HP 302 black cartridges contain approximately 3ml of ink, the same as the almost identical older HP 301. They may look similar, but sadly they are not cross compatible due to using different software codes. Never-the-less, the refilling method is the same for both models.
Before beginning, you need to gather together the necessary ink and tools to refill your HP302 cartridges. You can buy these separately, or better still buy a refill kit that contains all of the necessary and required accessories. You will need good quality printer refill ink (black, cyan, magenta, yellow). The HP 302 cartridges only hold a very small amount of ink, so 28ml will provide up to 10 refills, however, if you buy bigger bottles you will need a syringe to transfer the ink from the bottles to the cartridge(s). Preferable 4 syringes and blunt needles for the different colours, otherwise you will have to wash them out after every colour refill! Also required will be a screw tool for making the initial hole in the top of the cartridge(s). We also recommend you purchase a cartridge refill clip. The Eco-Fill Professional Ink Refill Kit for HP302 Cartridges is a one box solution containing all of the necessary equipment to perform numerous successful refills.
Once you have gathered together the necessary equipment you can begin to refill your first cartridge. The colour cartridge is usually the most difficult one to refill because there are three colour compartments incorporated in the same cartridge. The black cartridge is quicker and easier to refill, so I suggest we begin with that one.
Clip the cartridge tightly into the refill clip. Hold the cartridge in one hand and the screw tool in the other. Position the screw tool in the appropriate place and apply a little pressure, then twist to make a small refill hole. Continue until you feel it enter the internal case and sponge. Remove the screw tool and place it on the newspaper. Get your syringe containing black ink, or a black ink bottle with needle, and push into the refill hole and down into the internal sponge. Then VERY SLOWLY inject 2ml of ink into the refill hole. Wait for one minute, then inject a further 1ml of black ink. Leave the cartridge to stand for several hours, allowing the internal sponge to absorb the ink fully. Remove the cartridge from the refill clip and carefully wipe the print head nozzle with a slightly damp paper towel. Then press the print head nozzle against a clean paper towel. If you can see a clear black line, then your refill has been successful! Install the cartridge into your printer and perform a test print.
If a black line does not appear when you press it against the tissue, attach the cartridge to the refill clip, followed by the syringe to the underneath of the refill clip. Slowly pull back on the lever of the syringe. You should see some bubble begin to appear inside the syringe. This procedure is called 'priming the cartridge'. Remove the cartridge from the refill clip and wipe the print head nozzle. Carefully press the cartridge against a clean paper towel to see if you now get a black line.
To refill the colour cartridge you repeat the same procedures. Remember to exchange the piece of rubber inside the refill kit for the larger colour version. You will need to make three holes instead of one because there are three colour compartments to refill. It doesn't matter which colour you refill first, but be careful not to contaminate the other two holes with the wrong colour. This can happen if you inject too much ink too quickly, causing it to come back out and run along the top of the cartridge. once you have SLOWLY and CAREFULLY refilled the three colour compartments wipe the top of the cartridge with a paper towel. Remove the cartridge from the refill clip and carefully wipe the print head with a paper towel. Now perform a colour pattern test by pressing the print head against a clean paper towel. You should see a cyan, magenta, and yellow line.
When a refilled cartridge is reinstalled into the printer it is normal to receive error messages. These might be 'Low on Ink', or 'Refilled Cartridge'. You will need to skip this error by pressing 'OK' or 'Continue'.
Other error messages can be caused by ink or dirt on the electrical circuit contacts of the cartridge. Carefully clean them with a damp towel.
These instructions are for guidance only and are (c) Rapid Resolutions Ltd 2016.
All brand names and trademarks are the property of their respective holders and are used for descriptive purposes only. Tha above product is Non-OEM (Not made by HP)
(c) Rapid Resolutions Ltd 2016.