How long should an ink cartridge remain in my product if it's not used often?

• When an installed ink cartridge is more than six (6) months old, you may need to replace it if you notice that your printouts don't look as good as they used to. If print quality doesn't improve after cleaning and aligning the print head, you can replace one or both cartridges before the black or color ink out light is flashing or on. Make sure the printer is turned on and not printing (the Power light should be on, but not flashing), then open the printer cover. Press the load/eject button and hold it for about three seconds until the print head moves left and the power light begins flashing. Install the ink cartridge and press the load/eject button to begin charging the ink delivery system. Charging takes about two minutes and is complete when the power light stops flashing.