As the ink in the cartridges runs dry, the buyer has to look for sources to find a replacement to the spent cartridges. While it is recommended to use new original cartridges, the price of a new cartridge is a big discouragement to buy. Many buyers look to third-party vendors who sell compatible cartridges, remanufactured cartridges, refills for customers cartridges and do-it-yourself inkjet refill kits.

Refilling empty cartridges with third-party vendor ink is the cheapest alternative to replacing empty cartridges. Refilling is done either by the third-party vendor or is done at home with a do-it-yourself inkjet refill kit.

Most of the cartridges can be refilled with printer ink specific to the brand model, provided the model number and the serial number of the cartridge is known. There can be repeated refills possible. The number of times a cartridge can be refilled depends upon certain factors. According to the third-party vendor, the printer should be not be used once the low ink warning is given. While removing the cartridge, the metal plate should not be touched and the cartridge should be placed in a plastic container with a piece of wet cloth attached to the side of the cartridge. The cartridge should be brought in for a refill as early as possible.

The other alternative is to refill the cartridge at home with a do-it-yourself inkjet refill kit. These kits come packaged with a syringe, bottles of printer ink for multiple refills, essential tools and instructions. Before refilling, an individual must read the instructions carefully. Improper handling can cause lot of troubles and even damage to the cartridge and the printer. While refilling color ink cartridges, care should be taken to see that the colors do not get mixed up. Unlike black printer ink cartridges, color ink cartridges require three or sometimes four types of color ink to be refilled, and so separate injectors must be used for each type.

Repeated refilling causes the cartridge to wear out and eventually become unusable. Also, it should be borne in mind that the refilled ink is not that of the original manufacturer, and is developed individually by the third-party vendor to meet the specific requirements of different brands and models of printers. In cases where microchips are integrated with the cartridges, the printer either refuses to accept the third-party refilled cartridge, or works with diminished functions.

Whether refilling directly from the vendor or shopping for inkjet refill kits on the Internet, the source should be checked for its reliability and credibility. Spurious inks give substandard prints and damage the printers.