Don’t we all who use printers know how expensive these cartridges are? With this comes the challenge of getting the optimal use from these ink cartridges. We all want our cartridges to last as long as possible. The best way to make that happen is to take all the needed precautions with the usage as well as storage of these cartridges. 

Did you know if you store them right, the opened inkjet printer cartridges can last up to 6 months? 

Here, today, we will share with you a secret to storing ink cartridges. 

When storing the unused ink or toner cartridges, make sure that you follow the following tips. All these tips have helped us prolong the life of our cartridges, and we hope they will help you gain that too. 

Tip 1 – Store Cartridges Upright 

Tip 2 – Store Cartridges or Toner Cartridges in cool dark places.

Tip 3 – Seal the cartridges tightly

Tip 4 – Print head cleaning 

These are a few things that have helped us keep our printer ink cartridges running for a long time. 

If you are looking for the same, keep reading… 

Tip 1 – Store Cartridges Upright 

Storing your printer cartridge upright is a basic yet very effective tip for people who wish to prolong the life of their ink.

It does not prolong the life of your cartridge but, keeps your ink from leaking out of the cartridge, which in turn, will help you save a lot of money and will prevent a very messy disaster from happening. 

Some manufacturers even recommend keeping the cartridges with the printing head facing up. This is the case, especially with cartridges that contain more than one color. If you keep these cartridges upright or lying down, the colors will leak and cause a mix-up. 

So, in short, you must store your printer ink upright if it is a single-color cartridge and others with more than one color with the print head facing up if you don’t want them to leak out. 

Tip 2 – Store Ink Cartridges or Toner Cartridges in cool Dark Places

Cool and dark places are perfect for storing your printer ink. It has been discovered that keeping the cartridges in cool-dark places can help increase their life. Be it an ink cartridge or toner cartridge, and it is best to store them in a dark and lower temperature place. 

Why? 

There is a simple reason behind this. The first thing is that it slows the degradation of the ink that happens because of direct sunlight. 

So, while deciding on a place to store your ink or cartridge, make sure to check the light exposure and the temperature of the room. 

Tip 3 – Seal The Cartridges Tightly

Keeping your printer ink that is not in use sealed for as long as possible is another smart way of prolonging the life of the printer ink cartridge. Most of these cartridges already come packaged in a sealed plastic sleeve. This packaging sheet is designed to prevent air exposure which is one of the major causes of dry ink. Whenever a printer cartridge is exposed to moisture, it will likely get dry. To avoid that, we highly recommend keeping the cartridge sealed for as long as possible. 

Those who have already opened up the cartridge must also seal it properly in a plastic wrap to protect it from drying. 

Tip 4 – Printhead Cleaning 

If you are here, you are looking for the simplest way to prolong the life of your printer cartridge. While we have already shared the three things that you can try, we will share the most straightforward way of efficiently storing your cartridge. 

What’s that? 

If your ink has dried up in the printer because of the frequent usage, you must carry out a few printhead cleaning cycles. While doing that, make sure that you leave a gap of at least 5-6 hours in between the cleaning cycles. This is because it allows the ink to soak into and clean the printhead. 

Most inkjet printers come with this feature. It may vary from being on the computer or in the printer’s settings. Luckily, all the printers come with an instruction manual with this information on it. 

These are a few ways in which you can easily and conveniently prolong the life of your printer. Each of the points mentioned above has been tried and tested. With the growing price of printer cartridges & toner cartridges, it has become essential for everyone with a printer to prolong the life of their cartridge and save money on that. We hope you have all the information you need to store your printer ink cartridge & toner cartridges. 

Happy Storing…