How to refill HP 12 ink cartridges

HP 12 ink cartridges have been created for the HP business series. These products use dyed inks, yield up to 2,000 pages and are available in cyan, magenta and yellow colors.

These ink cartridges can be refilled easily, as all HP ink tank, removable print head ink cartridges are. Please stick to the procedure described in this post to avoid damaging your ink cartridges and future printing jobs.

We also recommend you read this information attentively and that you use dyed inks to refill your HP 10 ink cartridges. If you don’t know the difference between dyed and pigmented inks, please read our post “The differences between dyed and pigmented inks.”

You will need the following ingredients to get these ink cartridges refilled:
1. A different syringe for each ink color we’re using.
2. A piece of cloth, preferably black, and a flat, easy-to-clean surface you can put your ink cartridges on to avoid ink spills.

3. Identifying each cartridge’s color correctly. If you get this wrong, you’ll damage your ink cartridge and end its working life. Keep in mind these injuries are very hard to fix.

Steps to refill an HP 12 ink cartridges:

Step #1:
Place the ink cartridge on the black piece of cloth and over the flat surface before starting the refill process.

Step #2:
This and every other ink tank ink cartridge are refilled by removing the entire bottom section from the cartridge, exposing the ink injector, the pump and the proper refill site. Take a look at the following picture to learn how to remove the bottom of this product.

how refill the cartridge hp 12

Please cut the label right where the red line indicates. You must cut exactly where the red line indicated, managing to cut the ink cartridge in two and exposing all the lower elements inside it.

Step #3:
Once you’ve removed the label, your ink cartridge will look something like this; you’ll be able to see all the parts we mentioned in step #1. Please do this with an empty syringe. Using the same tool, try to remove a small, black rubber ball from the bottom of the printer. This rubber ball has been marked with #1 in the following picture.

refill the cartridge hp 12

Please do this slowly and carefully, and avoid the little rubber ball from receding to the back of the ink cartridge.

Step #4:
You can now fill each syringe up with the appropriate amount of ink. If you’re using normal sizes ink cartridges, add 30ml of ink to each syringe. If, on the contrary, you’re using extra-large ones, add 50ml of ink to each syringe.

Please do not use piercing syringes for this procedure, since they could puncture the metal sheet inside the ink cartridges and cause a permanent ink spill. Only use the very tip of the needle when refilling this ink cartridge.

Step #5:
After all this has been done, put the small rubber ball back in the printer, it will act as a plug for your ink cartridge that will keep all the ink inside it. Do not push it inside the ink cartridge or lose it, since it will be very hard to replace and you probably won’t be able to take it out of the cartridge without damaging it.

Once you’ve put the rubber ball back, put the cartridge on the piece of cloth covering the flat surface, just to check there isn’t any ink coming out of ink. Keep an eye for the injection hole and the place you just sealed with the rubber ball.

Step #6:
But the lower lid back on the ink cartridge, and leave it exactly as indicated in step #5. Your ink cartridge should now print perfectly if you’ve followed these steps strictly.


If this procedure hasn’t worked out for you, remember we’re here to help. Just post a comment in the section below this post and we will gladly get back to you.