This article is intended for customers who have purchased a refill bundle for PGI-X50 and CLI-X51 type cartridges. It also covers cartridges that are from the same generation but from other sales zones (eg: PGI250, CLI-251) and similar cartridge design.
1. Cleaned/Refill Cartridges (optional)
We now offer cleaned and refilled cartridges available as a remanufactured cartridge set. This means that the cartridges have gone through a thorough cleaning and drying process then been chip reset and refilled with a compatible ink*
If your refill bundle includes these already or you have purchased them separately then you simply install these cartridges as you would any other compatible cartridge set and use as normal. When the cartridge runs out of ink, you then modify and refill using your preferred refill technique.
Note: Where supplied, we recommend you use these cartridges first, to test the suitability of the ink on your preferred media. This will allow you to identify any concerns and/or questions about the ink before you start using the refill tools and/or ink.
*We offer two different ink sets for the 550/551 type cartridges (see below)
2. Refill Processes
There are a number of different ways to refill Canon inkjet cartridges. However, almost all of our customers prefer to use the Top-Fill method and your refill kit will include the necessary tools to make this possible.
Key Resources:
- Refilling OEM PGI550/CLI551 cartridges [Video]
- Resetting the cartridge chip [Video]
- Fitting an orange clip on a cartridge [Video]
3. Flushing/Priming Cartridges
We often get asked whether it’s necessary to flush the cartridges before refilling and the advice varies depending on the situation so here’s some common scenarios and our advice regarding each:
Topping up cartridges with OEM/Original ink still in:
If you top-up OEM ink, it won’t cause ink flow problems but colours are likely to vary and you will get results that change subtly as the refill ink starts to dilute the OEM inks over time. Definitely not recommended if you want to start profiling for specific papers.
Note: DO NOT refill the CLI-42Y cartridge unless the cartridges has been thoroughly cleaned and dried first.
Using old/dry cartridges:
If it’s dry and old you it’s best to get the cartridges thoroughly cleaned out, dried and then re-primed before you use them.
Topping up cartridges already filled with 3rd party inks
Our inks are tested against OEM/Original inks only. Whilst other compatible/third-party inks may well be similar we recommend you flush and dry the cartridges before using them just to avoid any potential problems
Alternative Option:
At OctoInkjet now offer the option of our remanufactured and modified cartridge sets. These have been thoroughly flushed, dried and then refilled with the same version 2 inks used in our refill bundles.
- 5 cartridge set (standard inks)
- 6 cartridge set (standard inks)
- 5 cartridge set (hybrid inks)
- 6 cartridge set (hybrid inks)
Methods for Flushing
If your cartridges are particularly old and/or you suspect that they may contain some form of contamination such as algae, then it’s recommended that you flush with a cleaning solution first.
For most other cartridges, flushing once (or more) with distilled or deionised water is sufficient to clear out the old ink.
Flushing/Purging is covered in this video but please note we realised some time later that we’d used tap water at a point in the video. Don’t use tap water, always use de-ionised or distilled water when cleaning.
Flushing without water [Alt approach]
If your cartridges are still pretty moist and haven’t been allowed to get too dry then you can short cut a lot of the process but simply using some of your new refill ink to part fill and then dilute any remaining ink in the cartridge before dumping the ink used and refilling as normal.
This process is covered in its own FAQ article – “Flushing without water”.
Drying Cartridges
You can dry/empty cartridges using this method.
Notes:
- If you are purging cleaning solutions then it’s recommended you dry the cartridges thoroughly for at least 24 hours (before you flush with deionised/distilled water a further two times).
- For water flushes, you only need to dry/purge the cartridges for approximately 2 hours to remove the bulk of the water.
- Drying a cartridge completely (ie: bone dry) makes it difficult for the sponges to accept ink/fluid properly. If allowed to dry to this level it may be necessary to vacuum fill/re-prime the cartridge so that the sponge is saturated again.