Canon ink jet cartridge replacement can be costly. Most Canon cartridges, fortunately, are refillable, and you can save money by replacing the ink yourself. If you have the right tools, refilling Canon cartridges is simple. You can easily do this job yourself if you have a refill kit.
Easy Step to Refilling Canon cartridges
- Run a printhead clean from your computer.
- Cartridge Preparation
- Refilling and Reinstalling the Cartridges
How to Run a printhead clean from your computer.
1. Check to see if your cartridge is empty.
Run a print head cleaning program from your computer. When people see streaks on printed pages, they frequently assume they require more ink. In some cases, however, a dirty print head is to blame. See if selecting the printhead cleaning option from your “Devices and Printers” menu helps.
- After cleaning the printhead, print another page. If you still see streaks, you may be out of ink.
2. Shake the ink cartridge two times.
If you receive an error message indicating that you have run out of ink, it is possible that you have a clog in your cartridges. Take out each cartridge, turn it upside down, and gently shake it. Replace the cartridge and check to see if the problem has been resolved.
- Gently shake the cartridge. Shaking the cartridge violently can not only damage it, but also cause it to fly out of your hand and break.
3 Remove the ink cartridge sensors and clean them.
Dirty sensors can also cause an error message even if you aren’t out of ink, and cleaning them may solve the problem. Gently rub the sensors on the cartridge with a paper towel dampened with rubbing alcohol. Then try printing again.
- Wipe down the printer’s electronic sensors as well. An error message can be generated by dust or dirt on any electronic sensor.
Part 2 : Cartridge Preparation
1 Purchase a refill kit for Canon ink cartridges. These kits should include ink for all of the printer’s colors, a syringe for injecting the ink, and a small thumb drill. They are available at most office supply stores and on the internet.
- If you can’t find the right kit, contact Canon directly. Visit https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/support/self-help-center/contact-us-by-phone for a list of phone numbers.
- Remember to purchase a refill kit for your specific printer model number. Canon ink products are similar but not identical.
Remove the top of the ink cartridge.
Some printers use different cartridge removal mechanisms. Lift up the scanner unit, which is usually where the cartridges are stored. Most of the time, pressing down on the cartridge causes it to click out of place. Then, wiggle gently until the cartridge slides out.
- If you can’t figure out how to remove the cartridges, always consult the owner’s manual.
- If the cartridges do not come out easily, do not pull on them. This has the potential to damage both the cartridge and your printer.
3: Using a utility knife, remove the sticker from each cartridge.
If you’ve never refilled these cartridges before, there should still be stickers across the top covering the refill holes if you haven’t done so before. Slide the knife blade carefully under the sticker and peel it back. You can remove it completely because the refill holes can be covered with tape later.
- When you peel back the sticker on a multicolor cartridge, you’ll notice three holes. Each hole leads to its own ink chamber.
- When working with a knife, wear gloves to protect your hands.
- Wear gloves to prevent the ink from getting on your hands.
4: With the thumb drill, make a hole in the circle on top of the cartridge. On top of the ink cartridge, there should be a small circle. This shows where you should drill a hole to refill it. Take one hand for the cartridge and the other for the thumb drill. Insert the drill into the circle until it pierces the plastic. Then, using the drill in a circular motion, enlarge the hole.
- Insert the syringe through the hole to determine its size. The hole is large enough if it passes through cleanly.
- You can also use a power drill to make the hole if that is more convenient for you. Use a thin drill bit that is no larger than the circle on the cartridge and stop drilling once you have broken the surface of the plastic.
- Poke through each of the three circles if you’re working on a multicolor cartridge.
5 For multicolor cartridges, insert a needle into each hole to confirm the color. If you’re refilling multicolor cartridges, make sure you know which color goes in each chamber. Use a needle that is long enough to reach the bottom of the cartridge chamber. Insert it through the hole and rub it around until it reaches the bottom. Then, take it out again and check to see which color ink should be in that cartridge.
- Wiping the needle on a piece of white paper will help you see which color is in the chamber.
Part 3: Refilling and Replacing Canon cartridges
1: Fill the correct ink into the syringe. Dip the syringe tip into the appropriate ink bottle. Squeeze the pump on your syringe to fill the chamber. Pull on the plunger attachment to fill the syringe if it has one.
- Canon cartridges typically contain 7 ml (.27 fl. oz.) of ink in single cartridges and 3 ml (.1 fl. oz.) of ink in each chamber of a multicolor cartridge, but the exact amount of ink to fill depends on the model of your cartridge. Fill the syringe with the amount of ink specified in the manual for your cartridge size.
- Do this on a clean cloth or on a clean surface, just in case you spill any ink.
2: Inject the ink into the cartridge through the hole.
Fill the cartridge slowly with ink using the syringe. If you squirt the ink out too quickly, the cartridge may overflow. If ink begins to well up through the hole, stop filling it.
3: Remove the cartridge.
Make sure there is no ink left on the cartridge with a rag or paper towel. Wipe the sensor on each cartridge with a paper towel soaked in rubbing alcohol. If there is any ink on the sensor, the printer may not be able to read it.
4: Put tape over the drilled hole and poke a hole through it. To prevent ink leaks, cover the entire top of the cartridge. Press the tape down to remove any air bubbles that could interfere with the operation of your printer. Then, using a needle or toothpick, poke a small hole through the tape over the drilled hole. This serves as a cartridge vent.
- For future refills, use tape that is easy to peel off. Scotch or electrical tape will suffice. Duct tape is far too sticky.
5 Replace the ink cartridges in the printer. Replace each cartridge in the slot from which it was removed. Depending on the type of printer, you may need to press down until you hear a click. This indicates that the cartridge is in place.
- Check that you’ve inserted the correct colors into the correct slots.
6 Print a test page. Check your work by ensuring that your printer works after you’ve replaced the cartridges. You can print whatever you want, but a specialized test page will check all of the colors on a single page.
We hope that the steps outlined above have resolved your refilling Canon cartridges problem. If you are still experiencing difficulties, you can seek assistance from a Canon printer repair service.
