How To Keep Printer Ink From Drying Out

If you have used printers, you know how expensive they can be! Over time, these ink cartridges can cost a ton, and if you end up misusing them, the costs become astronomical. But there is one big problem – inks in these printers tend to dry out. This means a complete loss for you and a complete waste in terms of ink.

What do you do? You find out ways on how to keep printer ink from drying out. That’s right, while this is a common phenomenon, it is not impossible to have your ink nice and runny all through either.

You just have to look at the right methods, take the right precautions, and voila, you will not have to buy another batch of ink any time soon!

If you want to know about all the ways you can achieve this, then follow the entire article!

How To Know Your Printer Ink Has Dried Out

So you might be wondering, that how do you know the ink has dried out? It is pretty simple. You will notice a difference in the prints that you do.

More often you will see that there are streaks or even white lines in between your prints. If you are color printing, you might notice there are missing colors or blotched colors.

All in all, the results will not be a good one. And you do see such changes in the prints, that is when you need to check your cartridge and see if the ink has dried out.

Why Does My Printer Ink Run Out So Fast?

Since we are on the topic of printer inks drying out, we should all know why they dry out in the first place, before knowing what you can do to stop it.

1. Infrequent Usage

One of the primary reasons is that you don’t use your printer as often. Just like any material that uses ink, be it a pen or a marker, if you don’t use it for long, the ink will dry up. And it is no different for printers.

2. Expired Cartridges

If you are using the printer frequently, but still see streaks and lines, it could mean that your ink has expired. Once expired, the ink will not be good and won’t have the same consistency and texture, and this can lead to the ink to dry out faster.

3. Self-Refill Mistakes

To save up on cash a lot of times we tend to refill the cartridges on our own. While this is completely fine, sometimes you might make mistakes while refilling. Specifically, you might end up creating air bubbles. Since there is the presence of air with the ink, it will dry out.

How To Prevent Printer Ink From Drying Out?

Now that you know why this happens, how it happens, and its signs, let us get to the main point, which is learning how we can prevent this from happening.

1. Use The Printer Frequently

As you have seen above, one of the biggest reasons why ink dries out is because it is not used as frequently. So the solution is to use it more!

Try to use the printer at least once a week, to keep it running, and to kee

e ink runny and flowy, so it never gets clogged. This prevents the buildup of the ink and prevents it from drying out.

2. Store Ink Cartridges Well

How you store your ink cartridge can affect how it works later on. A lot of people keep extra cartridges on hand for quick replacements. But you need to pay attention as to how you store them.

You must never store ink cartridges in a sideway manner, because in that case they will get stuck to one side, causing trouble during printing. Store them upright always.

Ink cartridges also enjoy the dark, so don’t keep them out in the open. Put them away in a cupboard or box where is no light or moisture.

3. The Right Room Temperature

This point goes for the ink cartridges in the printer, as well as the ink cartridges in your storage. The temperature has to be right. Since the ink is a liquid, a temperature change can change its configuration.

While a temperature too high can make it runny, a temperature too cold can cause it to harden, or dry out. The optimum temperature is 68 degrees, so try to maintain that, be it at home or the office.

4. Keep Cartridges Sealed

This is practically a no-brainer. If the cartridges are left open, the ink will dry out. So best to try to never leave it open. Always have the seal on. And in case you ever misplace or lose the seal, try an alternative that will work the same.

You may use protective taping, or even insert a small damp cloth inside to retain the moisture.

5. Add Moisture ToCartridges

One of the best ways to prevent anything from drying is by adding moisture to it. So we shall do the same for printer cartridges.

For this, you have to take the cartridges out and then clean the top surface. This is where you will see that there is ink, and this is the ink that eventually dries first, and then the rest follows. So clean it up nicely, and you won’t have that issue anymore.

Cleaning up this part allows the ink to later flow smoothly without any obstacles, and this helps to prevent the ink from drying out.

You can use a damp paper towel or cloth to do this, and you must wear gloves too since you are opening up an ink cartridge.

After you are done, you can wipe off the extra moisture with a clean dry cloth or paper towel and then put it back into the printer.

6. Turn The Printer Off Properly

A common mistake is leaving the printer on after one usage, even if you are not using it anymore. Turn it off properly and this will help your ink stay runny for longer.

Conclusion

We hope this article has given you good insights on how you can reduce your ink waste, keep them from drying out, and use them longer. We have also covered points on the ways you can prevent this from happening and what you can do if it happens!

So if you wish to know how to keep printer ink from drying out, you are in the right place. Just a little detailed reading and you are good to go!