What are the dangers of using expired ink?

[PenguinLust]

I had another thread, but that one seems to have degenerated into confusion, so I thought I'd start another. I just realized that the ink I have is best before 2013 (I don't know which part of the year). What are the dangerous of using it? Right now, the only problem I can see is that the PGBK is faded and that's it. Could I also be doing damage to the head?

 

[turbguy]

I find it hard to believe that Black pigment ink would fade in storage. Black pigments are VERY fade resistant.

The pigment might SETTLE in the container, and you may wish to shake the container well (I do with pigment inks) before every use.

Dye inks will fade with time and exposure to other conditions (particularly when spread really thin on a flat surface)!

I believe the biggest risk in using "old ink" is the potential for biological growths (fungus, bacterial) in the ink, which can promote clogging.

 

[stratman]

I would think dessicated pigment ink, from old ink that loses moisture from time and environmental conditions increases risk of print head clog and poor ink flow in/out of the cartridge, biologic growth or not. Maybe even dye-based inks may too viscous given enough evaporation and cause issue, though I think this happening would be well after the risk with pigment ink could create issues.

 

[The Hat]

Why don’t you just purge your pigment cart again and fill it with your dye photo black ink, that will be a good test for your cart, but make sure you thoroughly dry the sponge before refilling, some of my inks are six yeas old and I can see no difference in quality or consistence..

 

[Smile]

If the ink would be filtered then there would be only the danger if viscosity changed. But if it's sealed tight I guess it's OK. How old is your ink anyway?

 

[Lucas28]

Some manufacturers, like Canon, refuse to print a date on their cartridges. So they think their ink will stay fluid for ever.

But Epson does print a date on their packages. That enables me to use very old ink, for instance 'best before 2007'
It appears that that ink still can be used as if it was new.

So don't worry. Ink can be used far beyond the 'best before' date.

 

[fotofreek]

Refill ink vendors generally advertise a two year shelf life. I try to order enough to last no more than two years but it is difficult to estimate. The urge is to buy larger amounts for the financial savings, but there is such a savings, even with smaller quantities, that I'd rather stay on the safe side.

 

[3dogs]

I use Cone Inks and they say two years shelf life, as of November this year I am headed into the great wherever with the remaining ink.
I'm with The Hat on this one, when I start to see degrading in performance I will think again on the subject. Till then my inks are FIRMLY stoppered, and stored in a cool dark place. I am fairly diligent in taking the bottles out and rocking them sorta gently. However, I keep them out for a few days and repeat the process a few times.
My starting point is : pigment has an affinity for its brothers. In the case of some brands of ink, their pigment particles have an irregular in shape, thus those bits are prone to find ways to pack in much more closely and form clogs. Cone combats this by encapsulation. Even so left sitting together in the same bunch MAY (over time) cause them to get too friendly and just gel together in some way, so I make sure that the encapsulated 'piggyments' change location and company as often as practical.
Unlike my desperation strategy with the VM last week, I am very gentle, but firm....everyone gets a turn at sitting with someone else as it were in the bottle.

My two bobs worth!

Cheers,

Andrew

 

[stratman]

I spoke with Canon technical support a few years ago and was told the shelf live was 2 years unopened and 6 months after opening. My question is how do you know how long the cartridge has been on the shelf?

I just popped in a dye-based black CLI-8 that is at least 3-4 years old. Works perfectly.

 

[The Hat]

The beauty of using expired ink is that it makes your old photos really look old…