The ability to determine the number of pages an ink jet printer cartridge will print in its lifetime is essential for anyone who manufactures or remanufactures them. A new ASTM International standard, F 2555, Practice for Determining Page Yield of Ink Jet Printer Cartridges — Continuous Printing Method, has been developed to aid in this endeavor. Practice F 2555 is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee F05.07 on Ink Jet Imaging Products, which is part of ASTM International Committee F05 on Business Imaging Products.
 
Practice F 2555 describes a continuous printing procedure to determine the page yield of an ink jet printer cartridge containing either a monochrome or multi-color reservoir. The new standard can be used to evaluate the page yield of a cartridge or a comparison between several cartridges when each is tested on the same printer. In addition, the practice can be used to compare different printer models using the same cartridge.
 
According to Raymond Kifer, technical manager, Ink Technology Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, it had been a long-term goal of Subcommittee F05.07 to develop an easy-to-use page yield standard that could be utilized by any company manufacturing inkjet cartridges, particularly aftermarket cartridges.
 
“The committee felt that developing a simple, straightforward standard that would be fairly easy to use was needed to help remanufacturers, especially, compete in the marketplace,” says Kifer, who notes that an important criteria in remanufacturing is being able to determine that the number of pages that can be printed by a refilled or remanufactured cartridge is competitive with an original equipment manufacturer product. Kifer also says that, in addition to using the standards as a means of comparing cartridges, inkjet ink manufacturers will also be able to use Practice F 2555 as a tool for research and development. Committee F05 welcomes participation in future revisions of F 2555 as well as in its other standards developing activities from all facets of the business imaging products industry.
 
ASTM International standards are available for purchase from Customer Service (phone: 610/832-9585; https://www.astm.org/contact/) or at www.astm.org.

For further technical information, contact Raymond Kifer, Ink Technology Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio (phone: 216/486-6720; rfk1951@aol.com). Committee D18 meets Oct. 26, during the October Committee Week in Atlanta, Ga. For membership or meeting information, contact Nancy Morrissey, manager, Technical Committee Operations, ASTM International (phone: 610/832-9736; nmorriss@astm.org).
 

Release #7463