How to refill HP 2600 color cartridges?

The color cartridges of the HP Laserjet 2600 series of laser printers are refilled through the melt and pour method just like most OEM toner cartridges. But what’s unique about HP cartridges is that it does not come with a fill hole/fill plug component that allows the easy transfer of fresh toner powder into the toner supply chamber. Moreover, a waste chamber – where used toner is collected, forms part of its design; to thus add a step or two into the refill process.

Well, that shouldn’t discourage you from reloading an empty HP cartridge. Just prepare the necessary materials and tools; follow instructions to the tee and you can never go wrong!

Materials and Tools:

• Empty HP Q6000A, Q6001A, Q6002A or Q6003A
• HP 2600 Toner Refill Kit 4 Pack (Includes 4 color bottles of fresh toner powder, 4 funnel caps, 4 pairs of latex gloves, toner wipes and instructional manual)

• Replacement / Reset Chip (Should be supplied with the kit)
• Refill Tool
• Electrical Tape
• X-Acto knife
• Toner Vacuum (optional)
• Trash Bin

Procedure:

Cleaning the Waste Chamber

1. Pull out the refill tool and plug into an outlet. Allow it to heat up for 1 to 3 minutes.
2. Once heated up, gently push the refill tool’s tip over a specific section of the cartridge (see manual) to create an opening for the waste chamber. Be sure to remove the circular plastic piece carved out by the tool if it should fall into the bin.
3. Turn the cartridge upside down over a trash can to empty toner residues filling the waste bin. Apply suction using a toner vacuum (optional).
   
4. Seal the hole with electrical tape thereafter.

Cleaning the Toner Supply Chamber

1. Melt a second hole on another section of the cartridge (see manual) using the refill tool to create an opening for the toner supply chamber.
2. Perform the same set of cleaning instructions intended for the waste chamber but do not seal the fill hole just yet.

Replenishing Toner Supply

1. Pull out from the kit the bottle of replacement toner that corresponds to the color cartridge being refilled.
2. Shake the bottle gently to loosen toner powder
3. Attach the funnel cap to the mouth of the bottle and position the cap’s end into the fill hole.
4. Carefully pour toner from the bottle to the fill hole to replenish the cartridge’s toner supply.
5. Seal the hole with an electrical tape thereafter. Do not attempt to cover the hole with a fill plug as the plug will block a rotating blade from the inside of the cartridge.

Replacing the Reset Chip

The cartridge’s reset chip needs to be replaced to reset the print counter and get rid of the low toner message. Being a lockout chip, the printer will keep reading the refilled cartridge as empty and you won’t be able to proceed with print jobs.

1. Locate the reset chip. This is found on the rear of the supply chamber.
2. Carefully cut the plastic tabs holding the chip with the use of an X-Acto knife.
3. Insert the knife blade beneath the chip’s base and slide it upward away from its housing.
4. Pull out the replacement chip from the kit and insert it into the housing with the (gold plated) contact side of the chip facing out.
5. Gently shake the cartridge from side to side to distribute the toner evenly and load the cartridge back into the printer to conduct test prints.
   

HP Toner Cartridges: Difficult to Remanufacture but Easy to Refill

HP toner cartridges can be thought of as remanufacturing – averse. Now what makes me say this stems from the intricate design of its cartridge units! For one, the absence of a fill hole in its design prevents the conduct of convenient toner refills – unlike Brother and Samsung toner cartridges. On the other hand, a waste chamber is incorporated into the HP cartridge unit. While hard to tinker given its small size, the waste chamber is tightly glued with other cartridge parts such as the drum, blades and wipers. This way, the user needs to break apart the cartridge to remanufacture it. Moreover, the waste chamber requires cleaning prior to toner supply replenishment which adds a step or two into the refill process.

Difficult to Remanufacture
Given the design of HP cartridges such as the Q6000A, Q6001A, Q6002A and Q6003A of the HP Laserjet 2600 series; remanufacturing it can be quite of a challenge as remanufacturers need to handle pertinent parts carefully when cleaning or replacing the OPC drum and blade, as well as in its reassembly to the waste chamber in order to prevent print quality defects and waste toner overflow. Good thing an entire replacement waste chamber set is now available. But then again, the remanufacture of HP cartridges is best left in the hands of cartridge remanufacturers.

Easy to Refill
Performing cartridge refills however is something any regular laser printer user can undertake to save on laser printing costs. The color cartridges of the HP 2600 laser printer can easily be loaded with fresh toner supply by melting holes on pertinent cartridge sections to expose the toner supply chamber and waste chamber and after conducting a few maintenance procedures. The user only needs to secure an HP 2600 toner refill kit, a refill tool and electrical tape to perform do-it-yourself refills.

The refill process includes the (1) clean up of the waste and toner supply chambers (2) refill of the supply chamber and (3) Replacement of Reset Chip. All these will be explained in detail in a succeeding post.