# expired inks confusion.



## agensop (Dec 11, 2008)

quick question. How long do inks take before you cant use them i have a cart that expired a month ago and one last week? should i stop using do the immediately start to drop color??? Just confused. I hear everyone say dont use expired ink but just wondering if i have any time leeway since i have a job i have to do im waiting for approval on over the weekend and the cost wont cover a new set of inks.....


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## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

We discard expired inks. It can lead to color issues


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## agensop (Dec 11, 2008)

on the expiration date??? 



binki said:


> We discard expired inks. It can lead to color issues


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## Dan Berg (Feb 8, 2014)

Not so quick.
I subscribe to a different theory.
I discard nothing ever and have never had any problems. (Not to say you can't.)
My 9900 pigment printer still has the orange and green 700 ml carts I installed in 2011.
No issues none. I would keep an eye on things and keep them, that's just me.
Sublijet IQ inks in my 4880 are pretty much all 2013-2014 expire dates and I refuse to give the satisfaction to Sawgrass and throw them out.
Only using it for Chromaluxe Metals and again never an issue. YMMV


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

agensop said:


> quick question. How long do inks take before you cant use them i have a cart that expired a month ago and one last week? should i stop using do the immediately start to drop color??? Just confused. I hear everyone say dont use expired ink but just wondering if i have any time leeway since i have a job i have to do im waiting for approval on over the weekend and the cost wont cover a new set of inks.....


You didn't mention your printer manufacturer.

If you have a Ricoh then suggest you read the dead Ricoh threads here, the cause was using expired SG inks. MANY DOORSTOP RICOH PRINTERS FROM USING OLD INKS!!!!

It's hard to say when inks actually go bad, I don't believe they don't "fall off a cliff" when they expire, but the date the manufacturer gives is really the date they will only guarantee the inks to. 

So I don't think you can get a precise answer to your question from anyone.

I can only offer that I have used inks beyond expiration, but only when maybe I had a few weeks worth of inks left. I keep my ink usage and purchasing volume "tight"


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## kal6150 (Jan 22, 2011)

Mike is correct. Dye sub ink goes away gradually over time. We've been bitten using some old ink. Cyan seems to be the first to start shifting with black being the most stable over time.

Sent from my SCH-I405 using T-Shirt Forums


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## mcpix (Jun 27, 2008)

Dan Berg said:


> Sublijet IQ inks in my 4880 are pretty much all 2013-2014 expire dates and I refuse to give the satisfaction to Sawgrass and throw them out.
> Only using it for Chromaluxe Metals and again never an issue. YMMV


Good to hear. I recently bought some expired (2014 dates) Artainium ink for my Epson 4880. I'm planning on keeping a close watch on the color and see how it goes. Got it cheap. Retail on one 220ml cartridge is $220. I picked up all 8 cartridges for $160 shipped.


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