How best to store refilled carts ?

[azuchrome]

Ok - two sets of OEM carts for the ip4700, so there's a ready replacement when a cart empties out.

Let's say I'm ready to refill one cart, German method. I would seal the outlet tight as I can with the original orange cap, and a little tape over the refill hole (just for safety) for storage preparation.

Is it better to refill the cart as soon as it runs dry, cap it tight and store in a ziplock bag for the 6 months until I'll need it, OR should I leave it "empty", cap it, maybe seal the air vent hole and put it in a ziplock bag with a slightly damp paper towel until I'm ready to do the refill in a few months ?

Thanks and Happy Holidays !!

 

[ghwellsjr]

I would refill it now, cap the outlet port, tape the refill hole, do NOT tape the air vent hole, and put it in a ziplock bag with a very damp paper towel.

 

[paulcroft]

ghwellsjr

May I ask the thinking behind not taping the air vent hole?

I currently run two cartridges for my printer, one in and one filled as a replacement ready to swap in as needed. The refills sit with orange caps held in place with a rubber band and the air vents and 'German' holes taped over. I don't use a ziplock bag, though I can see that would be a good idea, nor do I store them with a damp paper towel. At installation time I remove the orange cap and untape the air vent. To my mind this replicates, as near as possible, using an OEM cartridge.

Please understand, I am not suggesting my method is better - far from it, it may well not be - but I would like to understand the logic behind your methodology.

Many thanks

Paul

 

[nche11]

Every new OEM cartridges are packaged for long term storage and the vent is taped (or sealed if you will). From time to time you will find weird or wrong ideas recommended by people on public forums. This forum is no exception.

 

[mikling]

I just found some containers in a dollar store ( Dollarama) that sells 2 storage containers for one dollar that have the correct height for the CLI-221 and variants when used with orange storage clips. These storage containers become airtight when clipped down and feature a rubber gasket to provide the seal. To my mind, if you are going to use these refilled cartridges within a couple of months, I would not bother with completely sealing the carts as the container will minimize humidity as well as barometric effects. I prefer storing them upright inside a container rather than a bag.

Dollarama also used to sell a similar storage container that was narrow and long and was the correct height to store CLI-8 carts. This is what I use to store carts for the Pro9000.

 

[ghwellsjr]

ghwellsjr

May I ask the thinking behind not taping the air vent hole?

I currently run two cartridges for my printer, one in and one filled as a replacement ready to swap in as needed. The refills sit with orange caps held in place with a rubber band and the air vents and 'German' holes taped over. I don't use a ziplock bag, though I can see that would be a good idea, nor do I store them with a damp paper towel. At installation time I remove the orange cap and untape the air vent. To my mind this replicates, as near as possible, using an OEM cartridge.

Please understand, I am not suggesting my method is better - far from it, it may well not be - but I would like to understand the logic behind your methodology.

Many thanks

Paul

See this post.

 

[nche11]

The sponge in Canon OEM cartridge is only partially filled. While ink (liquid) is not compressible air is. The environmental temperature (room temperature) variation is not enough to cause the ink and the air inside the cartridge to expand to a point to break through the seal (outlet at the bottom and the vent at the top). Even if the expansion due to environmental temperature variation breaks the seal it would be air that leaked out, not ink. I have mailed many refill cartridges to my child in college all with the vent taped. Never had a problem.

If the cartridges are only to be stored no more than a few months it really does not matter if the vent is taped. But if they are going to be stored more than 6 months they should be taped. Ziploc is made of LDPE material. PE is basically a material that allows oxygen to breath through.

 

[paulcroft]

Many thanks all, the fund of knowledge here is invaluable. One of the things I really appreciate about this forum, unlike many others, is that, when a question is asked, different opinions may be offered in response without anyone getting stressed. Very encouraging.

Paul

 

[ghwellsjr]

The sponge in Canon OEM cartridge is only partially filled. While ink (liquid) is not compressible air is. The environmental temperature (room temperature) variation is not enough to cause the ink and the air inside the cartridge to expand to a point to break through the seal (outlet at the bottom and the vent at the top). Even if the expansion due to environmental temperature variation breaks the seal it would be air that leaked out, not ink. I have mailed many refill cartridges to my child in college all with the vent taped. Never had a problem.

If the cartridges are only to be stored no more than a few months it really does not matter if the vent is taped. But if they are going to be stored more than 6 months they should be taped. Ziploc is made of LDPE material. PE is basically a material that allows oxygen to breath through.

I'm not talking about temperature changes that might cause the air/ink/cartridge to expand and/or contract, I'm talking about air pressure changes that occur during the day and as a result of weather fluctuations. (Generally speaking, as the outside air temperature goes up during the day, the ambient air pressure goes down and at night as the air temperature goes down, the ambient air pressure goes up.) But there is an additional pressure change when shipping cartridges caused by changes in elevation, especially if the package goes on an airplane. See this thread.

Here's a little experiment you can try: take a cartridge that is full of ink and securely tape over the vent hole. Leave the outlet port open. If you refill by the German method, tape that hole too. Take another full cartridge, and tape over everything except the air vent hole. Let both cartridges sit for a month in a place where ink won't mess anything up.

You might also ask yourself this question: why does a new Canon cartridge force you to remove the tape over the vent hole before you remove the orange cap from the outlet port?

 

[nche11]

I can see why you may have a problem by taping the vent now. You probably overfilled the cartridge. You won't experience greater atmosphere pressure change in a house than in a cargo bay of an airplane. If the sponge is not oversaturated (this is why the sponge in every new Canon ink cartridge is partially filled) the air inside the cartridge gets compressed or expanded inside the sealed ink cartridge. If the pressure is too great the tape may let some air escape. The ink is still withhold by the sponge by capillarity force unless the sponge is too full of ink. My refilled cartridges with taped vent have traveled by air for many years without problems.

The seal on a new ink cartridge is a seal. It's not like a piece of tape that has little or no resistance to pressure change. I have had PGI-5 cartridges partially used, the vent taped and the outlet capped with original cap using rubber band. I did not keep them in Ziploc bags sometimes. I have not had any problems.

If you keep the cartridges in a Ziploc bag I can agree that there is probably no need to tape the vent. But if you overfill the sponge ink may leak out of the vent if the vent is not taped when a significant atmosphere pressure change does occur.