The Jet Cartridge Recharge Business
Start-Up Package

The Facts.
That the business of recharging jet cartridges is solid and viable requires no long demonstration or argument. Often a new set of cartridges (black and color) costs as much or more than the printer itself. People buy printers to print. If printing becomes inordinately expensive (in some cases $1.00 or more per page), users will eagerly welcome savings.  For the Recharger the raw costs of recharging a cartridge are small. Therefore in most cases you can offer a recharged cartridge at half the cost of a new one and still make a very handsome profit.

These facts reflect common sense and our experience. We sell individual recharge kits to end-users (homes, schools, small and large companies). The frequent enthusiastic and unsolicited testimonial letters from customers restate what we have just said.

Our company started in 1982 with equipment to re-ink ribbons and re-load dot matrix cartridges. Our first jet inks and Jet-Master Recharge Kit went to the public in 1990 (!) and we have followed the dramatic expansion of jet printer use in businesses and homes. Our experience with actual inkjet printers and their cartridges is long and extended.  The equipment, inks and technical equipment we provide reflect years of refining the recharging processes to accommodate the specific cartridges involved.

Our industrial jet-recharging equipment was designed based on our experience as Rechargers. We have the same goals of profitability and efficiency that you have.

Manufacturers’ Wars as an Opportunity for Business
As you know the recharge business is in direct competition with jet printer manufacturers. They react with various strategies starting with rumor and fear mongering. “Do not use refilled cartridges…. Warranty ‘may’ be voided…” proclaim most manuals. The inverted commas around ‘may’ are ours to emphasize the flimsiness of the threat. In many cases the cartridge IS the printer, - should the cartridge fail you simply change the cartridge and the printer cannot be affected. Besides, over and over, the (US) courts have decreed that a manufacturer cannot monopolistically force the customer to use manufacturer’s spare parts or related material.

Not every user is sufficiently interested in facts and some still pay the outrageous prices of new cartridges. This is actually an opportunity for the recharger. You can demonstrate, on site and with solid evidence, that recharging slashes printing costs. Here nothing speaks louder than facts. Show a prospective customer a print from a recharged cartridge and you will have a convert.

You have equally other solid arguments to show that the manufacturers’ claims have no substance. For example, in yet another effort to prevent recharging some manufacturers have installed electronic chips that switch to empty after some period of cartridge use. Unless the chip is reset (and we provide easy-to-use resetters for cartridges that need them), the cartridge will register as empty even when refilled with ink. The point is this. Before the electronic chips, users recharged the cartridges and printed happily without problems.  Why then the need for electronic recharge-preventing electronic chips?  Bottom line? You have plenty of factual and logical arguments to turn the manufacturers’ claim in an advantage for you as a Recharger.

The Recharging Process
Some prospective Rechargers may think that a ‘universal’ jet-cartridge-recharge system may be feasible, just as we delivered our two universal models of dot-matrix ribbon re-inking machines, the legendary MacInker and the equally well known InkerKing.

We offer specific and innovative industrial recharge systems for specific cartridges. But for several reasons there is no ‘universal’ or ‘automatic’ machine to refill ALL current jet cartridges (and those expected in the foreseeable future).

Types of Cartridges
We offer the means and the inks to recharge the overwhelming majority of cartridges in the field. In ALL of them the principle of recharging is clear and simple – that is, inject the PROPER ink into one or more reservoirs (color cartridges have 3 or 5 reservoirs).  Therefore, the answer to the question “how should I go about starting my recharging business?” must take into account the following factors:

• Some cartridges are very popular, proprietary and expensive - typically HP, Lexmark and some Canon. Refilling them will yield the most profit. For these cartridges we have available BOTH kits for manual recharging AND industrial systems.
• Some cartridges use sponges, some don’t. Many HP single color cartridges do not use sponges. Most color cartridges do.
• Especially when dealing with sponges, the process of recharging industrially is not significantly faster than refilling by hand – unless you have a large number of the identical color cartridge to do at once.

Business and Cost Considerations
There hundreds of different printers and cartridges now on the market. When starting a Recharge Operation we believe it is important to offer the most comprehensive service possible. If you limit the range of cartridges you can recharge for your customers, you also limit the opportunities for the business.

Unless you have specific data it is difficult to guess the composition of the cartridge population in your area. If history is a teacher, we were successful with our re-inking cartridge systems because Computer Friends supported (and supports) ALL dot matrix cartridges. During the dot-matrix era, to think dot matrix re-inking was (is) to think Computer Friends. Customers did not have to worry about whether we could or could not support their cartridges.

In summary your business in your area should have the same goal - Think Recharge? Think (Your Business).

We want your business to succeed – apart from any other reason we benefit from your success. As your business grows, you will continue to need supplies and equipment.

The Business Start-Up Package
Given the above, we offer a Business Start-Up Package, that we continually update that gives you all the tools, inks, cleaning solutions, all instructions, tape, holders, clips, and special time-saving kits for manually recharging today’s cartridges. Equally included in the package (VERY IMPORTANT), is our continued technical support for all questions arising from the field.

The Inkjet Business Start-Up Package currently costs $2,500.00. You can quickly verify by looking at the composition statistics that it is GOOD DEAL! The inks alone, purchased as an individual end user exceed $8,000.00 in value. We can send you separately (via email or mail) a complete listing of all the equipment, tools and inks involved. Or you can click here on composition and see the listing.

Questions and Answers.
Q. What industrial equipment do you have available for recharging?
A. We have the following:

• The TF-4P (literature attached or click here to link to the appropriate page) is a 4-station based recharge system. The TF 4P is completely pneumatic (no electricity needed except for that driving a small compressor) and is designed to be essentially maintenance free. Customer can order the system with dedicated stations to the cartridges he wishes to recharge. System can be used both for recharging and for flush cleaning cartridges (of the hollow cavity type).
• The UltraSound Cartridge Welder, with Sonotrodes (i.e. welding elements) available for HP 51649A, HP C6578D/A, Lexmark
• The HP C6578D/A & HP C6625A Splitting System. This is a unit (pneumatically operated) that physically splits the walls of the C6578D/A and C6625A so that the sponges can be accessed, removed, cleaned, dried and replaced. The System also contains a simple device to access the middle reservoir of these cartridges.
• The High Frequency (100 kHz) Ultrasound Cleaner, hosts up to 10 cartridges at a time. Besides the high frequency, it uses a unique ‘pulsed-power’ method of applying the ultrasound wave. We developed this system working hand in hand with a major European Recharge Company.
• An electrical Test and Printing System for the most common HP cartridges – click here for link to a complete page description.

Q. Do I need a Test System?
A.  We recommend investing in a Test System ONLY if you have a dramatically high number of the SAME cartridges to re-charge at one time. Note also the following:

• Some very popular cartridges (i.e. HP 45) are very robust electrically.
• A ‘universal’ tester that caters for all cartridges is as impossible as a universal, automatic recharge system for jet cartridges, as described above.
• It follows that an individual tester is required for each cartridge.
• As we go to print, we have tried a tester (not made by us) to test the HP 45 and HP 78 cartridges. The HP 45 can be tested well but testing the HP 78 actually destroys it (!). Considering the cost of the tester, it is more economical, practical and faster to acquire a printer and test the cartridges on the actual printer by running a test-print sequence.

Q. Can I buy inks in bulk, for example gallons or 6 gallon drums?
A. Yes, once you become a registered Recharger with us you have access to our Recharger Bulk Ink Prices. By the way, if you wish to learn more about the Recharging Process, why the proper ink is so important  etc. please see the The Zen of Jet Cartridge Recharging.

Q. Do you offer boxes for remanufactured cartridges?
A. Yes.

Q. Can I buy empty cartridges to remanufacture myself?
A. Yes, we quote on an individual basis and the quote is valid for a limited period of time. This has to do with the varying nature of the availability of empty cartridges.

A formal Test for the Jet Cartridge Recharge Business
Consider the following points to formally assess the opportunities of your Recharge Business.

• Potential Customer Base. He who writes (words, numbers, pictures) must print. The classic typewriter has already met the fate of the gramophone player – it has become a museum piece. The typewriter has been replaced (in historical sequence) by dot matrix, jet and laser printers. This quiet revolution has occurred everywhere in the office and at home, in small and large towns. Even in a small town there are probably more printer cartridges than one person can service and recharge. Will the potential customer base, at least at the beginning, exceed my capacity to service it? Am I sure that there are enough customers to serve? Yes, test passed.
• Does my service offer a clear, demonstrable and unquestionable benefit to my prospective customer? In other words do I need to rely on credulity or fact to prove the worth of my service?
• The benefit is the savings, ranging from 50 to 90% of the cost of a cartridge. It is clear.
• It is demonstrable. Ask the prospective customer for a sample cartridge and return it recharged - seeing is believing
• It is unquestionable. Tell the customer that from now on his printing costs will be reduced by 50% or more (depending on the type and printer model).
• Will I compete with large organizations offering the same service? Unlikely. A large organization must centralize its operations. This means that cartridges must be shipped back and forth and out of town for service. Shipping is a deterrent; shipping out of town increases the perception of possible delays. Besides, technical support for cartridges with service out of town is more difficult. These, and other related factors are reasons why there are no mammoth organizations competing for this business.
• Promotional Costs. They can be as low as you want to make them and still be effective. A decent one-page flier sent to all schools in your areas is but one example. We can help you create one if you prefer. Or you can target large consumers, such as banks, government offices, including justice centers, transportation, welfare, personnel etc. Each of these departments prints tons of paper (literally). The savings potential (and your business prospects) are proportionally excellent. We can help you create a portfolio detailing your services.
• Competition. Competition is not a problem and it is unlikely it will become one for (3) reasons:

1. The large and continuously growing printer user base.
2. The "niche" characteristics of the Printer Support Business. (see later)
3. There is plenty of margin in cartridge recharging. In the very unlikely case you may find a competitor, you have room to maneuver with prices plus you can adjust your service with any number of options. However, WE NEVER ESTABLISH Printer Support Companies in the same place or in such a way that they become competitors

Is the market static or expanding?
The market in printers is expanding at a rate of 40% to 50% a year worldwide. Hewlett-Packard sales (in the second quarter of '99) were 12.4 billion $. The market is made up of new buyers and buyers renewing their equipment to keep up with the technology. Printer companies aim at low printer costs and high profit in supplies (i.e. cartridges). Printers have become an almost expendable commodity. But any new printer will still need cartridges. Together, these are the characteristics of a good business.

Does the business have some 'niche' characteristics?
It does for the following reasons:

• Customers, in general, don't like recharging, but for sure they are conscious of the high printing costs.
• For inherent reasons, the printer cartridge is the least glamorous element in a computer system, compared, say, to a modem, scanner, monitor etc. It is the Cinderella in the system and treated as such. The user's only interest is to reduce the cartridge replacement cost.

Recharging is in itself a simple operation, but there are many printers in the market. What is needed is a minimum of patience to sort out and organize the cartridges to recharge. In general, patience has little appeal. This is one reason why the recharge market is not crowded. Consider our message: "Make a moderate and graduate investment  (with the Start-up Package) and give your customers a service that is clearly needed and profitable for them and for you".

The above considerations apply to the United States domestic market. Abroad cartridges are usually much more expensive and the savings even more dramatic. While the general rules of the business apply, some local conditions change.