• What are the advantages of using recycled inkjet cartridges?
The most obvious answer is that you can save money, a lot of money! A customer using recycled inkjet cartridges can save from 30% to 60% on supply costs by using recycled cartridges instead of buying new cartridges.
Another benefit of recycling used inkjet cartridges is protecting the environment. However, those "do-it-yourself" refill kits you may have seen, with all their syringes, bottles, and extra packaging, can actually create more of a waste than if you threw the cartridge away. Our recycling involves significantly less waste. It is "true recycling."
• Why should I use your service rather than a "do-it-yourself" refill kit?
There are severalvery significant reasons:
1. Many people have complained that it's really easy to make a mess with do-it-yourself kits. While the ink is water soluble, it is only water-soluble if it's on a non-porous object such as plastic. Get it on your clothes, carpet, chair, wall, or wooden table and it's there for good. Get it on your hands and expect it to take 3-5 days to wash out.
2. Expect mediocre results with do-it-yourself kits. You never really know if the cartridge is going to work or not, and it might leak all over your printer. Most cartridges use internal pressure regulators to regulate the flow of ink out of the cartridge. If the vacuum levels become unbalanced, the cartridge will either not print or leak in the printer.
3. When refill kits are used, the cartridges aren't cleaned. This leaves the old ink inside the cartridge to mix and react with the refill kit ink (a different ink formulation). This can lead to clogging and will limit the number of times a cartridge can be recycled. Our process purges any remaining ink from the cartridge and cleans the cartridge thoroughly inside and out before it gets refilled with specially formatted inks. This procedure leads to a high success rate and the ability to recycle each cartridge more times.
4. Your time is valuable, and the difference in cost to have us provide a FULL-SERVICE remanufacturing service is minimal. With a do-it-yourself kit you're out your investment of time and money if the cartridge doesn't work. With our service, you only pay if your cartridge is successfully recycled. Is it really worth spending your time to save a couple of dollars while risking ruining your clothes, carpet, or furnishings?
• How do I know if the cartridges I use can be recycled?
With over 700 devices using inkjet cartridges, including inkjet printers, plotters, fax machines, multi-function machines, and other special purpose equipment, it can be confusing. That's why you can use our online search feature, or call us, to find the appropriate printer-cartridge combination. Luckily, there aren't nearly as many cartridge styles as printers, since many printers use the same cartridge styles.
• I just bought a brand new printer and my inkjet cartridge isn't on your list. Can it still be recycled?
Many new printers use the exact same cartridges as the printer models they replace. However, many other new models use inkjet cartridges that are also new styles. Because this usually means the development of new inks, it can take from 3 - 6 months after a new cartridge hits the market to develop and test suitable inks. We prioritize our research and development and concentrate on the most popular new cartridge styles, usually from the largest printer manufacturers first.
• When I send inkjet cartridges to you, will they always be returned?
No. In our experience about 90% of the single color never-before-recycled cartridges we receive can be recycled. Many cartridges are successfully recycled three to seven times or more. As cartridges age, the percentage that can be returned will decrease and some styles such as the tri-chamber color cartridges can generally be recycled fewer times due to their more complex design. When cartridges are placed in plastic bags and/or sealed when removed from the printer, they are more likely to be successfully recycled. This varies from customer to customer and cartridge to cartridge.
• Are your recycled inkjet cartridges 100% guaranteed?
Yes. First, every cartridge is tested for quality before it is returned to you. Second, every cartridge is covered by a 100% Satisfaction 6 month Warranty from the date of receipt. That means that, if a recycled cartridge develops a problem before it is more than 50% used during the 180-day warranty period, you may return the cartridge to us for a replacement or your money back. Since all inkjet cartridges will wear out eventually, if we receive it and can't get it to work we can still sell you a remanufactured inkjet cartridge but we ask that you pay a $5.00 core charge for the new cartridge. This charge is for our cost to locate and purchase the empty cartridge, and it helps remind people to save their empty cartridge and not throw it away.
• Will using recycled inkjet cartridges void my printer warranty?
In a warranty statement dated December 1993, Hewlett-Packard clarified its position on warranties. "For HP products, the use of a non-HP cartridge or a refilled print cartridge does not affect either the warranty to the customer or any HP support contract with the customer." If for any reason a Cirrus Imaging Supply cartridge causes a problem with your printer, you can bring us the printer and we will fix the problem free of charge.
• How long does it take to recycle an inkjet cartridge?
The mail-in turnaround time once the cartridge arrives at our door is 24 - 72 hours, with many common cartridges being returned the same day as received. If you are in the local area you can expect same or next day service. Our recommendation is that you always have an extra cartridge on hand (in addition to the one in the printer), so that you will never be without the use of your printer when the cartridge becomes empty.
• How many pages will my recycled cartridges print?
Each OEM cartridge comes with a specific amount of ink when new. That's the same amount of ink we use when we recycle. Our cartridges are carefully weighed to be sure they meet these weight specifications. We can't forecast the number of pages they will print because that is determined by other factors, such as whether you are printing graphics or text, single or double spaced, page margins, print quality settings on your printer, etc. What you can be sure of is that our recycled printer cartridges contain at least as much ink (sometimes more ink) that a factory new inkjet cartridge.

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