Discover the old-school dot matrix printer ink solution!
Discover the old-school dot matrix printer ink solution!
Hi. I found a dot matrix printer on the scrap pile and started it up. I got some paper from a friend and it printed, but not very clearly... I don’t want to waste much money on ink unless I’m sure it works well. It would be great for my office and help lower running costs.
I opened the cartridge and noticed a wheel that seems to control the tape. I was curious about where to put the ink.
Here’s a video with more details:
View: https://youtu.be/0RpsLlVXG2I
I think the ribbon is fully soaked with the ink, which explains why the printing material works. USAFRet is accurate; there’s nothing realistic about trying to reduce expenses when you’re aiming to repurpose this outdated technology.
Back in the day, people would spray WD40 onto the ribbons to make them last longer. However, after many years, it seems the best approach is to fully soak both the wheel and the entire ribbon with ink to restore its condition and maximize its lifespan.
To the rest of you, it really does reduce running costs for a straightforward reason. I and my friends work from my house in our big outdoor shed that has been turned into an office. Because we face frequent break-ins (we've had three this month alone), we have to bring our workstations home or make sure the computers and accessories look outdated. I moved all my components into an old computer case, found a used inkjet A3 printer, and now use a dot matrix printer for large text documents. Less theft = fewer expenses = lower running costs 💩