Summer Safety Tips

Summer is officially here.  This is easy for me to remember because we celebrate our twins birthday on Summer equinox.  With summer come warmer temperatures, which I really felt yesterday for the first time this year.  Like any other liquid, ink becomes more fluid and tends to expand in the heat.  The combination of heat and ink cartridges can potentially mean disaster for the interior of your car.  So we just want to remind you to not leave your ink cartridges, full or empty, for an extended period in your car on these hot summer days.  Plan ahead of time, or take them with you as you are running errands.  Toner and high temperatures are not a good combination as well.  Toner particles will begin to fuse together at around 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.  This will cause streaks in your prints and diminished cartridge life.  So you will also want to quickly move your toner cartridges from your vehicle to room temperature for storage.  We pack our toner cartridges in foil bags to protect the photosensitive drums from harmful light.  So once toner cartridges are put on your shelf and the temperature is maintained, they can safely be stored for many years.  Our refilled ink cartridges can be stored safely for at least 6 months.  However, we have tested several cartridges that have been stored for a year and a half and more.  So remember these tips and your summer will be that much more enjoyable!

Do you have any comments or direct-experiences with this?  We would love to hear them.

Amazing How Time Flies!

I almost forgot we had a blog it has been so long. My apologies. I just wanted to post a short update to the state of the aftermarket industry. We are facing several challenges, which always provide several opportunities. HP, Canon, Lexmark, Epson and the other major OEM's (original equipment manufacturer) are becoming more and more agressive in their tactics to gain market share and discourage people from using refilled/remanufactured printer cartridges. No longer is it the case that you can run to Wal-Mart and choose any printer, usually the cheapest, and get your cartridges refilled once they are empty. These new generation of cartridges are very problematic at times because of the amount of information that is stored in their binary codes, and the constant updates and new firmwares that are being sent to your printer almost daily. It is frustrating to us as remanufacturers because the industry is doing all it can to prevent these problems, but more importantly, it is frustrating to you and to anyone who is interested in buying refilled cartridges versus buying new. The OEM's are doing their customers a great disservice by making it so difficult. They are failing to recognize that a large percentage of their customers are not interested in buying new cartridges, but would rather do the environmentally friendly option, and the most economical option of having their cartridges refilled. For this reason, we ask you to please consult with us or someone else in the know, who can help you make the best decision when buying your next printer. There are many printers available right now at very reasonable prices that are refill friendly, cost effective to use, and easy to use. Laser printers are probably a wiser alternative now than they have ever been. Please let us know how we can help you make the most informed decision so that your next printer is one that you will be happy with for many years to come. Thank you again for being our customer and for supporting us. We truly appreciate you.