Refill Instructions
HP C3844A and C3845A Cartridges

Theory

The ink in this cartridge is retained because the cartridge contains a sponge to hold the ink.

Step 1) Put the cartridge on some paper towels in an area where you can tolerate a spill.

Step 2) Look at the top of the cartridge. You will notice three entry points with plugs in them. (A few of these cartridges don't have these holes, so you will need to drill three 1/16 inch holes, one over each color chamber if you have one of these odd cartridges.)

Step 3) Push the plugs into the cartridge with a ball point pen or similar device. The photo inks go into the middle holes. Check the holes with a toothpick to determine which colors go into which holes.

C3844A (Star)

• Magenta - WJ664
• Photo-Magenta - WJ665
• Yellow - WJ742

C3845A (Moon)

• Black - WJ1006
• Photo-Cyan - WJ270
• Cyan - WJ269

Step 4) Insert the syringe needle fully into the hole, angling toward the front.

Step 5) Inject 8-10 ml (1/4 syringe bottle) of the ink into the fill hole slowly. Go slowly or you will develop air dams in the sponge which will block ink flow.

Step 6) When the ink starts to come out of the print head, the cartridge is full.

Step 7) The holes on top must be open during printing. You may tape them over for longer storage or during transport.

Step 8) Set above a paper towel for an hour as a drip precaution. Do not allow the cartridge to touch the paper towel, as the towel will draw out the ink.

Step 9) For best results, let sit overnight before using.

To Clean the Printhead

1. Only clean the printhead if you get poor print quality or no print.
2. Be sure that you don't have an air bubble problem.
   • If cleaning the printhead causes the situation to get worse rather than improve, you probably have an air bubble problem.
   • If you have an air bubble problem, you need to re-inject some ink very deep into the cartridge.
3. Follow the directions in the printer manual to run the cleaning routine.
4. If this doesn't work, take the cartridge to the nearest hot water faucet.
   • Turn on the hot water. Let it get hot.
   • Put only the printhead portion (where the ink comes out) under the hot water for 2 to 3 seconds
   • Dry off the cartridge using a soft tissue.
   • Re-insert the cartridge into the printer.
   • Run the normal cleaning routine a few times.
5. If this doesn't work, soak only the printhead in simmering water for up to 2 hours. You may add up to 50 percent ammonia for really tough clogs.

To Clean Your Sink

To Clean Your Hands

To Place An Ink Order