What is the difference between Remanufactured and Refilled Ink Cartridges?

You might have heard of remanufactured ink cartridges, but remanufacturing isn’t just a way of making refilling sound more scientific, more technical, or fancier. It is actually a very different process to refilling.

Refilling an ink cartridge involves peeling off the sticker and removing the plug. Sometimes, it even requires drilling a small hole in the cartridges. Ink is then injected into the cartridge.

Remanufacturing ink cartridges involves putting the cartridge in a centrifuge, which spins the cartridge to get rid of any ink that is left over.

It is then cleaned using a special deionised water and air spray, which gets right into the print nozzles to prevent clogging.

The next step it to refill the cartridge. This is done in a vacuum chamber to prevent any air from getting into the cartridge (which is why many refilled cartridges don’t work properly).

The ink cartridge is then weighed to ensure that the correct amount of ink is inside. Then a final print test and an electrical test is carried out to ensure that it is fit to be sold.

The crazy thing is that a remanufactured ink cartridge is about the same price as a refilled cartridge. So, which are you going to choose: a quick refill job, or a centrifugally spun, professionally cleaned, vacuum-filled cartridge? I know which one I’m buying!