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Step 1
Read over the instruction booklet and find the directions for the exact cartridge you are refilling. Each cartridge will have different instructions, though some cartridges of the same brand may be similar. The biggest difference in each will be how you open the ink chamber inside.
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Step 2
Drill a hole in the cartridge down to the chamber, using the kit's eyelet screw. This should only be done if the instructions for your specific cartridge say to do so. Some instructions may provide a different way to create or find an opening. You may also use another tool, like a heated paper clip to melt a hole. Make the hole in the exact spot the directions say to do so.
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Step 3
Purge the cartridge of excess air if needed. The kit should have a squeezable primer bottle for this. Squeeze the bottle in your hand and place the tip inside the hole with it still contracted. Release the bottle to draw the air out of the cartridge and into the bottle.
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Step 4
Fill the kit's syringe bottle with one shade of ink. Use black ink if that's what the cartridge uses. If it's a color cartridge with all three shades, choose one at a time: Cyan, magenta or yellow. Don't fill the syringe to more than half its volume; the instructions should tell you the recommended amount.
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Step 5
Insert the syringe needle into the cartridge filler hole and get it all the way down to the bottom. A full color cartridge will have three holes, so make sure you use the correct hole for the shade of ink you are filling. You may have to drive the needle through a hard sponge in the cartridge.
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Step 6
Inject the ink into the chamber, doing it as slowly as possible. Check the instructions for tips on when the cartridge is full. Usually, if the cartridge has a sponge, it is okay to saturate the sponge in a black ink cartridge but not with a color cartridge.
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Step 7
Wash out any ink residue from the syringe bottle after refilling one chamber. The ink is usually water soluble, so warm water will do the job. Dry the syringe before performing another refill, like moving to the next shade in a color cartridge.
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Step 8
Seal the filler hole with one of the kit's plastic plugs. This is usually needed if the hole is on the bottom of the cartridge. It may not be necessary, and even not recommended, if the hole is on top.
