The advantage of the fixed head is that it's separated from the item which is the usual culprint in refilling problems: the ink tank. This allows you to do a variety of actions to salvage a tank that would have possibly destroyed a printhead-equipped cartridge. That's a fact. But I also think (from my experience but also seems a logical conclusion) that fixed print heads are more durable than cartridges (they are build to last for the lifetime of the printer while the cartridges are meant to last for the page yield of the cartridge).
In regards to dripping ink on the ink port -- don't even try it: It doesn't work. Ink will never find its way to the ink area, you'll get a bloated sponge and the cartridge will register as empty. There are only 2 practical methods in refilling the cartridge:
1) piercing the ink area from the top and refilling while the ink port is sealed (otherwise it will drip)
2) the durchstich.
The durchstich is superior; the first method (the "traditional") looks simple until you finish refilling and then you need to seal the top. Most of us have found it is really much more difficult that it looks. In the end, most forum users have found that a screw and a rubber o-ring will do. But the durchstich does not deal with these problems because it uses the properties of the tank itself to achieve pressure balance.
Don't attempt new refilling methods: either do it in the traditional nifty way, or the durchstich. You can buy a refill kit from Germany that includes everything you need (including the special long needles for durchstich).
In regards to dripping ink on the ink port -- don't even try it: It doesn't work. Ink will never find its way to the ink area, you'll get a bloated sponge and the cartridge will register as empty. There are only 2 practical methods in refilling the cartridge:
1) piercing the ink area from the top and refilling while the ink port is sealed (otherwise it will drip)
2) the durchstich.
The durchstich is superior; the first method (the "traditional") looks simple until you finish refilling and then you need to seal the top. Most of us have found it is really much more difficult that it looks. In the end, most forum users have found that a screw and a rubber o-ring will do. But the durchstich does not deal with these problems because it uses the properties of the tank itself to achieve pressure balance.
Don't attempt new refilling methods: either do it in the traditional nifty way, or the durchstich. You can buy a refill kit from Germany that includes everything you need (including the special long needles for durchstich).
