Are they good or bad? A new store opened in town and thats about all they sell. The name is coboodles, or something like that. Should I just buy a new one? Its a lexmark photo cartridge.

All a remanuf'd cartridge is is a cartridge someone opened up and dumped new ink into. It's usually worth the money, just ask them if they gaurantee their carts against leaking and/or defect.

If you ever get tired of replacing cartridges and would rather just do inks or refillable carts, there are several good, cheaper photo printers out there that you can convert to use ink bottles instead of ink cartridges - it costs a couple bucks to refill an entire bottle...so the printer and conversion pays for itself quick.

Example: Epson R300 or R800 is a great photo printer that puts out the best quality I've seen out of a domestic printer and you can get an ink conversion kit like the one that is well documented in pictures and words here:

http://www.inkrepublic.com/members/ozprintshop/review.asp

Very cool!

Here's an example of a kit on fleabay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6761994264&category=14303

For more kits, search "Continuous Ink Refill" or "continuous ink systems"

Another great review:
http://www.brandonstaggs.com/epson-r200-continous-ink-system-review.html

very bad... IF they work it is worth the few dollars savings but very few do... most of the time the electronics on the cart always says empty and seldom dispenses the ink properly...
just my experience from many years of dealing with these things....

There are at least a half dozen programs available on the web (one usually comes with the refill kits normally) which allow you to reset the "empty cart" warning.

Our design department has been using this setup for 3 years now with our Canon printers without fail (it's how I found out about it). Can you share some of the bad things you've seen happen?

I just got both my lexmark catridges filled at a place called Cartridge World. It cost half the price of a new one and it works great. You take your old one in and they check and refill it while you wait. It was the first time I went there and so far the ink seems to work great. The colors are not 100% on but close enough for me.

Mike

I've had nothing but bad results from remanufactured/refilled cartridges ... they leak ... the colors are hideous ... they don't seem to last as long as an OEM cartridge and for the most part they don't work more times than they do.

Just my experience.

That's what i'm wondering. The colors need to be good as its a photo cart. I've used the ebay refill kits before(but not with photo carts) with mixed results(mostly leakage). I'm kinda getting into the photo thing and want to take out as many variables as i can.

they leak, the colors stink (nowhere close to original), they have around 25 to 50% of the original life and overall quality just stinks, even with regular text printing.
As much as i hate to say it, they have you by the short n curlies in this aspect. I am about to go get a color laser which lasts much much longer then inkjet or bubblejet.

and hey SD im originally from the RC/Sturgis area

ah, i just re-read what you typed. I thought you were saying you had those problems using the ink tubes that i linked up, but i guess you're talking about the remanuf'd carts.

I too havent had any good luck with reman's .... Just buy some NEW ones off ebay for half the price that even wal-marts is selling em for ...