There’s two things you need to think about when you put you ink cartridges in storage.
- Is the ink cartridge still sealed in its original package?
- Is the ink cartridge sealed up after being used for some time in the printer?
Defiantly, stored and sealed ink cartridges can and will outlast ink cartridges already in your printer. If you buy more than one ink cartridge at a time to save money, you should know how to store those extra ones you spent good money on. Depending upon certain conditions, the life of an ink cartridge can vary from a couple of months to a few years. The most important condition is whether the cartridge is opened or sealed. Cartridges sealed in the original packaging and stored in a cool dry place should last up to two years. But, the cartridges have to be protected from damage while their being stored. Even a small hole in the package will cause the ink to dry out.
Sometimes you’ll need to remove an ink cartridge from your printer and store it to be reused. Figuring out how to store your used ink cartridge can save you a lot of money and aggravation. It’s flustering to put an expensive cartridge in your printer that you know has an ample supply of ink inside, only to find that the print head has dried up. Now you’ve got nothing more than a useless cartridge that’s full of expensive ink and you can’t even use it! Here are the steps that you can take to prevent these ink cartridges from drying up and becoming useless:
a. Put the used printer ink cartridge into a zip locked plastic bag. If you’ve got more than one ink cartridge, store, use a separate bag for each cartridge.
b. Get a damp sponge or towel and squeeze out any water so the sponge or towel is damp but not dripping.
c. Put the sponge or towel to the plastic bag with the printer ink cartridge.
d. After you’ve placed the damp sponge and the ink cartridge inside the bag, seal it.
e. Place the sealed bag in a dark, cool place until you’re ready to put it back in the printer. It should still be usable.
