again. Only down side to this is that you can't do it on large print runs, and you need to keep a closer eye on the weight of the cart to get an idea of where the ink level is.

 

[SignProPlus-Chip]

Once you pierce a bag and try to use it you will get air in the lines.

Think about where the needle on the machine goes into the bag. If there is air in the bag then as soon as the ink level drops below the spot where the needle enters the bag you will be sucking air into your machine.

That doesn't make sense to me. The needle enters the cartridge in the middle. That would mean a half empty cartridge would constantly push air through the lines.

 

[SignProPlus-Chip]

Been covered to death on the forum. General consensus is that it's not worth the trouble.

I've had issues from time to time where errors read my carts as empty as well though, and when they do, I "add extra" until it won't let me anymore. Then I swap the chip on the cart with another one that's actually empty, and "add extra" again. Only down side to this is that you can't do it on large print runs, and you need to keep a closer eye on the weight of the cart to get an idea of where the ink level is.

OK, pardon my ignorance here...."add extra"?

 

[otctech]

That doesn't make sense to me. The needle enters the cartridge in the middle. That would mean a half empty cartridge would constantly push air through the lines.

Not if there is no air in the bag. If its a sealed bag with only ink in it, then all you can get out of it is ink. If you pierce the bag and introduce air that's when you'd have a problem.

 

[CanuckSigns]

have you tried calling your ink supplier and see if they will take it back, if there is actually 40% of the ink still in the cart and it's reading empty, it sounds like a defective cart to me.

 

[boxerbay]

dude send the cartridge back.

 

[SignProPlus-Chip]

have you tried calling your ink supplier and see if they will take it back, if there is actually 40% of the ink still in the cart and it's reading empty, it sounds like a defective cart to me.

It's a lot of carts we got with the purchase of our used machine, so we didn't buy them, that's just why we thought about combining them.

I'm guessing we could just load it all into a bulk ink system though.

 

[Racer0099]

It's a lot of carts we got with the purchase of our used machine, so we didn't buy them, that's just why we thought about combining them.
I'm guessing we could just load it all into a bulk ink system though.

I know this is OLD, but I'm hoping you still read this. Did this ever work?

 

[netsol]

if one can cover the pin hole with a label, for example, no harm done. no air in system
back in the 80's annheiser busch had a brand called eagle snacks. potato chips, corn chips. our local distributor was too clever to send things back for partial credit after the date expired. he would use a needle to shoot nitrogen into the bags, then cover the pinhole ( and the date code) with a small circular label (special promotion!!! new flavor, etc)

 

[ikarasu]

A cartridge has a chip that tells the printer how full it is

If one is reading at 0 and the other at 40%... Even if you full the 40% up to max it'll still read as 40%. It keeps track of how much ink is used, not how much is in the bag.


Heads can die if there is no ink and it's trying to shoot ink through it. This is why most ink bags have leftover even when it says 0 - hp flatbed for instance add an extra 5-10% ink to avoid it killing a head.


So unless you can reset your chip.... Adding ink into it won't help. And if you can reset your chip, obviously you'd be better off resetting the 0% chip rather than screw around with ink