When buying ink cartridges you may wonder, does printer ink dry out? Yes, it can if not stored or used properly. Here we’ll outline how to look after ink cartridges to avoid them drying out and ensure a long lifespan. We’ll also go over the best practices for storing printer ink cartridges and explain how long you can expect ink cartridges to last.

Why Does Printer Ink Dry Out?

There are a few different reasons why an ink cartridge may dry up. First of all, air bubbles in the cartridge could block the nozzle of the printhead. Read on for advice on how to avoid this.

If you infrequently use your printer, the ink could dry up, clogging the printhead. Basic printhead clogs can be fixed if you run a head cleaning cycle either once or twice prior to carrying out a nozzle check.

Damage to the packaging can also lead to printer ink drying up. Even a small pinprick in the packaging will break the seal and cause the ink to dry out.

How Long Does Printer Ink Last?

If an ink cartridge is sealed in original packaging and is also stored in a cool and dry place, then it should last up to two years. Read on for best practices on how to extend the lifespan of your ink cartridges.

What Affects the Lifespan of an Ink Cartridge?

The following factors can all impact how long you can expect your ink cartridges to last:

Whether a cartridge is sealed or open is the most important factor. Because of the reduced amount of air reaching the cartridge itself when sealed, the likelihood of the printer ink drying up is greatly reduced.

There are lots of other factors that can affect the lifespan of a cartridge. These include printer clean cycles, saturation and cleanings, for example.

The page life or page yield can be found on product pages for ink and toner cartridges. This number is based on lab tests that have been carried out following ISO standards. For more information, see our printing glossary. These tests have been based on 5% coverage of an A4 page and page coverage will greatly affect page yield. Printing complex images with colour ink cartridges regularly will also use more ink.

If you’re wondering how long does printer toner last comparatively, page yields are generally a lot higher with toner cartridges. This is one of the main differences between inkjet and laser printers.

How to Store Ink Cartridges

Storing ink cartridges properly is important in terms of enabling you to print for longer. The best way to store ink cartridges is to place them in a cool and dry location. If you store them upright, (as it would normally be placed in your printer), the ink can then settle. Any air in the cartridge will rise to the top, allowing the ink to flow freely without air bubbles.

During the shipping process, the cartridges may have been moved a lot. This allows air at the top of the cartridge to settle at the bottom of the cartridge instead.

If you try to install the cartridge immediately after receiving it and have issues with the print quality, leave it overnight before printing again. The ink may need to settle.

In terms of how to store printer ink cartridges when not in use, place them in a sealable bag if you know that your printer won’t be used for an extended period of time. This is to avoid the ink drying up.

How to Look After Ink Cartridges

Here you’ll find more tips for prolonging the lifespan of your ink cartridges:

Use different fonts – opting for a smaller font will increase the amount of text you can fit on a page and also reduce the amount of ink and paper needed for your prints. This can be especially helpful when printing text-heavy documents. Also, different styles of fonts can make a difference.

Print preview – by making use of the print preview feature to check over your print, you’ll avoid unnecessarily repeated printouts.

Resolution and image size – larger image resolutions and sizes will increase the amount of ink used. So, it makes sense that reducing both of these will also reduce the amount of ink used, allowing your ink cartridges to last longer.

Ignore the low ink warning – not completely but check your print quality to ensure prints are still good quality after you see this message. Replace the ink cartridges when your printouts are visibly affected by the lack of ink. Once you see this warning though, keep a new cartridge ready so that you can replace the used one when necessary.

(Quote from Cartridge People Com.)