# Refilling HP cartridges **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 20, 2001, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refilling-hp-cartridges/69484 "2001-06-20T15:59:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2001, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refilling-hp-cartridges/69484/1 "2001-06-20T15:59:09Z")
Specifically HP 51629A. No matter where I stick the syringe, they leak. What is the secret? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2001, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refilling-hp-cartridges/69484/2 "2001-06-20T16:14:16Z")
Some people have had luck refilling carts but I never have. Based on my (bad) experience with the carts for the 600 series I think there are delicate pressure equalization requirements for the cart to work properly that get screwed up if you penetrate them or otherwise open them up and refill them. The mess and/or potential damage to the printer from ink spilling or bleeding over everything just isn’t worth the hassle to me so I give HP their pound of flesh and pony up 28 to 36 dollars for _each_ cartridge. God they’re expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2001, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refilling-hp-cartridges/69484/3 "2001-06-20T18:18:36Z")
I’ve never had any luck with the refilling kits. Each time I’ve followed the directions to the letter, and have been left feeling ripped-off and a little pissed, covered in black ink. It’s just not worth the hassle. It’s almost wirth $36 not to have to scrub ink off of myself, the desk, etc, and see woefully smeared pages ejecting from the printer. On a side note, my local post office has postage paid envelopes to send your empties to a cartridge recycling center. (These guys at the center, apparently, have worked out a method to refill them properly.) My suggestion is to get some of those envelopes and send the empties off, pay the $36 and save yourself the grief. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2001, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refilling-hp-cartridges/69484/4 "2001-06-20T20:26:13Z")
I used to go through about 60 Hp51629 cartridges a quarter, when I was the SysAd for NRD Jax. D\*mned expensive, and very hard on my budget, let me tell you! I tried economizing by buying recycled cartridges, insert-based refillable cartridges, and refilling my own. Nothing worked reliably, and even the professionally recycled cartridges failed far, far too frequently. Suck it up, and buy OEM, if you want to have reliable print output and a clean printer. ---
**Author:** ![SouprChckn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@SouprChckn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SouprChckn)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2001, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refilling-hp-cartridges/69484/5 "2001-06-20T21:23:05Z")
60 cartridges a quarter! Sweet lord. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2001, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refilling-hp-cartridges/69484/6 "2001-06-20T23:23:09Z")
You gotta fill that hole after you put ink into it. Try some vaseline or a tiny little screw. If you are using 60 carts perhaps a laser printer would be better as they are cheaper that way? ---
**Author:** ![dqa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dqa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dqa)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2001, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refilling-hp-cartridges/69484/7 "2001-06-20T23:52:53Z")
And since **handy** brought it up, how tough is it to refill your own toner cartridges on copier/laser printers? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2001, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refilling-hp-cartridges/69484/8 "2001-06-20T23:54:42Z")
I do fill the hole with rubber cement. Are we talking about the hole in the white thingie on the arrow, or the place behind that you can drill out? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2001, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refilling-hp-cartridges/69484/9 "2001-06-21T01:22:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dqa \* > \*\*And since **handy** brought it up, how tough is it to refill your own toner cartridges on copier/laser printers? \*\* You need some special equipment and a quality toner source. It’s very messy and typically not really a do it yourself job, plus if there’s a warranty service issue and the manufacturer determines that a re-filled toner cart caused the problem your entire machine warranty is voided. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2001, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refilling-hp-cartridges/69484/10 "2001-06-21T01:27:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dqa \* > \*\*And since **handy** brought it up, how tough is it to refill your own toner cartridges on copier/laser printers? \*\* You need some special equipment and a quality toner source. It’s very messy and typically not really a do it yourself job, plus if there’s a warranty service issue and the manufacturer determines that a re-filled toner cart caused the problem your entire machine warranty is voided. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2001, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refilling-hp-cartridges/69484/11 "2001-06-21T12:52:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\*If you are using 60 carts perhaps a laser printer would be better as they are cheaper that way? \*\* 25 toner cartridges per quarter. As luck would have it, HP toner cartridges recycle quite nicely, which is good, as a new one runs about $125, while a remanufactured one only costs aroun $60. The inkjet cartridges were for my fax machines, of which I was responsible for 80, and which saw unbelievable use. GSA and BUPERS purchasing rules limited the kinds of machines I could purchase, and laser fax machines were nowhere on the list of approved hardware, nor could I get an exemption, though the Good Lord knows I tried. A lot of my equipment (including the first 50 of the faxes - HP OfficeJets) were first purchased by COMNAVCRUITCOM, so I had no choice in the the selection of equipment. OH, and the toner cartridges? I had 61 HP LaserJet printers.