The printer is a must-have and a beneficial device for many. Nowadays, many people are working from home, and schoolers are also taking online classes. Although there are many printing shops nearby, home printers are easy to use, and you can print anything anytime. Printing needs to be done if you are working from home or freelancing. 

Various printers are available in the market, and all have different ink cartridges. Printers are easily manageable, but ink cartridges are difficult to keep from drying out. Some people use printers once a week or once a month, and it is more frustrating for them to keep the ink as it was when they purchased it. 

Ink cartridges can be easily stored for two years if they are nicely packed and the manufacturing date is not too old, but that’s the case with only sealed cartridges. If you have opened an ink cartridge and used it before, it can only be stored for six months. However, many think that the ink cartridges’ expiration date is for the ink’s lifespan, but that’s not the case; the ink’s lifespan depends on the ink cartridge’s usage.

Reasons why your ink cartridge is drying quickly:

• Using Expiry Ink Cartridge: One thing to keep in check is if your ink is not expired because if you are using a dead ink cartridge, the dried-up ink blocks the ink storage space entirely, which will also affect the other ink cartridges as well.
• Stored In A Heated Place: If you have kept the ink cartridge in a wild place, it will definitely dry out. When your printer is stored near a window or in direct sunlight, in-use ink cartridges also dry up quickly and affect the printer’s performance. 
• Incorrect Refilling or Installation: Another important reason behind drying ink is that you have incorrectly installed or refilled the ink cartridge. Always check before using the ink cartridge if that is suitable for the printer.  

So now, what are the things we can do to keep the printer ink like new:

The first and most important thing to prevent ink cartridges from drying up is to use them regularly, and the motion in the ink cartridge stops ink from drying. If you are going somewhere on vacation, you can remove the ink cartridge from the printer and wrap it up with a plastic sheet to store in the refrigerator. 

Another way to prevent the Ink Cartridge from drying is to remove the previous printer ink cartridge and clean the print head entirely and carefully with a little damped cotton swab or cotton pad.

Steps to clean waste ink from the printer:

1. Put on protective gloves before cleaning the ink storage. 
2. Remove the Ink Cartridge and clean the cartridge using damp cotton or cotton wipe.
3. Reinstall the ink cartridge. 

To prevent the ink printer from drying out, adjust the temperature of your room because the printer’s ink dries out when there is a fluctuation in room temperature; when you maintain the temperature, the life of the ink cartridge increases. 

You can also store the ink cartridge in warm water so that the dried-out ink turns into fresh. The warm water melts down the dried ink, and after soaking for 5-10 minutes, take the cartridge out of the water and reinstall the cartridge into your printer. 

Store the ink cartridge in an airtight container to prevent ink drying. You can also add a wet cloth to the container. 

When the Ink cartridge is new and sealed, keep the ink cartridge as it is, and don’t remove the seal and cap of the cartridge. You can also store the sealed ink cartridge in a dry and dark place for long life. 

If nothing works for you or you are not able to do any of the mentioned things, always put the cartridge after every use into the fridge, and if you are away from home for an extended period of time, you can store the ink cartridge in the refrigerator, but after wrapping the cartridge into plastic wrap. Or you can switch to laser printers and use toner cartridges because they don’t dry out quickly. 

In the end, preventing ink cartridges is difficult for some people as they are using printers in offices and cannot manage the room’s temperature. Still, as we know, ink cartridges are costly, and we can’t buy a new ink cartridge every time we use a printer. 

Now the choice is yours: what type of printer or ink cartridge you want to use and how you can prevent the ink cartridges from drying out. You can easily find ink cartridges online and purchase them according to your printer. 

Until then, take care of yourself, and we will meet you next time.