Old printer inks

  • Thread starter Thread starter William4
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William4

Do you think out of date inks matters?
I've two (11/2003 & 8/2004) blacks, still sealed to use.
Orig Epson (older SO numbering).
I don't mind if they don't last long, just no damage or hassles for the
printer.
 
William4 said:
Do you think out of date inks matters?
I've two (11/2003 & 8/2004) blacks, still sealed to use.
Orig Epson (older SO numbering).
I don't mind if they don't last long, just no damage or hassles for the
printer.
Click to expand...

If they are still vacuum sealed I have never had a problem

James Sodor
www.whatcartridge.com
 
William4 said:
Do you think out of date inks matters?
I've two (11/2003 & 8/2004) blacks, still sealed to use.
Orig Epson (older SO numbering).
I don't mind if they don't last long, just no damage or hassles for the
printer.
Click to expand...

I'd give anything a try, but I have also opened old carts out of the
package and found the sponges completely dried out. When it's a tank
cart without a sponge and you can hear or see the ink, you have hope.
 
Without looking up the numbers to determine which type of ink they
contain, in general, the dye colorant inks have a very lengthy useful
shelf life. The main problem that develops is the cartridges can lose
some of the water or other volatiles over time through the plastic walls
of the cartridge, and this can result in too thick an ink, causing
problems with it functioning properly in the head. If that occurs, you
can usually add a bit of ammoniated window cleaner to bring the density
back in line.

The pigment colorant inks are a bit trickier, they can clump and settle
out, and the resins used can clot and coagulate or change chemically.
Not sure how long is safe from them, but I'd expect at least 6 months to
a year past posted expiration date.

Art
 
Hi!
Do you think out of date inks matters?
Click to expand...

I think it depends upon the printer. I have many HP printers. At the moment,
the two that are relevant to this discussion are an HP DeskJet 932 and a
DeskJet 5850.

I recently found some old cartridges for the 5850 and put them in. Both had
expired in late 2004. The color cartridge doesn't report having any ink it,
but both black and color printing works fine.

I found a few color cartridges for the 932, the newest of which has an
"install date" of mid-2004. So far only one has really worked properly, and
it's not even the newest of the bunch...I think it expired at the end of
2003. I've had varying amounts of success trying to get the others going.
One only prints magenta...the others will print colors, but only with a
bunch of diddling around if you let them sit for any length of time.

With a printer like your Epson that has a permanently installed head, the
cartridges should be examined carefully to be sure their contents have not
hardened or stiffened.

William
 
Thanks all so far,
the carts are S020108 11/2003 & 8/2004 so may be deemed too far out of date.

Just re-read, whilst someone has scrawled so20189 on the back (which is what
I wanted) they are not quite the correct cartidged for my 760. Do you think
they are accually the same or am I best 're-allocating' them elsewhere.
 
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