Refilling HP B8550 with InkTec

[richtestani]

I recently bought a refill kit for my HP B8550 PhotoSmart printer.
I've never bought a refill kit before - but given the price I though it was a great way to save money (as everyone else)

My experience was unfortunately a bad one.
Probably due to my inexperience and knowledge of inks and such, I had issue after issue plus a mess to boot.
I was filling an HP 564XL cartridge

First - I could not tell if the inks were being injected properly since little to no ink flowed into the little window on the cartridge.
Second - the black sometimes didn't print, sometimes it printed half a sheet but generally wasn't printing.
And last - the printer doesn't see the cartridge as filled - which could be due to the chip saying it's empty.

Has anyone else had success with this or similar setup, could possibly help me out with a few pointers?
Thanks
Rich

 

[pharmacist]

Do you use the German Durchstich refill method ? This method ensures if the cartridge is full, because you must face the transparant window upwards, so you can actually see if the refill process has been completed. Since the chip cannot be reset you'll have to guess the ink level by checking the clear window.

 

[richtestani]

Im not sure what the German Durchstich refill method is.
I place the cartridge in the holder, place the nozzle to the hole on the holder and inject.

It seems the ink would go up and into the cartridge. My main problem right now is black doesn't print at all.

Has anyone used these inks on this printer? Id love to get these going.
Thanks
Rich

 

[pharmacist]

German Durchstich refill method:

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=4315

although Canon cartridges are depicted, the refill method for the 564XL cartridges are similar, but ONLY for the XL version (the normal capacity cannot be refilled !!!).

Which black is not printing ? the photoblack(slim cartridge) or the pigment text black (the big cartridge) ? Are you sure these cartridges are XL, because the normal version cannot be refilled, because the ink compartment has no connection with the sponge area. Try to mix your pigment Inktec ink with 15-20 % dye ink to refill your pigment black cartridge.

 

[richtestani]

Right now the photo black is not printing, and this is the genuine products being installed. I'm not sure whats wrong with it now.

Was printing perfect til a few days ago. Also print preparation seems to take a long time - where the print heads are moving back and forth quite a bit,.