Do Ink Jet Cartridges Dry Out?

I have seen a lot of speculation and disagreement over whether ink cartridges for inkjet printers dry out over time, if all all. Some people say they are manufactured and stored in a way that does not allow that to happen. Others say they will dry out if they sit unused for a long time. Usually this claim applied to when they sit unused but installed in the printer. I am not sure about drying or rotting in the package.

I never really though about this and now wonder if it is worth buying ink refill cartridges in bulk or multiple packs for savings.

Recently I had a newer printer that ran out of color ink very fast. I was surprised at how light the color ink was showing on the paper, considering how little I had used color printing. I figured and still think perhaps the ink nozzles were clogged or something else had worn on the printer components.

I will keep looking into this idea.

Another eBay ink find- Remanufactured Cheap ink

As I posted before, sometimes the best ink deals are from taking a chance on eBay or another online marketplace like Amazon or Overstock.

Recently I needed some new black ink for my Lexmark all in one printer. Generally Wal-Mart has the lowest prices on these. The black ink comes in 2 options, regular or light. I think even the light one is around $19.97 at most Wal- marts. It's around that or a little higher at Staples and other places.

I went ahead and looked for small lots of remanufactured ink cartridges, as I've had some success with these before. In my experience there are a few bad cartridges in the mix, but if you buy 5, 4 will probably work. look for a good return policy and getting a replacement sent out will be no problem. I guess the only issue is if it takes you a long time to use them all it would be too late for a refund.

What I am finding now is if I buy 5 refilled cartridges online, I can get them shipped for the same price as buying 2 at Walmart. I don't use much color ink but I do use a lot of black on the papers and labels I print.

I can save around $300 a year using remanufactured filled inks bought online in small lots or bulk.