# Inkjet catridge expiration date?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inkjet-catridge-expiration-date/202803>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 20, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inkjet-catridge-expiration-date/202803 "2003-09-20T14:47:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Wahoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ee59a6/32.png) [@Wahoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wahoo)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inkjet-catridge-expiration-date/202803/1 "2003-09-20T14:47:25Z")

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It’s time to change the color cartridge in my HP inkjet printer. I have two boxes on the shelf. Since I habitually read everything I noticed that one of the boxes has a date of March 2003 and the other says February 2004.

Are these expiration dates? Has the March 2003 cartridges ink turned to goop or is it safe to use? Will it gunk up my printer? Or is this just HP’s way of scaring you to buy new ink cartridges?

I found this astonishing article in a Google search but I have a 970 not a BusinessJet 2200C, thank goodness:eek:

[www.theinquirer.net/?article=9220](http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=9220)

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**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inkjet-catridge-expiration-date/202803/2 "2003-09-20T15:25:32Z")

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They should be perfectly fine. Ink cartridges will dry out if unwrapped, but just sitting on a shelf shouldn’t hurt.

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**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inkjet-catridge-expiration-date/202803/3 "2003-09-20T15:39:25Z")

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Last week I replaced my empty inkjet cartridge with an unopened one that had been laying around 13 or 14 months and it’s working fine.

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**Author:** ![Wahoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ee59a6/32.png) [@Wahoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wahoo)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inkjet-catridge-expiration-date/202803/4 "2003-09-20T15:51:04Z")

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Thank you for the replies. Putting in the ink cartridge now.