What's the self-life of a cartridge? How long can I keep an extra on hand before it dries out?
176245
Not sure of the total life but with my particular home office usage, I have no problems with the extra carts. I do buy Epson carts, not some off brand or re-fill.
176246
on the bottom of the box there is an expiration or best before date. frequency of use will help determine whether you will be using completely the new cartridge. i always buy the double black, for instance, and when i put in the second one, i buy a new box. i have never had a problem.
176247
Sorry, but I don't know the answer to your question. I purchased the cartridge because it was made by Epson for my Epson printer. It has worked good, to date
176248
They are good for a couple of years according to the package. I've had them on the shelf for a year without issues. Brian
899740
The cartridge itself is just a solid plastic shell. It feels pretty well made to me. Unless you were unfortunate to break it somehow (dropping from a high spot on a very hard surface), I think you could reasonably assume a cartridge could last you 5+ years. We are still using our original two (one that came with the Air-O-Swiss and another purchased on Amazon) 3+ years later and both seem to be holding up just fine. I clean our Air-O-Swiss whenever the clean indicator light comes on so I have had no issues with these becoming grimy. I hope this is helpful; sorry I don't have a more firm answer. The manufacturer doesn't speak to the life of the plastic cartridge shell. The cartridge itself is just a solid plastic shell. It feels pretty well made to me. Unless you were unfortunate to break it somehow (dropping from a high spot on a very hard surface), I think you could reasonably assume a cartridge could last you 5+ years. We are still using our original two (one that came with the Air-O-Swiss and another purchased on Amazon) 3+ years later and both seem to be holding up just fine. I clean our Air-O-Swiss whenever the clean indicator light comes on so I have had no issues with these becoming grimy. I hope this is helpful; sorry I don't have a... » Read More The cartridge itself is just a solid plastic shell. It feels pretty well made to me. Unless you were unfortunate to break it somehow (dropping from a high spot on a very hard surface), I think you could reasonably assume a cartridge could last you 5+ years. We are still using our original two (one that came with the Air-O-Swiss and another purchased on Amazon) 3+ years later and both seem to be holding up just fine. I clean our Air-O-Swiss whenever the clean indicator light comes on so I have had no issues with these becoming grimy. I hope this is helpful; sorry I don't have a more firm answer. The manufacturer doesn't speak to the life of the plastic cartridge shell. « Show Less
1729809
Wish I had an answer for you, but I have yet to replace the cartridge. Really like this pen on my keychain, though, a convenience any number of times.
817440
By the way, check the YouTube videos on how to wind back the cartridge counters to get an extra life out of your existing cartridges. Don't replace the old ones before they are empty.
673968
not very long. I used it once having found it too expensive to maintain. At the time one cartridge only gave a light fizz to the water - much less than a soda of any kind or of Perrier or other bottled water. I saw no reason to continue its use. At the time the lowest prices for cartridges was much higher than I see another person found.
1378128
Victoria, I have had them two weeks and they are working fine. The unused ones have a good seal on the ink discharge point and each cartridge is sealed in a air tight plastic wrapper. I don't anticipate them drying out.
285678
when the cartridge finishes, you can buy new cartridge but I do not recommend cartridge long life.
1902555
It all depends on how much you print, there's three bottles of black, and one of each color for your color cartridge. I don't print that much but I still have almost fill bottles. So I would say, it would last one person a long time.
899739
The cartridge itself is just a solid plastic shell. It feels pretty well made to me. Unless you were unfortunate to break it somehow (dropping from a high spot on a very hard surface), I think you could reasonably assume a cartridge could last you 5+ years. We are still using our original two (one that came with the Air-O-Swiss and another purchased on Amazon) 3+ years later and both seem to be holding up just fine. I clean our Air-O-Swiss whenever the clean indicator light comes on so I have had no issues with these becoming grimy. I hope this is helpful; sorry I don't have a more firm answer. The manufacturer doesn't speak to the life of the plastic cartridge shell.
1454509
This is in addition to my previous comment. In my experience, the cartridge does not work if it is past 6 months of the expiration date.
979116
I hope you kept your packaging. This happened to me and I learned the hard way that if the cartridge is beyond the expiration date, it will not work! The expiration date is on the outside of the original box. So it is critical you check the date before you open the box and install a cartridge that will not work!
1261207
I do not see any expiration date on the cartridge itself. No longer hv the box.
1434510
I replaced the cartridge few months ago still printing I am unable to tell you how long is going to last I used it on a daily basis.
545305
I wouldn't worry about it. However, if you insist, you can unscrew the cartridge and drain the water and let it air dry. It's not difficult.
770797
Let the cartridge sit for about 12 hours before printing if it was completely empty! :) I didn't know this either but it helped greatly!
2073987
Each cartridge is wrapped individually. I don't know about shelf life. I have had absolutely no problem with these cartridges and they've saved me beaucoup $$$$.
1138108
Yes, it will dry up if you leave it unattended for a long period of time, but not to worry. It washes out easily. Just remove the old cartridge, hold the pen under cool running water until all the old ink is washed out. Shake it, then install a new cartridge and you're good to go.