--- title: Best practices for preserving your print cartridges description: Print cartridges sometimes represent a significant budget for individuals or companies. image: https://blog.altkin-group.com/hubfs/Rich%20Text%20Pasting/unknown-1594992176841.jpg --- - [Help](https://armor-owa.com/support) - [Become a reseller](https://armor-owa.com/become-a-reseller) - [Blog](https://blog.armor-owa.com/) - [Why choose OWA ?](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa) - [Discover the OWA advantages](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa) - [Save 30% on average](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa/reduced-cost-per-page-printer) - [Benefit from certified quality](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa/professional-ink-cartridge) - [Reduce your environmental impact](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa/eco-friendly-cartridge) - [Take advantage of OWA integrated services](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa/professional-cartridge-services) - Online services - [Armor Connect portal](https://www.armor-connect.com/) - [Revialis collection service](https://www.revialis-collect.com/) - [OWA collection service](https://www.owa-collect.com/) - EN - [FR](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/fr) - [NL](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/nl) - [IT](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/it) - [ES](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/es) - [DE](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/de) - [SE](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/se) [![Logo Owa Armor](https://blog.altkin-group.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Armor_June2022_english/images/logo.svg "Logo Owa Armor")](https://fr.armor-owa.com/) - [My selection](https://armor-owa.com/whishlist) - [Where to buy](https://armor-owa.com/wheretobuy) - [Contact us](https://contact.armor-owa.com/contactus?hsLang=en-gb) - [My selection](https://armor-owa.com/whishlist) - [Where to buy](https://armor-owa.com/wheretobuy) - [Contact us](https://contact.armor-owa.com/contactus?hsLang=en-gb) - Menu - [CARTRIDGES](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges) - - Toner cartridges - [Why choose our remanufactured toner range?](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/toner) - [All our products for laser printers](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-toner) - Copier cartridges - [Why choose our remanufactured copier range?](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/copier) - [All our products for multifunctional photocopiers](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-copier) - Ink cartridges - [Why choose our remanufactured inkjet range?](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/ink-jet) - [Our products for consumer printers](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-consumer) - [Our products for professional printers](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-professional) - [Our plotter products](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-plotter) - [Our products for franking machines](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-franking) - - OWA recycled cartridges offer printing quality and performance equivalent to OEM brands with a competitive price positioning and a lower ecological impact. Armor Print Solutions promotes the circular economy and the reuse of materials through the reuse of empty cartridges. Our consumables cover more than 90% of the printers in the installed base, whatever the application, individual or professional. - [PRINTING SOLUTIONS](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions) - - Wide format printing - [Why choose our remanufactured wide format range?](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/large-format-printing) - [All our products for wide format printing](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-plotter) - Printing with ink bottles for tank printer - [Why choose our range of refurbished ink bottles?](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/ink-bottles) - [All our products for tank printers](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/catalog-ink-bottles) - Professional label printing - [Why choose our refurbished range for labelling?](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/professional-labelling) - [All our products for professional label printing](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/catalog-professional-labelling) - 3D printing - [Why choose our remanufactured range of 3D filaments?](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/responsible-3d-printing) - [All our products for 3D printing](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/catalogue-3d-filaments) - - Armor Print Solutions offers a wide range of professional printing solutions that combine technology and innovation, while ensuring controlled printing costs and a limited ecological footprint. With its compatible refurbished offer, OWA works for responsible printing even beyond office applications. - [RIBBONS & CASSETTES](https://armor-owa.com/tapes-cassettes) - - Laminated tapes - [Why choose our range of laminated tapes?](https://armor-owa.com/tapes-cassettes/laminated-tapes) - [All our products for labelling](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-laminated-tapes) - Printer ribbons and cassettes - [Why choose our range of tapes and cassettes?](https://armor-owa.com/tapes-cassettes/impact) - [All our products for impact printers and typewriters](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-impact) - - Armor's ribbons and cassettes provide precise, smudge-free printing for perfect legibility, whatever the type of printer or media. Its consumables offer both a quality comparable to the manufacturer's brands and a more competitive price positioning, to meet the expectations of demanding professionals. - [PRINTERS](https://armor-owa.com/refurbished-printers) - [ACCESSORIES & SPARE PARTS](https://armor-owa.com/accessories-spare-parts) - [MANAGED PRINT SERVICES](https://armor-owa.com/managed-print-services-en) - - [Printers fleet management simplfied](https://armor-owa.com/managed-print-services-en/management-printers-fleet) - [OWA Print Services : the printing solution for the SME businesses](https://armor-owa.com/managed-print-services-en/printing-solution) - [Resellers : become an OWA Print Services partner](https://armor-owa.com/managed-print-services-en/become-reseller) - - With its Managed Print Services (MPS) solution, Armor Print Solutions offers to free companies from the management of their printer fleets, with a triple benefit: the optimization and automation of the management tasks of existing printer fleets, rapid savings, and an eco-responsible solution. - [COLLECTION SERVICES](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service) - - [Collecting cartridges for businesses](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/businesses) - [General-public collection service](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/general-public) - [Distributors : become a collection partner](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/distributors) - [OWA collection : how does it work?](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/free-collection-empty-cartridge) - [Pick-up requirements for your collection boxes](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/conditions-removal-cartons-collection) - [Complete traceability with your material report](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/materials-report-cartridge-recycling) - - As a supplier of refurbished printing consumables, Armor Print Solutions places the collection of empty cartridges at the center of its concerns. This is a key stage in the process of reusing cartridges and toners, which allows us to act in favor of waste reduction. OWA is therefore the first printing solution that gives 100% value to your collected laser cartridges to encourage both the circular economy and sustainable development. - [CARTRIDGES](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges) - Toner cartridges - [Why choose our remanufactured toner range?](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/toner) - [All our products for laser printers](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-toner) - Copier cartridges - [Why choose our remanufactured copier range?](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/copier) - [All our products for multifunctional photocopiers](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-copier) - Ink cartridges - [Why choose our remanufactured inkjet range?](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/ink-jet) - [Our products for consumer printers](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-consumer) - [Our products for professional printers](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-professional) - [Our plotter products](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-plotter) - [Our products for franking machines](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-franking) - [PRINTING SOLUTIONS](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions) - Printing with ink bottles for tank printer - [Why choose our range of refurbished ink bottles?](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/ink-bottles) - [All our products for tank printers](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/catalog-ink-bottles) - Professional label printing - [Why choose our refurbished range for labelling?](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/professional-labelling) - [All our products for professional label printing](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/catalog-professional-labelling) - Wide format printing - [Why choose our remanufactured wide format range?](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/large-format-printing) - [All our products for wide format printing](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-ink-jet-plotter) - 3D printing - [Why choose our remanufactured range of 3D filaments?](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/responsible-3d-printing) - [All our products for 3D printing](https://armor-owa.com/printing-solutions/catalogue-3d-filaments) - [RIBBONS & CASSETTES](https://armor-owa.com/tapes-cassettes) - Laminated tapes - [Why choose our range of laminated tapes?](https://armor-owa.com/tapes-cassettes/laminated-tapes) - [All our products for labelling](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-laminated-tapes) - Printer ribbons and cassettes - [Why choose our range of tapes and cassettes?](https://armor-owa.com/tapes-cassettes/impact) - [All our products for impact printers and typewriters](https://armor-owa.com/remanufactured-cartridges/catalogue-impact) - [PRINTERS](https://armor-owa.com/refurbished-printers) - [ACCESSORIES & SPARE PARTS](https://armor-owa.com/accessories-spare-parts) - [MANAGED PRINT SERVICES](https://armor-owa.com/managed-print-services-en) - - [Printers fleet management simplfied](https://armor-owa.com/managed-print-services-en/management-printers-fleet) - [OWA Print Services : the printing solution for the SME businesses](https://armor-owa.com/managed-print-services-en/printing-solution) - [Resellers : become an OWA Print Services partner](https://armor-owa.com/managed-print-services-en/become-reseller) - [COLLECTION SERVICES](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service) - - [Collecting cartridges for businesses](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/businesses) - [General-public collection service](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/general-public) - [Distributors : become a collection partner](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/distributors) - [OWA collection : how does it work?](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/free-collection-empty-cartridge) - [Pick-up requirements for your collection boxes](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/conditions-removal-cartons-collection) - [Complete traceability with your material report](https://armor-owa.com/collection-service/materials-report-cartridge-recycling) - [Help](https://armor-owa.com/support) - [Become a reseller](https://armor-owa.com/become-a-reseller) - [Blog](https://blog.armor-owa.com/) - [Why choose OWA ?](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa) - [Discover the OWA advantages](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa) - [Save 30% on average](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa/reduced-cost-per-page-printer) - [Benefit from certified quality](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa/professional-ink-cartridge) - [Reduce your environmental impact](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa/eco-friendly-cartridge) - [Take advantage of OWA integrated services](https://armor-owa.com/why-choose-owa/professional-cartridge-services) - [Online services](https://www.armor-connect.com/) - [EN](https://armor-owa.com) - [FR](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/fr) - [NL](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/nl) - [IT](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/it) - [ES](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/es) - [DE](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/de) - [SE](https://fr.armor-owa.com/switch/language/se) ![](https://blog.altkin-group.com/hubfs/Rich%20Text%20Pasting/unknown-1594992176841.jpg) # Best practices for preserving your print cartridges Published by [Armor Print Solutions](https://blog.altkin-group.com/author/armor-print-solutions) on Sep 3, 2020 12:08:41 PM ![To Do](https://blog.altkin-group.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Rich%20Text%20Pasting/unknown-1594992176841.jpg?width=563&name=unknown-1594992176841.jpg)   Print cartridges sometimes represent a significant budget for individuals or companies. There’s nothing more irritating than finding that a new cartridge doesn't work properly and that you have to replace it without even having used it!  In this article, we give you all the best practices to avoid these problems and to best preserve your ink or laser cartridges...   ## **How to keep your laser cartridges in top condition?**   Laser cartridges are sensitive to external factors such as temperature, humidity and brightness.   **![](https://blog.altkin-group.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Rich%20Text%20Pasting/unknown-1594991974943-1.png?width=536&name=unknown-1594991974943-1.png)**   ### **1. Be wary of the temperature** When outside of the printer, laser printer cartridges must be stored at a temperature of less than 40 degrees Celsius. If exposed to a high temperature, the powder grains may begin to stick together. This would result in print defects (stains, leaks, etc.). The grains could also damage the printer.   ### **2.  Watch out for humidity!** Too much humidity (about 80%) will alter the electrostatic charge and cause printing quality problems. The powder will be poorly transferred onto the paper. So be careful to keep your cartridges somewhere dry!   ### **3. Cartridges are sensitive to light.** The drum of the cartridge (photoconductive cylinder) is sensitive to light. If the cartridge is too exposed, its quality may deteriorate. This will cause smudges on print-outs. So keep your laser cartridges out of bright sunlight! Of course, as we will also see for ink cartridges, laser cartridges must be handled carefully so as not to damage the electronic chip (the printer will not recognise the cartridge, etc.)     ## **How to keep your ink cartridges in top condition?**   ![](https://blog.altkin-group.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Rich%20Text%20Pasting/unknown-1594991974943.png?width=546&name=unknown-1594991974943.png) ### **1. Prevent the ink in your cartridges from drying out** For an ink cartridge to function properly, its ink must be fluid. Indeed, when the ink in the print cartridge dries out, the print head through which the ink passes may malfunction. Dry ink will damage the print head by blocking its nozzles. The drier the ink, the harder it will be to fix the problem.  A print head is located either in the printer or directly on the cartridge. It will be even more difficult to fix this problem if the print head is in the printer. If it cannot be recovered, the printer must be repaired or replaced. For the cartridge, just replace it… To avoid drying out cartridges, we recommend that you follow these instructions: - Do not expose the ink cartridge to extreme temperatures (excessive or negative) as these may affect the ink's fluidity. - Print regularly to prevent ink stagnating in the print head. It is recommended to print at least one page per week. - Open the cartridge cap only at the last moment before inserting into the printer. Be careful not to [lose ink when opening](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVWkFBxJhH0)! - Use your oldest cartridges before the most recent ones. If the ink in one of your cartridges has accidentally dried, you can still try to run it again by cleaning the nozzles using your printer software (see maintenance tab). Printers are equipped with small tools that clean the print heads. Be careful to wait at least one hour after cleaning before reprinting. This allows the ink used during cleaning to have enough time to dissolve the blocked ink in the nozzles. Do not repeat this operation more than 3 times. All your printer cartridge nozzles will be cleaned and you may needlessly use all your other cartridges. After 3 cleanings, if the cartridge still does not work, take a paper towel, moisten it, and clean the print head with a delicate, linear movement. The nozzle rows will appear (3 different colours for colour, 2 to 3 rows for black). If a row is missing, the reservoir is empty. Also pay attention to the various tutorials available on the Internet, check that the source is reliable and that advice is given by a professional. Unfortunately, if the problem is not resolved, we recommend that you replace the cartridge.   ### **2. Avoid leakage problems and dropping your cartridge** Avoid bringing your cartridges with you by plane! Indeed, a high pressure variation can cause ink leaks… Also, handle your cartridges carefully, as they are sensitive. Even if the packaging is suitable, a drop can very quickly damage the ink reservoirs or the chips. If the chip is damaged or dirty, the cartridge may not be recognised by your printer.   At Armor, whether for our Armor or OWA cartridges, we make sure to minimize risks (suitable packaging with a recyclable air cushion, optimised ink formulation, 3-year warranty for ink jet cartridges and lifetime for laser cartridges, etc.). However, all cartridges are fragile and you must still take precautions if you do not want to effect the [quality of your cartridges](https://www.armor-owa.com/print-solutions/professional-ink-cartridge).   **Read also the article:**  [Everything you need to know about the quality of ink in your printer cartridges](https://www.armor-owa.com/quality-ink-cartridges)   Tags: [Expert advices](https://blog.altkin-group.com/tag/expert-advices) [Back to Blog](https://blog.altkin-group.com) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ## Related Articles ## [Everything you need to know about the quality of ink in your cartridges](https://blog.altkin-group.com/quality-ink-cartridges?hsLang=en-gb) When you buy ink cartridges, one of your main concerns is whether the quality of your printing... [Read More](https://blog.altkin-group.com/quality-ink-cartridges?hsLang=en-gb) ## [Which printing technology is best for your company : Laser or inkjet?](https://blog.altkin-group.com/best-laser-or-inkjet?hsLang=en-gb) Choosing which type of printer to buy for your business is not always easy. It depends on... [Read More](https://blog.altkin-group.com/best-laser-or-inkjet?hsLang=en-gb) ## [3 ways to reduce your printing costs to a minimum](https://blog.altkin-group.com/reduce-printing-costs?hsLang=en-gb) Are you looking to reduce the amount your company spends on printing? If you normally buy... 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