How to save on printer ink (especially black)

[kevin]

(I'm still working on perfecting the color mixes, will update if I ever get it perfect. )

Did you know it's possible to print with food coloring?? Well it is, even in color. I've done it myself and it works great, the color printing is a little off but I'll experiment a little with it to figure it out. If you're just printing a lot of documents and not color things then this could save you a good deal of money in the long run.

Supplies

Syringe and needle

Food coloring- for black ink blue and red food coloring, for color blue, red, and yellow

Paper towels/newspapers

You should work over newspaper or paper towel incase you spill.

To make black ink you will use blue and red food coloring. Mix them at a 2:1 ratio (ie 2 parts blue ink for every 1 part red ink). I bought huge containers of blue and red food coloring for 10$ each.

Use the syringe to suck up some of the black ink.

Locate the "ink refill" hole on the top of your ink cartridge, open it up.

Insert the syringe's needle into the hole and go into the middle of the sponge (the inside of ink cartridges are just sponges).

Fill up until it starts to run out of the hole on top a bit, then suck up a little bit with the syringe to take away some excess.

Then use something such as electrical tape to cover the hole on top.

Wipe excess that may leak from the jets.

You can either put some electrical tape over the jets for storage, or not do it... or just put it right in your printer.

I recommend printing out a jibberish black document to cycle through the ink a little bit. Afterwards, it should work great!

To do this in color, experiment yourself.

Note: If you are doing this for color you should turn up your color intensity all the way, food coloring is less viscous than ink

Edited August 16, 2008 by kevin

[GET OFF AXLS BACK]

If you could get pretty much exact colour matches then it would be great but you have to consider the flooding of colours as the cartridge starts to empty, as well as the difference in thickness between original ink and food colouring.

I would imagine food colouring is thinner, might make for flooded messy prints?

[kevin]

If you could get pretty much exact colour matches then it would be great but you have to consider the flooding of colours as the cartridge starts to empty, as well as the difference in thickness between original ink and food colouring.

I would imagine food colouring is thinner, might make for flooded messy prints?

Nope, prints fine with regards to flooding and messy prints, but you must run "cleaning cycle" prints first, just printing out a few junk documents that don't matter. Ink "vicousity" or thickness is why for color you must turn intensity up all the way, or whatever it's called for you. The thickness isn't a problem really, at least in my case... The "ink" goes into a sponge and the heating of the "resistors" "jets" the ink out from the sponges.

The only true problem I've personally had is trying to make exact matches for color for color ink cartridges. But still, it saves a ton of money on black ink.

Edited August 16, 2008 by kevin

[gunsguy]

after it dries scan it and post it

Gunsguy

[GET OFF AXLS BACK]

Fair enough kevin, we all use far more black ink than colour so still a saver

[kevin]

Fair enough kevin, we all use far more black ink than colour so still a saver

Yeah that's what I'm sayin'. If I ever figure out a good way to do color ink I'll let you all know!

[DirtyDeeds]

Wow, this is awesome. Definitely going to try this.

[KBear]

That's a pretty good idea.

I just use a laser printer. It's much faster and toner lasts forever. Unless you print a lot of pictures an inkjet is a waste of money. Had one for a while, got sick of replacing the ink, bought a laser printed instead! No more buying ink every god damn month.

Edited August 25, 2008 by KBear