Can You Transfer Toner From One Cartridge To Another?

If the cartridge in your printer is out of ink and you do not have a new cartridge on hand for the printer, you can make a temporary fix by transferring the ink from another cartridge. You can also transfer the ink to another cartridge if you have a damaged cartridge that doesn’t work in your printer. The ink used in printer cartridges varies with the printer brand, so if you want to transfer the ink, you have to do so with cartridges of the same brand.

Step One

Find the refill hole in the cartridge from which you want to move the ink. If the printer cartridge has a pre-drilled refill hole, it can usually be found under the label on the top of the cartridge. If the cartridge doesn’t have a hole, use a thumb drill to make a hole that just goes through the plastic.

Step Two

Locate or make a hole in the cartridge into which you want to transfer the ink. Again, look under the label for the fill hole first. If you don’t find a fill hole, drill a hole in the cartridge.

Step Three

Put the needle on the syringe and stick the needle into the first cartridge. Pull back on the plunger of the syringe to draw ink out of the first cartridge. Continue to draw ink until the syringe is full or no more ink comes out of the cartridge.

Step Four

Stick the needle of the syringe into the cartridge into which you would like to transfer the ink until it touches the bottom. Pull back slightly with the syringe and press the plunger slowly to add the ink to the cartridge. Place the label back on the cartridge if it will stick, but it is not necessary to make the cartridge work.

Safety Considerations

As a fine powder, toners may remain suspended in the air for a period of time and are considered to have health effects comparable to inert dust. It may be an irritant to people with respiratory conditions such as asthma or bronchitis.

Toner powder is not toxic but must be treated with care as black carbon (one of its components) has been identified by the International Agency for Cancer Research as a possible carcinogen. Health and safety regulations must be considered when handling, transporting and storing toner powders.

Safety precautions include the use of gloves and protective dust masks to prevent inhalation. If the spilled toner is cleaned with a standard vacuum cleaner, the toner can be electrically charged and burned, and is so fine that it passes through the filters and can escape into the room or vacuum cleaner engine.