For best results, never leave your Epson inkjet without an installed cartridge -- even an empty one -- for more than an hour or so, because the ink -- the original or our refill ink -- will begin to gel to the consistency of honey, which will require multiple cleaning routines to clear.
Step 1) Put the cartridge on some paper towels in an area where you can tolerate a spill.
Step 2) In each of the three color sections, Locate the two holes on top. They may be under the label or taped.
Open the two holes with the syringe bottle needle or a small drill bit.
Tape over the color sections you are not currently filling to prevent ink contamination.
Step 3) Look at the reservoir section. Drill a 1/16th inch (1.5mm) hole into each reservoir section which you plan to refill. Don't worry about shavings -- the internal foam will filter them out. Tape over two of the holes to avoid accidental ink contamination.
Step 4) Insert an empty needle to get a drop of ink from the chamber to determine which color is in which chamber.
Step 5) Fill the syringe bottle with ink and insert fully through the exit hole for the ink (the one on the bottom). S-L-O-W-L-Y inject the ink into the bottom of the sponge until it is saturated.
Be sure to use a different bottle for each color ink!
Step 6) Next, take the needle and inject the ink through one of the vent holes. Angle the needle toward the lower front and inject the ink very S-L-O-W-L-Y. Too fast and you will "vapor lock" the foam because air bubbles will form. Stop when the foam is saturated.
Step 7) Now, fill up the reservoir through the hole which you drilled. When the ink comes out the top -- the cartridge is full. Fill the next color.
Step 8) This chamber must be resealed air tight. We suggest hot glue, hot wax, or silone rubber. You may be able to seal with good quality electrical tape. Be sure that the seal is flush with the top of the cartridge. NOTE: This seal is critical to get sealed or you will have a mess in a few minutes!
Step 12) Leave the top sponge-chamber holes open to print, but you may wish to seal them with tape during transport or extended storage.
Step 13) Set on a paper towel for an hour as a drip precaution. Expect some dripping during this time.
Step 14) For best results, let sit overnight before using. This will allow the ink to fully saturate the sponge chambers.
If further questions,
check our Frequently Encountered Problems page at:
http://ink-refill.rankguard.com/ink/help.htm
What is happening is that a small air bubble expands under the vacuum of printing to form a large air bubble, which blocks the flow of ink to the printhead. This problem usually occurs after printing 1 or 2 good pages.
To clear the problem, you may wish to let the inkjet sit without printing for several minutes, while tapping on the top of the cartridge. This may get the air bubble to move to the top of the cartridge. It may not.
Another idea is to remove the cartridge and try again. Also, try putting a single drop of ink directly into the point where the cartridge is plugged into. But be very careful not to spill the ink!