Without a doubt one of the most irritating things about owning a printer has to be spending the increasingly high prices for the appropriate printer ink cartridges. Printer manufacturers have been smart and often sell cheap printers, knowing that they will make a fortune in the constant stream of replacement ink cartridges that people will have to purchase. While you could save money by limiting how much and often you print things, in a professional environment this may not be possible. You may wonder if there is a way to refill ink cartridges yourself. Most printer manufacturers will tell you that this is not advisable and that it can harm your printer, but they are just interested in your money. So what is the real answer? The great news is that yes there is a way you can refill your printer ink cartridges by yourself. Many third party companies now sell home refill kits. To help you save money on printer ink, these kits come complete with the new ink, a syringe for refilling the empty cartridges and full instructions on how to use the kit. It is important to mention that allow this will definitely save you money, it is also a very messy process. If you are planning on using a refill kit you should make sure you purchase latex gloves and cover the area that you will be working on to protect your hands and furniture or flooring from any ink spills. Next, as directed in the instructions, you should look for the label on your old cartridge that when peeled back reveals a hole. This is the hole you use for refilling the cartridge. You then fill the provided syringe with the appropriate ink and then insert the syringe inside the hole. As the majority of printer cartridges have a sponge inside them that holds the ink, it is important to push the syringe down as far as you can. You can use home refill kits with most of the top brands on the market, such as Epson, Canon and Hewlett Packard for instance. It may be that you do not want to do the work, either due to the possible mess involved or the amount of time it takes. If this is the case, you may be able to find a shop locally that offers an ink cartridge refilling service. All you have to do is pop along with the empty cartridges and let them do the messy work for you. Many shops will do this for you while you wait or allow you to come back to collect your refills if you can't wait. The main issue with this cost cutting process is the quality of printing. If you primarily use your printer for official and professional documents then refilling old cartridges may not be your best option. While the quality is good, it does not match buying the real deal. However, if you use a printer recreationally, this is a good option and you will probably not notice any difference in the printing quality.