Printer ribbons

[Neffers]

Hello peeps, I hope you are all doing well.

I have a Star LC-10 printer and as you can guess, the ribbon (black, not colour) is probably drier than blue touch paper. I'm considering getting the LC-10 out and making a few signs for the shed, purely because it's an option I have.

Is there a decent "refill" fluid and technique available, or am I best off just forgetting this avenue and using my PC for said signage?

Cheers.

[exxos]

I've reinked ribbons in the past. Though generally they don't seem to print much out, and can't put to much ink on them else it gets very messy :(

[jvas]

You can buy new ones in Hungary: https://www.webaruhaz.hu/star-lc10-20-g ... zXmjxf4mUk
Bet, it is available in your country too.

[DrF]

Weird I have been looking for a dot matrix printer the last few days, sold me Epson LX only a few years ago regret that now.
A company I did work for used to dump the dry ribbons in some kind of ink but it was not as fluid, i've never seen it since so I guess you can refurb the ribbons somehow, big huge printer that was Tally I think.

[exxos]

Weird I have been looking for a dot matrix printer the last few days, sold me Epson LX only a few years ago regret that now.
A company I did work for used to dump the dry ribbons in some kind of ink but it was not as fluid, i've never seen it since so I guess you can refurb the ribbons somehow, big huge printer that was Tally I think.

I got a dot matrix mono in loft, spare ribbon as well, don't think its hardly been used, boxed, can't remember what it was LX or LC or something...

[DrF]

Weird I have been looking for a dot matrix printer the last few days, sold me Epson LX only a few years ago regret that now.
A company I did work for used to dump the dry ribbons in some kind of ink but it was not as fluid, i've never seen it since so I guess you can refurb the ribbons somehow, big huge printer that was Tally I think.

I got a dot matrix mono in loft, spare ribbon as well, don't think its hardly been used, boxed, can't remember what it was LX or LC or something...

Still a bit torn over if this a good choice vs the cheapness of laser printers now I already have 3 lasers, 2 mono 1 colour.
1 in a box as a backup the other 2 get worked hard and quality has fallen a bit on images but on text which is 95% what they have to do there ok.

A HP mono laser toner is running about £6 to £11 that's just as low as ribbon, but would it out last a ribbon?
The Dell (really a Xerox phaser) is about £15-20 per 4 colour toners.
The Ricoh mono is about £15 per toner too.

Trying to drive down the cost per page is hard :lol:

[exxos]

Trying to drive down the cost per page is hard :lol:

Buy a cheap inkjet and buy a 5L tub of black in from my store, last forever :P I print my leaflets that way, cost per page is pretty low, printed out thousands of pages mostly text, don't think i've gone past a 5L tub yet lol.. got loads of um, do you deal for 2 :P

Think refill ink (well jettec stuff which I only use) is like 30ml x 3 for £3 I think ? so like 30ml £1 is pretty crap.. in effect be £166 for 5L, mines like £68 for same stuff..

Or do what everyone else does, but dirt cheap ink form evilbay, and buy a new print head every 100 pages :P

[DrF]

Trying to drive down the cost per page is hard :lol:

Or do what everyone else does, but dirt cheap ink form evilbay, and buy a new print head every 100 pages :P

Inkjets are banned in this house :lol:
The reason they eat the printheads is the cheap ink is missing the lubricants, that's what I was always told when I did work for HP printers.
You need the 2nd cheapest ink they would usually say :lol:

Most what I print is order forms pure text that gets cut up anyhow so a dot matrix would be perfect.
There quite expensive lately it seems from eBay, costing more than some mono lasers :o

Some info here on repairing print ribbons :

http://ibm-1401.info/TricksForReInkingP ... bbons.html

https://retrocomputing.stackexchange.co ... er-ribbons

https://patents.google.com/patent/US3881588

http://www.acornelectron.co.uk/eug/05/a-rein.html

http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthread.p ... er-ribbons

https://www.pcreview.co.uk/threads/how- ... n.2636792/

Some used this sewing machine oils:



Huge range of compatibles for printers no one's ever heard of might be start :

http://www.porelon.com/retail-part-find ... rId=227160

Seems alot of those links point to using stamp pads.

[Neffers]

This are not a full reply, I gone and done me shoulder in, typing is hard. Thanks for the suggestion to actually google the carts, yes I can get them from a place in my county.

Interesting convo from a silly thread! Back in a bit... (swears at shoulder while going back to hibernating unless the painkillers work, what a waste of sunlight).

[Neffers]

I've reinked ribbons in the past. Though generally they don't seem to print much out, and can't put to much ink on them else it gets very messy :(

I had a go with parker ink as a kid, can attest to messy, though it was a long stationary Epson cart. I kinda fumbled and had black ink pasta salad all over the place.

You can buy new ones in Hungary
Bet, it is available in your country too.

You sir, are correct, thanks :)

Inkjets are banned in this house :lol:

I am not a fan of ink any longer.

I have a Brother Brother HL5340D (Mono Laser) For the PC (It does have parallel, hmm) Had it about 5 years ish, Ebay special. Great for text, shyte for graphics, but for its intentional purpose it's not bad.

Thanks for the links DrF :thumbup: