Most college students are familiar with the feeling of dread that surfaces when that “low ink” symbol pops up on the computer screen just before printing a major paper. It means a trip to Walmart to buy an expensive ink cartridge or even worse, ordering one online. Most cartridges are priced anywhere between $18 and $45. On a college budget, these expenses can add up.

There is, however, a cheaper alternative. Many convenience and electronics stores, including Walgreens and Cartridge World, refill used ink cartridges on the spot.

According to the Walgreens Web site, at participating Walgreens, a technician will use a machine to refill a black and white or color cartridge for $12.99. The cheapest new color cartridge from Walmart costs just under $20.00, saving ink users at least seven dollars.

In addition to being cost-effective, refilling ink cartridges is eco-friendly, said Lane Goldberg, lab technician at Ink Station in Naperville, Ill. Reusing cartridges keeps them out of landfills.

Goldberg uses state of the art technology to clean used cartridges, fill them and test them. The process is presented step-by-step on the Ink Station Web site, ink-station.com.

Before a cartridge is refilled, it is pre-tested to make sure the electrical system works. Then, a powerful centrifuge empties any remaining ink. A powerful water jet cleans the cartridge nozzles, where the ink exits the cartridge. The cartridge is then filled according to pre-entered settings specific for each cartridge brand, using a vacuum to prevent air bubbles. The cartridge undergoes a post test and is packaged and placed on the store shelf.

Ink Station buys its ink primarily from Sensient Ink, located in California. The ink is universal, so it can be used for all cartridge brands that Ink Station supplies. Differences in Sensient ink and ink from the printer manufacturer exist, but Goldberg says it does not mean customers are getting lower-quality ink.

“It’s not the same, but better,” he said. “The colors are richer.”

For many owners of printers, refilling cartridges is an affordable alternative to purchasing new cartridges made by the printer manufacturer. However, since different brands use different combinations and colors of ink, refilling is limited to specific printer brands. The most common brands, such as Hewlett-Packard or Lexmark, are easily refilled while others are forced to buy from the manufacturer.

Goldberg also said that refilling cartridges at chain stores that don’t specialize in refilling, like Walgreens, can backfire. He said that computers remember the last three digits of the cartridge’s bar code and replacing the same cartridge might lead the computer to think it is still empty and not print.

An easy way to avoid this problem is to buy pre-filled used cartridges from refilling companies like Ink Station. There, Goldberg said, customers donate their empty cartridges and purchase newly refilled cartridges.

Prices are based on the manufacturers’ price and will always be cheaper than the cost of a new cartridge. There is also no wait for a cartridge to be refilled along with no risk of leaving empty handed if your refilled cartridge doesn’t work, because all cartridges are pre-tested after being filled.

Goldberg also noted that there is something to be said about small businesses like Ink Station; since they specialize only in refilling ink cartridges, Goldberg said that Ink Station offers the most up-to-date technology and the most attentive service. Though refilling ink cartridges is often a cheaper option, it doesn’t always work.

Sapana Parikh, sophomore in LAS has brought several ink cartridges to Walgreens that have been unsuccessfully refilled.

“I’ve always gotten them refilled at Walgreens and they’ve always failed,” Parikh said.

Though the ink is refilled, her cartridges have never passed the print test.

Walgreens returns them with a sticker saying it doesn’t work and she doesn’t have to pay for it, she said. Parikh now buys brand new cartridges.