Review: Opening The HP 99 Photo Print Cartridge C9369W – Inside HP Ink Cartridge

Posted on July 29, 2010 by inkjetinsider

Inside the HP 99 photo inkjet print cartridge.

Wanna print 6-color photos on your HP 4-color printer? HP has the answer, the HP 99 cartridge is designed to give the user 6-color photo prints when combined with a tri-color inkjet print color cartridge.

HP 99 photo color ink cartridge for (HP) Hewlett Packard inkjet printers.

A look inside the HP 99 ink cartridge – internal structure:

The HP 99 ink cartridge is a strange bird – designed to be used with a tr-color cartridge (like the HP 97 – opened here, or the HP 95 cracked open here)  to print 6-color photos with your HP printer.  This cartridge contains three (3) colors – black, photo cyan, and photo magenta.  This is *not* the cartridge you want for printing large volumes of text, or black only documents – since the black ink is inside this cartridge shares space with two (2) other colors, the back ink will run out quickly.

Removing the cartridge cover on the HP 99 photo color ink cartridge from Hewlett Packard - inkjet print cartridges.

Specifications:

Color: Black
Part Number: C9369W- HP 99 Photo
Ink Type: Dye based ink
HP 99 Ink Volume: 21ml*
Page Yield: 130 4×6 photos**

Ink Drop Size: 15pl

Retail price: $28.99
Street price: $13.18

*7ml per color (black, photo cyan, and photo magenta)

** that 130 page estimate is from HP and based on 5% coverage (see what 5% coverage really looks like) – needless to say, manufacturer estimates are always on the “high side.”

This cartridge is often paired with the HP 95, or HP 97 tri-color ink cartridge to offer 6-color photo printing.

For You Refillers:

Don’t remove the label – there are air channels on the top of the cartridge that need to be maintained – best way to refill is to just stick a syringe (needle) full of ink into one of the pre-drilled holes that are in the cartridge.

A look inside an HP ink cartridge - the HP 99 photo color ink cartridge. A look inside the internal structure of the (HP) Hewlett Packard ink cartridge - HP 99 photo ink. Hewlett Packard (HP) photo ink cartridge 99 - inside the ink cartridge, or where to refill your HP ink cartridge.

Refilling is easy if you know where to put the refilling needle.  There are five (5) holes already in the cartridge lid which are covered up by the cartridge number sticker.  As you can see from the other images, there is black ink around only three (3) of the holes. We suggest using one of those three (3) holes since they are closer to the ink exit point.  All the other two holes  are there to confuse refillers.  This cartridge will hold around 18-21ml of ink, which is a good amount for a modern ink cartridge.

Where to refill the HP 99 photo ink cartridge.

Contact! – Contact!

These solder points, or contacts help make up the print head.  Printers that use these types of cartridges do not have an internal print head – rather the print head is located on the cartridges themselves.  If print quality declines to the point where the cartridge is no longer usable, simply try another cartridge (it’s like getting a new printer).  If your cartridge cannot be recognized, give the contacts a quick clean with a damp cloth, or other device and try again.  If the contacts are harmed, the cartridge may not function at all.

Inside the HP Hewlett Packard - 99 picture photo ink cartridge.

The Print Head:

Unlike Epson, which makes the printhead part of the printer, Hewlett Packard (HP) puts the print head technology on the cartridge (for most of their consumer printers).  This means every time you buy a new cartridge, it’s like getting a new printer.  This is why these type of HP printers (that use this cartridge style) last forever in our opinion.  As long as the mechanics of the printer keep working it will last forever since the print head can simply be replaced by installing a new cartridge into the printer.

Not all HP printers and cartridges use this style (print head on the cartridge) of build, but a large majority of the ones you will find at Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, and other discount (online) retailers use these cartridges.

Notice the 2D UPC code on the print head ribbon.

Inside HP inkjet printer cartridges - a look inside the sealed ink cartridges from HP 99 photo color.

Is this an embedded expiration date?

Yet another 2D UPC code on the outside front of the cartridge.  So that is 3 total on a single cartridge.  If (HP) Hewlett Packard went to the trouble of putting them on there, you can bet they are there for a reason.  HP claims there is no built-in “self-destruct” expiration date for their cartridges.  Read more about it here…

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01764161&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en

HP 99 photo ink cartridge - expiration date, and serial number of the cartridge.

When to use this cartridge (HP 99):

Use this cartridge when printing photos only – the HP 99 photo cartridge is rated at 130 4×6 prints.  At its current price, this cartridge is not a bad deal for printing photos, however the photo quality will not be professional level (fine for home use).  If printing 130 photos at a time sounds daunting, try and preserve the cartridge for future use (using a cartridge clip, available on eBay or Amazon – or here) by removing it from the printer.  Easily refilled, but not practical for everyday use.

Note: cartridge clips are included with some refill kits like the InkTec brand.  Good kits in our experience.

Specifications for the HP 99 (C9369W) photo ink cartridge:

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF06c/A10-12771-64199-69422-69422-397452-397454-397458.html

Information about HP cartridge page yields here:

http://h10060.www1.hp.com/pageyield/en-019/searchResults.html?cCode=us,st=cartridge,ss=99

Hewlett Packard HP 99 sponge sponges ink cartridge cartridges. Internal structure of the HP 99 ink cartridge.

Compatible with the following HP printers:

You can use this cartridge for photo printing, however avoid using this cartridge for everyday printing.  As mentioned above, this cartridge is only one-third (1/3) black ink – the other two chambers are for photo cyan, and photo magenta.

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