How you handle your printer cartridges is important for two very different reasons, firstly, even with their tough plastic exterior, cartridges can be very fragile when put under the wrong kind of pressure, with any cartridge damage likely to result in a loss of print quality. Secondly, faulty cartridges can pose very real health hazards, with strict precautions necessary.
Looking After Your Cartridges
As a general rule, cartridges should never be exposed to extreme temperatures or prolonged sunlight while the expiry date should also naturally be adhered to. In terms of directly handling your cartridge, common sense should always be applied. For example, excessively shaking your cartridge or dropping it onto a hard service could damage it irreparably. While meddling with the cartridge’s cover or pulling out a cartridge while the printer is in use are both usually bad ideas.
In terms of your personal safety, if cartridge ink comes into direct contact with your skin or eyes, it’s extremely important to wash and rinse out the respective areas immediately. However, if you happen to ingest any of the ink, it is absolutely crucial that vomiting is induced to remove it from your system, while it is also recommended that you visit a doctor.
Cartridges may seem pretty straight forward and don’t exactly strike you as outrageously dangerous at first glance, however, handling them both properly and carefully can save you all kinds of financial and personal difficulties.