How Do I Refill Lexmark Ink Cartridge 36 And 37?

Refilling your ink cartridges can be a much cheaper way of maintaining your printer and there are plenty kits available to do this. First of all find yourself a reputable cartridge and ink retailer as you should make sure you have the correct and safe ink for your printer. This can be done easily through Google and you may want to use sites such as these; www.cartridgeshop.co.uk, inktechshop.co.uk and many others.
Step one
When your cartridge is empty take it out of the printer and put it on the refill pedestal that you may have been sent with the kit, if not rest the empty cartridge on a surface that has been carefully protected and covered with an old cloth.
Step two
You now need to make a hole in the top of the cartridge so that you can insert the ink. Take care when doing this to avoid any injury. In certain kits your pedestal will have a special instrument to make the hole, however if you are not using one of these then a sharp thin object will work just as well. Do not use something which you do not wish to get dirty!
Step three
Once you have the hole in the empty cartridge you should use the syringe like tool in the refill pack and insert this into the cartridge whilst filling it with new ink. Once it is full, which should not take very long, put the newly filled cartridge back into the printer.
Step four
Once you have inserted the cartridge into the printer, switch your printer on and allow it to realign the cartridges. This should happen automatically, if not you can manually instruct the printer to do this through the printer options on your computer.

You don't. Lexmark rigged the printer and cartridges with some kind of chip in the ink cartridge. Thats how they F**K you into buying new cartridges instead of refilling. I've read that you can place a piece of tape over one of the little gold contacts on the print cartridge, but haven't been successful yet. You ever tried to cut a 1/16" square piece of clear tape and make it stick? LOL -- not as easy as it sounds...

Get a Canon instead.

I've just spent 4hrs on the internet trying to figure out a way to get my Lexmark X5650 to work after I refilled the #36 black cartridge. The consensus, from people much smarter than me, is you can't. You can refill it, but then you get an error message telling you the ink cartridge is out of ink. It offers to print using the color cartridges that will mix color to make the ink black. And this works... Until your color ink cartridge is out of ink as well. It'll never use the black in again until you buy a new cartridge. You can refill the black and continue printing, but it's drawing ink from your color cartridges. When the color cartridges are dry... You be screwed. But the black is still full of ink that you refilled it with.

Then you get to go bend over and fork out $35 for new ink cartridges.

It's BS!! I'll NEVER own another Lexmark printer.

You need to get the 36A or 36XLA if you want to refill.  I asked the support person at Lexmark, and they said that the basic 36 and 37 can not be refilled.  But the "A" and "XLA" products can refilled.  I am currently getting a 36XLA from a online site called CostCentral which is only charging $26,81 for a 36XLA which is supposed to print up to 500 pages, and then I can go and get it refilled and reuse.   I think this is a much better option than paying $24 at Walmart for just the basic 36.   I'll have to see if this 36XLA holds up to the 500 pages that it promises...

OK Gang.... I went on a Mission and FOUND ( don't ask me how....lol ) The ANSWER to the Almighty Question..... HOW can I refill Lexmark #36 and #37 ?? On those 2 you CAN'T . BUT.... If you buy EMPTY Cartridges of #36 A / # 37 A , you CAN REFILL these ( I bought empties on Ebay , I believe it was ) . You probably can get the XLG ones there also (?) . Anyway , HERE's the LINK to HOW to Refill them :-)  www.printerfillingstation.com  . Click on the #'s ( #36 A ) on the Left side of the page and it gives you the INSTRUCTIONS by Photo What colors go where  . ENJOYYYYYYYYYY !!!!  
Mickey8255

I sent my regular 36 and 37 ink cartridges back after they were "empty" and got a 36XLA and a 37XLA.  They hold more ink and they can be refilled and reused.  Still waiting for them to run out so I can refill them and see for myself if they really can be reused.

I recently bought 2 36A cartridges from a refill house with the intent of refilling each time one ran out.  Well the day after the first ran out I took it in... Dead cartridge and not refillable.  Giving them the benefit of the doubt I bought another.  We'll see but so far this is not looking good.  The tech at the refill shop suggested that Lexmark may be sending a voltage down to kill the cartridge.  Has anyone heard of such.  I had to pay extra for the A version of the cartridge in order to have the privilege (right?) to refill it so if the next one ends up dead I am really going to go ballistic.

I bought one of the 36a for the lexmark 5650es. About 2 months ago and I still can not get it to print. It has been refilled with black ink but it still says black ink is low and my color ink is getting lower. It has never read the cartridge as being full. Now what do I do? Any suggestions.

Ok, so after much research and finding you all(!!!), I give up. I am getting one of those new Kodak printers that advertise low priced ink. Black is $10 and color is $17.  I did refill my 36XL cartridge(that's the easy part), but like many of you all the printer will not recognize it for printing. BUT I can can COPY still. So, this may be my new copy machine! I can refill ink but not print??? Darn well made me MAD! I used to refill my old cartridges at least 5 times before replacing on my old printer that finally died

I covered the left hand side of the contact points on the black cartridge (contact points facing you)  with sellotape and it worked. It gives a ? At the ink level, but it prints. Have not tested the colour cartridge yet.

I was so pissed off at the ink prices When  I ran out the first time  I took the printer back to Wal-Mart they gave me another printer, 45 days later  of me doing daily printing  I ran low then out at a faster than normal rate . I mean I've used a lot of printers  & this X5650es is a pretty fast machine, despite its shaking like a 2 dollar crack whore as it prints :)  I laugh when it prints, because it jumps side to side shaking, shaking   like jello poodin  (doing my Bill Cosby impersonation), So I checked to see if the ink prices came down to a fair price? To no avail. This time Ii brought the printer  with me took it in to Wal-Mart again gave them my receipt did it again, This time I got another brand new printer and like $12 dollars cash back  because the price went down of the printer. If the price stays stupid on this ink I will do it again.I don't mind paying a fair price for ink But come on folks this is a rip off they can easily make these thing refillable they just choose not to. So you want to screw me   UMMM .. NO Homie don't play that
Sincerely Tim B
Albuquerque N.M.

I decided to call them and complain. I lied my ass off and told them that I bought a 36xl cartridge and only got about 100 pages from it. After much complaining they caved and are sending me a free cartridge. I plan on using the ink to tell them what I think of their product! I too will never waste my money again buying any product with their name on it! I am also reaching out to my social networks to tell them of this despicable practice and informing them that they too should avoid Lexmark products. If we all "tell two friends" , maybe they will get the hint. As one person we are insignificant as a group we are a powerful consumer demographic!

I went to Walgreens today to get my 36 filled today, they will not do it. In the past they used to try to fill my older Lexmark, the machine would fill the ink, and the cartridge would fail thier in store test, but would work when I got home. I am going to try the tape thing and if that doesn't work I will be selling the printer on ebay to some other unsuspecting victim. But that won't stop me from telling everyone I come in contact with. We as consumers need to shout it out. I came so close to buy the Kodak printer that takes a $10 cartridge, I wish I had now but the convienance of having a wireless printer took my money. I wish I had know what I do now then.

Hey, Tim B, You really made us lol with your comments, yeh I got one of those peices of crapp, same deal stuck with a 36 & 37 cartridge. They are pushing a massive advertising   deal in australia, Flogging the X5650 for $59 australian dollars, the catch is $40 for the 36, $43 for the 37, if you want the "A" add another $7 -$10 each. Lexmark are now top of the line con artists, same as used car salesmen & polititians. This will turn round & bite them on the rump. Oh ! The mighty dollar !!!

Walgreens will not refill a Lexmark black # 36 cartridge----I just went there.

You can fool the printer by placeing a strip of small cellotape over the left hand side of the contacts blocking out the left hand row at the front of the cartridge you will see a ? Next to the cartridge but it will print using it

You can fill the color by prying off the top with a sturdy knife, open like a book(crack it from the right side, opening to the left), fill the resovoirs with the corresponding color, put the top back on, and tape securely, make sure the tape goes down the sides a bit so it is airtight again.  Put a strip of tape over the left column of contacts on the bottom of the cartridge just like the black, and you are ready to go.  This worked for me...the black still complains that it is low, but it prints nonetheless.  Hope this helps.;)

If you live near a Walgreens I know they can do it cheap

Here's another idea that will help with standard cartridges.
Each cartridge has a serial number assigned to it. The printer program keeps the serial numbers of the last three cartridges (or four with some printers)  that were in the printer. Once you put the fourth cartridge in the printer the serial number of the first cartridge is deleted. This means the printer will recognize it as a new cartridge when you put it the printer again.

Keep a few empty cartridges around to rotate through the printer before placing a refilled cartridge back in the printer.

I don't mind paying for the ink but when you can buy a new x5650 printer for $30.00 more with the ink something doesn't smell right .. It just to get you hooked people don't see it coming. Kind of like bait and switch...

The best I've found to do for lexmark cartridges is to participate in their return program. For every 5 you return get 1 free.  Enroll and they send you post paid envelopes. Make sure the envelopes have your return address and account bar code so you get proper credit.

The other option is to go ahead and refill the cartridge and keep running it. When the chip says your running low on ink, it gives you the option to print anyways through an option window.
Rather inconvenient going through an additional 2 mouse clicks and also putting an empty color cartridge in the color slot and push the color/black button to black only.

Carefully peel back the label, you need to put in back on after refilling.
Under the lable will be one hole for the black ink cartridge.
Put the cartridge on paper towels, it might be messy.
There will be a hole on the right hand side closer to the top.
Puncture hole the rest of the way in to create an opening.
Fill syringe about 1/4 way with black ink.
Put syringe into the hole at the top right hand side
Slowly fill the hole with black ink, you may need to add more ink .
The first couple time you print it may be smudged.

Color cartridge you have to crack open the cartridge from the top using a knife. ( should open like a book)
There will be four holes, fill each hole with the color that is already in the cartridge.
Put the top back on.

I am low on ink with my Lexmark 36 and 37 ink cartridges and need to know where to
Go to get an ink refill; since Walgreens doesn't support 36 and 37 ink toners.

First I want to say thanks to all those who posted here. I bought a Lexmark recently and now that my cartridge is running low I want to refill it. I looked online for directions and came here first. Thanks to your posts I've saved a lot of time looking for those elusive directions. I agree it sucks that the refill cartridges cost almost as much as the printer itself but remember a.) that's capitalism for you and b.) for those of you who use straight razors to shave it's the exact same thing. Blades could be be made to last ten times longer as well as they cost a fraction to make as we are charged. This of course is the case for many other products as well, it just took the printer manufacturers a little longer than others to do it also. But don't worry, necessity is the mother of invention and we all need to spend as little as we have to so soon enough someone will figure out how to get around these cartridges and we'll be refilling them for pennies a gallon rather than our whole rent check. Peace.