Refilling HP ink carts

Is there a way tio refill HP Inkjet carts, like the HP 45? Seems I used to
do that before lasers. I was given two HPs and both seem to have dry or
spilled carts. Thought I'd like to try the black on one for starters for
text.

Suggestions?

TIA


--
I love a good meal! That's why I don't cook.

KenK wrote:
Is there a way tio refill HP Inkjet carts, like the HP 45? Seems I used to
do that before lasers. I was given two HPs and both seem to have dry or
spilled carts. Thought I'd like to try the black on one for starters for
text.

Suggestions?

TIA



Cartridges come with chips. The chip is an EEPROM, which
records printer usage on a per-cartridge basis. The printer
writes it, on each usage. Like it was an "odometer".

https://www.cartridgepeople.com/info...ped-nonchipped

A chipped cartridge "declares" when it's empty.
If you shake the cartridge, you could still hear
some ink, but the chip decides when the limit is reached.

If the digital interface says it's empty, you take a syringe
and fill it, it will still say it's empty.

And like an odometer, it's not designed to be rolled back.
To prevent rollback for example, it might have a "signature"
stored in it. An attempt to erase the whole chip (with
say ionizing radiation), would wipe the current count
but would also wipe the signature. The manufacturer who
is wasting money on these chips, you can be assured they've
used reasonable precautions to prevent tampering.

Third party ink suppliers have tried various ways
around this. It's gone to court at least once
(counterfeit chip).

*******

The printing model is "give them a printer at cost",
then "charge up the wazoo for ink".

This is why the landfill is full of old inkjet printers.

The printing model also says "put a teaser cart" in the
printer when new. This reduces the number of printed
sheets. The customer can then buy three different
capacities of carts. There is room in the cart,
for 500 sheets, 1000 sheets, 1500 sheets worth of
printing. They put the 500 sheet version in the
printer when it's new.

They did this, because some people were buying inkjet
printers, and throwing in the trash when the 1500 sheet
cartridge was exhausted. By putting a low-value
"teaser" in the printer, this prevents immediate printer
disposal. And increases the chances a customer will pay
$50 for the printer, and $50 for a change of cartridges.

*******

There are some Epson printers with "tanks". No chip there.
Such a solution is suited to office usage.

And if you look around, some manufacturer may attempt to
use "chipless" as a marketing feature.

*******

Only if the previous owner claims the printer is "flawless",
would you waste time putting new carts in it as a form
of "betting". The "bet" could be relatively expensive
if you just drive to Staples.

Not all brands are chipped. HP is probably a chipper,
but try and track down verification for the HP 45 cart.

Ink carts (not the tank version), cannot actually be
pumped dry. There is a problem with vacuum building up
in the cart. The cart has no "pressure vent". If it had
a vent, the cart would dry out. Carts use a patented
"sponge" material, which handles the ink cart from
say, 3/4 full to 1/4 full. If the cart is actually
under vacuum, the 2 picoliter pumps on the head,
cannot overcome the vacuum when printing. The sponge
expands to fill the void in the cart, as the ink
drains.

Good luck in your research,

Paul

In message , Paul
writes:
[]
Cartridges come with chips. The chip is an EEPROM, which
records printer usage on a per-cartridge basis. The printer
writes it, on each usage. Like it was an "odometer".

https://www.cartridgepeople.com/info...ped-nonchipped

A chipped cartridge "declares" when it's empty.
If you shake the cartridge, you could still hear
some ink, but the chip decides when the limit is reached.

If the digital interface says it's empty, you take a syringe
and fill it, it will still say it's empty.

And like an odometer, it's not designed to be rolled back.
To prevent rollback for example, it might have a "signature"
stored in it. An attempt to erase the whole chip (with
say ionizing radiation), would wipe the current count
but would also wipe the signature. The manufacturer who
is wasting money on these chips, you can be assured they've
used reasonable precautions to prevent tampering.

There was a piece of software that would, with some models, reset the
chips, with other models, take a snapshot and "freeze" the reading (i.
e. you had to use it with some working cartridges before they ran out).
I think the software was created by a Russian. I haven't looked for it
for years; even possession of it if you're in the USA is probably an
offence under DMCA (abused as often as the Patriot act). It (the
software) probably doesn't work under later versions of Windows anyway,
which "just happen" to break it. (I suspect it won't work with more
recent printer models anyway.)

Third party ink suppliers have tried various ways
around this. It's gone to court at least once
(counterfeit chip).

Did that use DMCA, or copyright legislation?
[]
There are some Epson printers with "tanks". No chip there.
Such a solution is suited to office usage.

You can also get CISSs, continuous ink supply systems:
https://www.cityinkexpress.co.uk/ is one such supplier in the UK, but
I'm guessing they exist in the USA and elsewhere too. (I've just
checked, and that website still works, and mentions Brother, Canon,
Epson, and HP on the home page.) These basically use dummy cartridges,
connected to ink bottles via fine pipes.

I would be interested to know how they work with the "chip" type
printers; they certainly offer such systems for such printers.

And if you look around, some manufacturer may attempt to
use "chipless" as a marketing feature.

(-:
[]
Not all brands are chipped. HP is probably a chipper,
but try and track down verification for the HP 45 cart.

And not all models from those brands are - though the older ones that
aren't, you probably can't get drivers for for modern OSs. (And they may
not use ports that modern PCs have.)

Ink carts (not the tank version), cannot actually be
pumped dry. There is a problem with vacuum building up
in the cart. The cart has no "pressure vent". If it had
a vent, the cart would dry out. Carts use a patented
"sponge" material, which handles the ink cart from
say, 3/4 full to 1/4 full. If the cart is actually
under vacuum, the 2 picoliter pumps on the head,
cannot overcome the vacuum when printing. The sponge
expands to fill the void in the cart, as the ink
drains.

Thanks, good explanation. I didn't know they couldn't be emptied, other
than for concerns about ink drying in and thus clogging the heads. (I
think only EPSON use actual pumps, heads with piezoelectric material; I
think the rest use boiling ink to propel it. Though I suppose you could
still argue that that's a pump.)

Note that there's also a drain/waste ink tank in (some models of) the
printer itself, which collects when the cartridge is parked and wipes
its nose; when this is full (the printer has a counter), the printer
will also stop, to prevent an overfull such tank causing the cartridge
to smudge and generally make a mess. Some software (I think it was the
same one as above, that did things with the chip counters) could reset
this counter; however, this doesn't of course actually empty the tank,
so if you do keep doing it eventually things will start to smudge, not
to mention the inside of your printer getting into a terrible mess.

Good luck in your research,

Paul

I do find it depressing that it has been made legally possible to
technologically prevent (or at least make it very difficult) to refill
inkjet cartridges, and that legislation which was not intended for this
can be invoked against anyone who tries. (I wouldn't object to just the
voiding of the guarantee if non-OEM ink was used; that does seem fair.)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

The early worm gets the bird.

Paul wrote:

KenK wrote:
Is there a way tio refill HP Inkjet carts, like the HP 45? Seems I used to
do that before lasers. I was given two HPs and both seem to have dry or
spilled carts. Thought I'd like to try the black on one for starters for
text.

Suggestions?

TIA


Cartridges come with chips. The chip is an EEPROM, which
records printer usage on a per-cartridge basis. The printer
writes it, on each usage. Like it was an "odometer".

https://www.cartridgepeople.com/info...ped-nonchipped

A chipped cartridge "declares" when it's empty.
If you shake the cartridge, you could still hear
some ink, but the chip decides when the limit is reached.

If the digital interface says it's empty, you take a syringe
and fill it, it will still say it's empty.

And like an odometer, it's not designed to be rolled back.
To prevent rollback for example, it might have a "signature"
stored in it. An attempt to erase the whole chip (with
say ionizing radiation), would wipe the current count
but would also wipe the signature. The manufacturer who
is wasting money on these chips, you can be assured they've
used reasonable precautions to prevent tampering.

Third party ink suppliers have tried various ways
around this. It's gone to court at least once
(counterfeit chip).

*******

The printing model is "give them a printer at cost",
then "charge up the wazoo for ink".

This is why the landfill is full of old inkjet printers.

The printing model also says "put a teaser cart" in the
printer when new. This reduces the number of printed
sheets. The customer can then buy three different
capacities of carts. There is room in the cart,
for 500 sheets, 1000 sheets, 1500 sheets worth of
printing. They put the 500 sheet version in the
printer when it's new.

They did this, because some people were buying inkjet
printers, and throwing in the trash when the 1500 sheet
cartridge was exhausted. By putting a low-value
"teaser" in the printer, this prevents immediate printer
disposal. And increases the chances a customer will pay
$50 for the printer, and $50 for a change of cartridges.

*******

There are some Epson printers with "tanks". No chip there.
Such a solution is suited to office usage.

And if you look around, some manufacturer may attempt to
use "chipless" as a marketing feature.

*******

Only if the previous owner claims the printer is "flawless",
would you waste time putting new carts in it as a form
of "betting". The "bet" could be relatively expensive
if you just drive to Staples.

Not all brands are chipped. HP is probably a chipper,
but try and track down verification for the HP 45 cart.

Ink carts (not the tank version), cannot actually be
pumped dry. There is a problem with vacuum building up
in the cart. The cart has no "pressure vent". If it had
a vent, the cart would dry out. Carts use a patented
"sponge" material, which handles the ink cart from
say, 3/4 full to 1/4 full. If the cart is actually
under vacuum, the 2 picoliter pumps on the head,
cannot overcome the vacuum when printing. The sponge
expands to fill the void in the cart, as the ink
drains.

Good luck in your research,

Paul

I remember reading a while ago that you needed 3 HP cartridges. When a
cartridge reported it was empty, the printer remembered that cartridge
said it was empty. Putting ink the cartridge didn't change the
fingerprint of that cartridge when reinserted into the printer. You had
to use a different cartridge (different fingerprint). After the 2nd
cartridge ran out of ink, you'd think you could put ink in the 1st
cartridge and go. Nope, there's a history which appears to be the last
2 cartridge fingerprints. So you needed a 3rd cartridge. When the 3rd
ran empty then you could go back to the 1st cartridge. You needed 3
cartridges to get past the printer remembering the prior 2. I don't
know if this trick still works, plus the OP would have to buy 2 more
cartridges which obviates him trying to reuse just one cartridge (with
lower quality ink which usually results in poor output and possibly
soiling the rollers).

The other way of reusing the same cartridge requires resetting it. I
don't remember the trick but it had to do with using cellophane tape to
cover some contacts, insert the cartridge, remove it, remove the tape,
and then reuse that cartridge (but maybe you had to do this twice to get
past the 2-cartridge history in the printer).

https://www.bchtechnologies.com/blog...cartridge-chip

http://www.inkbank.com.au/category104_1.htm
"Most newish HP genuine cartridges (with print-head) can be refilled and
work without resetting chips."

So HP got sued, lost, and had to change the code in their cartridge
chips. You still have to figure out how to reset the printer to remove
its status on that cartridge (from empty before to unknown now; i.e.,
restart the page counter in the printer).

I wish I could remember the name but it's been too long since I last
purchased from them, and eBay only goes back 2 years in purchase
history. Many sellers advertising refilled cartridges are doing just
that: reusing old cartridges, putting new ink in them, and dumping them
on consumers as new cartridges. The place I referred to had their own
manufacturing facility, their own web site, an actual postal address and
phone number, and a plant to fill the new cartridges. They bought new
cartridges in bulk (aka virgin cartridges) and filled them with their
ink (which was okay but still not quite as good as HP's ink - ink
formulae are closely held trade secrets). In fact, if you go to eBay,
you can find auctions where all they sell are new (and empty)
cartridges: search on "virgin printer cartridge". That way, you get a
new cartridge instead of someone's problem passed onto you through a
mere refiller seller.

I use up one black and one color cartridge in just over a year. I do
little printing. Even if I need to prove something, communication is
electronic so a file with a sales receipt is sufficient. I use the
scanner a lot more than the printer. For me, having to mess about with
sub-quality inks is not worth the loss in print quality or messing up my
printer because the ink didn't dry before the paper hit the rollers.
I've tried several pre-refilled cartridges but reliability suffered as
did ink quality. If I were to do a huge volume of printing, I certainly
would NOT use an inkjet printer but get a laser printer.

Inkjets are cheaper because they are considered "ink delivery systems".
Their purpose is to sell ink, not to generate [much] profit on the
printers alone. Laser printers cost more up front but their cost per
page is a lot lower. For inkjets, the average is 20 cents per page
(unless you only print in black which lowers to 8 cents per page - but
who gets an inkjet to only print in black?). Black-only lasers are 6
cents per page. Plus the print quality is much sharper and much more
permanent for lasers (bonded print) than inkjets (wetted print). There
are color lasers but I don't know if the color toner ever dries out.
While inside the moisture proof seals, toner seems to for 8-12 years.
Once out of the bag, they typically get replaced in 18-24 months (unless
used up by then).

Yes, it was possible to refill laser toners. What a farking mess! Some
oldies had a port into which you used a bottle of toner. Problem was
that once opened the bottle of toner started to degrade due to humidity
(in the air that got into the bottle or leaked past the no longer
present moisture seal).

Determine how long your toner or inkjet cartridge lasts (how many sheets
of paper over 2 years). Take the cost of an OEM/manufacture-brand toner
or cartridge and figure out the cost per sheet. Reperform that
calculation using a refilled toner. Do the same for inkjet cartridges.
Bet the cost per page isn't sufficient for you to bother with personal
print volume at home. Only makes sense in a business environment where
they're printing multiple thousands of pages per year.

On Thu, 21 Jun 2018 17:28:13 -0400, Paul wrote
in

KenK wrote:
Is there a way tio refill HP Inkjet carts, like the HP 45? Seems I used to
do that before lasers. I was given two HPs and both seem to have dry or
spilled carts. Thought I'd like to try the black on one for starters for
text.

Suggestions?

TIA



Cartridges come with chips. The chip is an EEPROM, which
records printer usage on a per-cartridge basis. The printer
writes it, on each usage. Like it was an "odometer".

snip

Good post Paul. Thanks.
--
Web based forums are like subscribing to 10 different newspapers
and having to visit 10 different news stands to pickup each one.
Email list-server groups and USENET are like having all of those
newspapers delivered to your door every morning.

VanguardLH wrote:


I remember reading a while ago that you needed 3 HP cartridges. When a
cartridge reported it was empty, the printer remembered that cartridge
said it was empty. Putting ink the cartridge didn't change the
fingerprint of that cartridge when reinserted into the printer. You had
to use a different cartridge (different fingerprint). After the 2nd
cartridge ran out of ink, you'd think you could put ink in the 1st
cartridge and go. Nope, there's a history which appears to be the last
2 cartridge fingerprints. So you needed a 3rd cartridge. When the 3rd
ran empty then you could go back to the 1st cartridge. You needed 3
cartridges to get past the printer remembering the prior 2. I don't
know if this trick still works, plus the OP would have to buy 2 more
cartridges which obviates him trying to reuse just one cartridge (with
lower quality ink which usually results in poor output and possibly
soiling the rollers).

The other way of reusing the same cartridge requires resetting it. I
don't remember the trick but it had to do with using cellophane tape to
cover some contacts, insert the cartridge, remove it, remove the tape,
and then reuse that cartridge (but maybe you had to do this twice to get
past the 2-cartridge history in the printer).

https://www.bchtechnologies.com/blog...cartridge-chip

http://www.inkbank.com.au/category104_1.htm
"Most newish HP genuine cartridges (with print-head) can be refilled and
work without resetting chips."

So HP got sued, lost, and had to change the code in their cartridge
chips. You still have to figure out how to reset the printer to remove
its status on that cartridge (from empty before to unknown now; i.e.,
restart the page counter in the printer).

I wish I could remember the name but it's been too long since I last
purchased from them, and eBay only goes back 2 years in purchase
history. Many sellers advertising refilled cartridges are doing just
that: reusing old cartridges, putting new ink in them, and dumping them
on consumers as new cartridges. The place I referred to had their own
manufacturing facility, their own web site, an actual postal address and
phone number, and a plant to fill the new cartridges. They bought new
cartridges in bulk (aka virgin cartridges) and filled them with their
ink (which was okay but still not quite as good as HP's ink - ink
formulae are closely held trade secrets). In fact, if you go to eBay,
you can find auctions where all they sell are new (and empty)
cartridges: search on "virgin printer cartridge". That way, you get a
new cartridge instead of someone's problem passed onto you through a
mere refiller seller.

I use up one black and one color cartridge in just over a year. I do
little printing. Even if I need to prove something, communication is
electronic so a file with a sales receipt is sufficient. I use the
scanner a lot more than the printer. For me, having to mess about with
sub-quality inks is not worth the loss in print quality or messing up my
printer because the ink didn't dry before the paper hit the rollers.
I've tried several pre-refilled cartridges but reliability suffered as
did ink quality. If I were to do a huge volume of printing, I certainly
would NOT use an inkjet printer but get a laser printer.

Inkjets are cheaper because they are considered "ink delivery systems".
Their purpose is to sell ink, not to generate [much] profit on the
printers alone. Laser printers cost more up front but their cost per
page is a lot lower. For inkjets, the average is 20 cents per page
(unless you only print in black which lowers to 8 cents per page - but
who gets an inkjet to only print in black?). Black-only lasers are 6
cents per page. Plus the print quality is much sharper and much more
permanent for lasers (bonded print) than inkjets (wetted print). There
are color lasers but I don't know if the color toner ever dries out.
While inside the moisture proof seals, toner seems to for 8-12 years.
Once out of the bag, they typically get replaced in 18-24 months (unless
used up by then).

Yes, it was possible to refill laser toners. What a farking mess! Some
oldies had a port into which you used a bottle of toner. Problem was
that once opened the bottle of toner started to degrade due to humidity
(in the air that got into the bottle or leaked past the no longer
present moisture seal).

Determine how long your toner or inkjet cartridge lasts (how many sheets
of paper over 2 years). Take the cost of an OEM/manufacture-brand toner
or cartridge and figure out the cost per sheet. Reperform that
calculation using a refilled toner. Do the same for inkjet cartridges.
Bet the cost per page isn't sufficient for you to bother with personal
print volume at home. Only makes sense in a business environment where
they're printing multiple thousands of pages per year.

I see there have been a few advancements in the ink cartridge
business since the last time I looked :-)

At least it's all easy to figure out. Consumers just
eat this stuff up, the convenience and all.

And I didn't see the OPs cartridge number in the lists
of various things.

Some of the sellers seem to want as much as retail
for their products. And there also appear
to be sellers, selling empty carts (presumably
because customers enjoy filling their own carts).
They expect $45 USD in this example, for a pair of carts.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2-Pi...281819351.html

One web page I could find, says the HP 45 black cartridge uses
a kind of spring loaded bladder, to maintain the
appropriate pressure. (The color one uses the sponge.)
And apparently the chamber maintains negative pressure
to prevent "dribbling". They ram a steel ball into
the fill hole, as a "plug". But you can probably
figure out why they use a steel ball (to prevent
refilling). That cartridge design might be around
16 years old.

Paul

CRNG wrote:
On Thu, 21 Jun 2018 17:28:13 -0400, Paul wrote
in

KenK wrote:
Is there a way tio refill HP Inkjet carts, like the HP 45? Seems I used to
do that before lasers. I was given two HPs and both seem to have dry or
spilled carts. Thought I'd like to try the black on one for starters for
text.

Suggestions?

TIA


Cartridges come with chips. The chip is an EEPROM, which
records printer usage on a per-cartridge basis. The printer
writes it, on each usage. Like it was an "odometer".

snip

Good post Paul. Thanks.

As Vanguard points out, you just can't keep up with this stuff.
All the "tricks". Etc.

Paul

Paul wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:


I remember reading a while ago that you needed 3 HP cartridges. When a
cartridge reported it was empty, the printer remembered that cartridge
said it was empty. Putting ink the cartridge didn't change the
fingerprint of that cartridge when reinserted into the printer. You had
to use a different cartridge (different fingerprint). After the 2nd
cartridge ran out of ink, you'd think you could put ink in the 1st
cartridge and go. Nope, there's a history which appears to be the last
2 cartridge fingerprints. So you needed a 3rd cartridge. When the 3rd
ran empty then you could go back to the 1st cartridge. You needed 3
cartridges to get past the printer remembering the prior 2. I don't
know if this trick still works, plus the OP would have to buy 2 more
cartridges which obviates him trying to reuse just one cartridge (with
lower quality ink which usually results in poor output and possibly
soiling the rollers).

The other way of reusing the same cartridge requires resetting it. I
don't remember the trick but it had to do with using cellophane tape to
cover some contacts, insert the cartridge, remove it, remove the tape,
and then reuse that cartridge (but maybe you had to do this twice to get
past the 2-cartridge history in the printer).

https://www.bchtechnologies.com/blog...cartridge-chip

http://www.inkbank.com.au/category104_1.htm
"Most newish HP genuine cartridges (with print-head) can be refilled and
work without resetting chips."

So HP got sued, lost, and had to change the code in their cartridge
chips. You still have to figure out how to reset the printer to remove
its status on that cartridge (from empty before to unknown now; i.e.,
restart the page counter in the printer).

I wish I could remember the name but it's been too long since I last
purchased from them, and eBay only goes back 2 years in purchase
history. Many sellers advertising refilled cartridges are doing just
that: reusing old cartridges, putting new ink in them, and dumping them
on consumers as new cartridges. The place I referred to had their own
manufacturing facility, their own web site, an actual postal address and
phone number, and a plant to fill the new cartridges. They bought new
cartridges in bulk (aka virgin cartridges) and filled them with their
ink (which was okay but still not quite as good as HP's ink - ink
formulae are closely held trade secrets). In fact, if you go to eBay,
you can find auctions where all they sell are new (and empty)
cartridges: search on "virgin printer cartridge". That way, you get a
new cartridge instead of someone's problem passed onto you through a
mere refiller seller.

I use up one black and one color cartridge in just over a year. I do
little printing. Even if I need to prove something, communication is
electronic so a file with a sales receipt is sufficient. I use the
scanner a lot more than the printer. For me, having to mess about with
sub-quality inks is not worth the loss in print quality or messing up my
printer because the ink didn't dry before the paper hit the rollers.
I've tried several pre-refilled cartridges but reliability suffered as
did ink quality. If I were to do a huge volume of printing, I certainly
would NOT use an inkjet printer but get a laser printer.

Inkjets are cheaper because they are considered "ink delivery systems".
Their purpose is to sell ink, not to generate [much] profit on the
printers alone. Laser printers cost more up front but their cost per
page is a lot lower. For inkjets, the average is 20 cents per page
(unless you only print in black which lowers to 8 cents per page - but
who gets an inkjet to only print in black?). Black-only lasers are 6
cents per page. Plus the print quality is much sharper and much more
permanent for lasers (bonded print) than inkjets (wetted print). There
are color lasers but I don't know if the color toner ever dries out.
While inside the moisture proof seals, toner seems to for 8-12 years.
Once out of the bag, they typically get replaced in 18-24 months (unless
used up by then).

Yes, it was possible to refill laser toners. What a farking mess! Some
oldies had a port into which you used a bottle of toner. Problem was
that once opened the bottle of toner started to degrade due to humidity
(in the air that got into the bottle or leaked past the no longer
present moisture seal).

Determine how long your toner or inkjet cartridge lasts (how many sheets
of paper over 2 years). Take the cost of an OEM/manufacture-brand toner
or cartridge and figure out the cost per sheet. Reperform that
calculation using a refilled toner. Do the same for inkjet cartridges.
Bet the cost per page isn't sufficient for you to bother with personal
print volume at home. Only makes sense in a business environment where
they're printing multiple thousands of pages per year.

I see there have been a few advancements in the ink cartridge
business since the last time I looked :-)

At least it's all easy to figure out. Consumers just
eat this stuff up, the convenience and all.

And I didn't see the OPs cartridge number in the lists
of various things.

Some of the sellers seem to want as much as retail
for their products. And there also appear
to be sellers, selling empty carts (presumably
because customers enjoy filling their own carts).
They expect $45 USD in this example, for a pair of carts.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2-Pi...281819351.html

One web page I could find, says the HP 45 black cartridge uses
a kind of spring loaded bladder, to maintain the
appropriate pressure. (The color one uses the sponge.)
And apparently the chamber maintains negative pressure
to prevent "dribbling". They ram a steel ball into
the fill hole, as a "plug". But you can probably
figure out why they use a steel ball (to prevent
refilling). That cartridge design might be around
16 years old.

Paul

The sale you linked to is NOT for an empty and never filled (virgin)
inkjet cartridge set. Look at the "Cartridge's Status" in the
description which says "Full". Virgin cartridges are never full because
they are sold empty. YOU fill a virgin cartridge with your choice of
ink. Since the description says "re-manufactured", that means these are
used cartridges that got refilled.

At Walmart, the HP 45 black cartridge (new) sells for $54. The HP78
color cartridge (new) sells for $64. A combo pack (new cartridges)
sells for $115. AliExpress is selling a used (not virgin) HP 45 & 78
combo cartridge set for $45 that they claim has been filled (status =
full) but no clue whose ink is inside, and for a lot less than just a
new HP 45 alone.

I found one eBay seller claiming to sell a virgin HP 45 inkjet
cartridge. He hasn't a clue that "virgin" means NEVER EVER filled with
ink. Instead the seller uses "virgin" to mean "unused and filled".

It is tough to find someone that will sell 1 or a dozen virgin
cartridges. The sellers market their wares to plants that use the
cartridges to build in volume. The cartridge manufacturers will give
you quote but likely the minimum lot size is 1000 cartridges. You have
to find someone that sells you their manufactured (not re-manufactured)
cartridges where they bought virgin cartridges and use a decent ink.
They'll sell you a full cartridge that has never been used (but no
longer virgin after they added their ink) that doesn't have the "HP"
brand, so they sell at a much cheaper price than whomever manufacturers
the cartridges that get an "HP" sticker.

You don't want re-manufactured, refurbished, used, or pre-owned
cartridges that got some non-descript ink pumped into them. Hell, you
can do that job yourself for a one-off production. I was not suggesting
to go out to find virgin cartridges for yourself to fill yourself unless
you're looking to start a business and buy in volume from the cartridge
manufactures to get virgin cartridges. I was suggesting to find a
cartridge seller who says they use virgin cartridges (not
re-manufactured, not refurbished, not used, and not pre-owned) and
describe what ink they're putting into those virgin cartridges (which
are no longer virgin cartridges when they sell you a filled cartridge).

Note that Ali Express is not very accurate in their product
descriptions. They do sell virgin cartridges but some are still listed
as re-manufactured despite they are actually virgin cartridges. Search
on "empty virgin hp 45 ink cartridge". I found them selling HP 45
cartridges for $12-$16 (depends on volume) for each piece from one
manufacturer but the minimum order is 50 pieces. They also sell from
another cartridge manufacturer the HP 45 cartridges for only $2.10-$6.90
apiece but again for a minimum order of 50 pieces. What I did back
several years ago was find someone who used virgin cartridges, had a
descent description of their ink, a guarantee from the factory (who was
also the seller), who sold under their brand instead of "HP".

HP doesn't manufacturer cartridges. They contract one of the cartridge
manufacturers or ink fill plants to stick "HP" labels on that
manufacturer's product. Since ink recipes are secret, I doubt they
could use HP's formula in a non-OEM branded cartridge. It's like
getting RAM modules from Corsair: there's a sticker that says "Corsair"
but Corsair doesn't manufacture anything. The spec it out and contract
someone else to build the product, or relabel a product (stickers are
used to cover manufacturer printing) that meets their specs. That
contracted manufacturer makes the same product for many different
brands, and sometimes under their own brand.