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Black ink cartridge holds dark secret?
the
cost of replacement cartridges for home computer printers made plain
black printing ink significantly more valuable per fluid oz. than oil,
gasoline or even 25-year-old scotch whisky. It may be that some
extremely expensive rare wines top the per-ounce value of regular black
printer ink and there may be other liquids – such as children’s cough
syrups – that could challenge in the price race.Recently someone sent
me, anonymously, in my e-mail, a copy of an irate blog letter sent by a
home business operator to one of the large home and office printer
manufacturers, bitterly complaining of that company’s practice of
installing a “smart chip” in cartridges that make them potentially
difficult or even impossible to refill. There’s no point really in
mentioning the company because, according to the blog writer, most of
the manufacturers are doing the same thing.He alleges printer
manufacturers are installing the “smart chips” in their cartridges,
thus requiring new replacements at prices which he too thinks are
exorbitant. The effect is to “expire” the chip, which may still be
effectively full of ink. The blogger owned four of the company’s
printers and claimed that for some time he had been laboriously
re-filling the cartridges with ink when they ran out.(I have done this
myself and I assure you, while it can get a little messy if you’re not
careful, the savings are more than significant.)The cost of ink savings
is significant enough that numerous small businesses have sprung up
across the country and specialize in refilling and, thus, recycling our
empty printer cartridges – and they all seem to do good business.The
blog writer was made of sterner stuff and he was sufficiently
infuriated to browse around the internet seeking a solution to his
printer that wouldn’t print, because it “believed” the cartridge was
empty, when it had just been refilled.He claims to have found a
solution…and included pictures and instructions, curiously enough, for
a printer that is exactly the same model as one I own – which operates
normally at this time.I’ve looked carefully at the cartridges, but
can’t see any sign of any chip…however, that means very little because
I’m a total techno-dork.My correspondent says he found inside the
printer a small button battery control, held by a spring clip. He
removed the battery and after a short interval replaced it.Voila – the
printer proceeded to print as if there was a brand new brand name ink
cartridge in place.Now this may just be the perpetuation of another
“urban myth,” but I have to confess the photos accompanying the article
suggesting the “fix” makes it look easy, so I have stored it away in my
documents file for the inevitable day this printer will explain to me
that it is “out of ink.”
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