Is it safe to use an expired ink cartridge in your printer?

ink cartridge
Melinda A asked:


I bought an HP ink cartridge off eBay and found that the date is expired (Dec 05). Will it harm my printer if I use it?

6 Responses to “Is it safe to use an expired ink cartridge in your printer?”

  1. Paultech Says:

    no but the ink inside might have dried up, so the printer will not dertect it as being a new cartidge, and you’ll have to buy a new cartridge.

  2. Rich Z Says:

    No. run the cleaning cycle when you first install it and then do a test page. If the cartridge was sealed (with that tape) it will still be usable.

  3. Azul Says:

    check it first as long as its not leaking or dried ..i used them my self they are ok .. if its leaking then dont use them

  4. WhoKnows?1995 Says:

    It should not.
    That is not very old, either.
    It may be a little stale and may need a print head cleaning cycle, but I doubt that it will hurt the printer.

  5. Sydney Says:

    No it would not, once the small strip that the printer reads from is okay the ink can be used. I would say if the expired date was Dec 2003 I would be really scared but December last year no I would not.

    Next time I would suggest buying from
    123inkjets.com or 4inkjets.com It is a lot cheaper and they have good products.

  6. danielrosborne Says:

    no, its fine to try it out…. but there is a good chance that the ink will be dry or something. never hurts to try though ;) (those things are expensive! lol)