ASTM_F_2734_-_08.pdf

Designation:F273408Standard Practice forTesting the Shelf Life of Ink Jet Printer Cartridges1This standard is issued under the fixed designation F2734;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This practice describes a practical procedure to helpdetermine the shelf life confidence of a sample ink jet cartridgein a short period of time.This practice uses an acceleratedaging test based on theArrhenius principle which states that forevery 10C increase in temperature there is,approximately,atwo times rate increase of a chemical reaction.1.2 This practice consists of comparing the ability of an inkjet cartridge to print after exposure to elevated temperature ascompared to a reference ink jet cartridge,such as an OEM(original equipment manufacturer)ink jet cartridge.1.3 This practice can be used to evaluate the effectiveness ofthe overall production of remanufactured or refilled ink jetcartridges.1.4 To confirm the results of accelerated aging,real-timeaging should also be conducted.1.5 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded asstandard.No other units of measurement are included in thisstandard.1.6 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regardedas standard.The values given in parentheses are mathematicalconversions to SI units that are provided for information onlyand are not considered standard.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2F909 Terminology Relating to PrintersF1174 Practice for Using a Personal Computer Printer as aTest InstrumentF1857 Terminology Relating to Ink Jet Printers and ImagesMade TherefromF1942 Practice for Creating Test Targets for Determining theInk Yield of the Imaging Supplies Used in Ink Jet PrintersF2555 Practice for Determining Page Yield of Ink Jet PrinterCartridgesContinuous Printing Method3.Terminology3.1 DefinitionsSee Terminology F909 and F1857.4.Summary of Practice4.1 This practice describes a method to compare the shelflife of a sample ink jet ink cartridge as compared to a referenceink jet ink cartridge by exposing each cartridge to elevatedtemperatures and comparing their ability to function.4.2 Based on previous elevated temperature testing withinthe industry,exposure to 60C for 21 days is roughly equal toa shelf life of one year.This statement is for guidance as thistest procedure is more comparative than predictive.It is notconfirmed that there is a linear relationship between thenumber of heating days to shelf life(that is,60C for 42 daysmay not be equivalent to two years shelf life).5.Significance and Use5.1 This practice can be used to determine the stability andperformance of ink jet ink when exposed to elevated tempera-tures in an ink jet cartridge.5.2 This practice can be used for the evaluation of an OEMor other reference ink jet cartridge compared to a correspond-ing remanufactured,or refilled,or other sample ink jet printercartridge.5.3 This practice is applicable to all ink jet cartridges,whether single or multicolor.5.4 This practice can be used to assess design goals ofmanufacturers of ink jet printer cartridges for ink capability,ink filling,and packaging effectiveness.5.5 Thispracticemaybeusedforresearchanddevelopment,and for quality acceptance evaluation.6.Interferences6.1 Print testing should be performed at a controlled tem-perature and humidity within the operating range of the printer.All equipment and materials should be conditioned in the testatmosphere for at least 24 h prior to testing.6.2 Test printers should be in good mechanical and electri-cal condition.Any printer failures can invalidate the test.1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F05 on BusinessImaging Products and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee F05.07 on Ink JetImaging Products.Current edition approved July 1,2008.Published July 2008.DOI:10.1520/F2734-08.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 6.3 Cartridges must be in good condition.Damaged circuits,electrical failure,missing parts,improperly assembled parts,and leaking ink will cause poor results.6.4 If printhead tape is used,it should be of a qualityacceptable for ink jet cartridges.6.5 The quality of the ink jet ink used may yield poorresults.6.6 When printing black,some printers with all-in-onecartridges will underprint the black print with cyan,magenta,and yellow even if“black only”print is specified.Therefore,because the color cartridge used during black print testing isactually printing,the print result will not be a true