How to read manufacturing codes on HP940 ink wrappers

[TinkerTailor]

Hello,

I am going over some ink cartridges I have that are still in the wrapper but, unfortunately, I no longer have the boxes for. Is anyone versed in reading the manufacturing codes on the pakages to help determin if they are expired or not? I read somewhere that the cartidges are good for about 2 years after the manufacturing date but not 100% sure if that is true or not. Any details you might have on this topic would be much apprecated. Below is an example of the text on the package:

Left side of barcode:
Magenta

HP940XL

Ink

Cartridge

Right side of barcode:

C4908A

Made In

Singapore

2CW (written sideways)

Sa150613 07:53

[Dragon-Fur]

@TinkerTailor

In my limited experience, the only "sure way" to know the date is to open the package and look at the date on the cartridge.

That longer number on the envelope MIGHT match the date (the "Sa" number).  Personally, I think that would be too easy.  Smiling.

HP Printers - Ink Cartridge and Printhead Limited Warranty

Opening the little package envelope could hasten the deterioration of the ink, of course.  You might curb that tendency of opened ink to die by closing up the packaging as best you can and sticking the whole thing in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid.  Has to be glass, in my opinion.  Promises on the plastic container packages notwithstanding, I have not found a consumer grade plastic container that is truly air tight, moisture proof, and of a right size to be useful. 

Caveat:

I don't spend a lot of my time on the subject plastic containers, but I have recently decided to go back to keeping coffee (beans, ground, or pods) in glass.  I am tired of experimenting with ocean killing plastic that fails to work as expected.  Smiling. 

So, use what you have and / or what you like to store opened ink.

"End of Life" and the Death of an Ink Cartridge

A few ancient printers might still be around to be impacted by the following:

HP Inkjet Supplies - Aging Ink Supplies Stop Working to Protect the Ink System  (Ink “End of Life”)

@Bob_Headrick

Can you enlighten us on the reading of ink cartridge packaging? 

OP wants to find the date without opening the little envelope / package.

Thanks!

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[Bob_Headrick · Accepted solution]

As luck would have it I have a new-in-the-box HP 940xl cartridge here.  I just opened the outer box and found the date printed on the inner package is the date of manufacture, in SSYYMMDD TT:TT format (Site, Year, Month, Day and Time). Your cartridge, Sa150613 07:53, was made in Singapore on June 13, 2015 near eight AM.  The end of warranty date would be two years later, and the cartridges should be usable for some time after that.

The Officejet Pro 8000 and 8500 printers the HP 940 cartridges were used in were among those that complain about out of date ink as shown in the document here. Best to use the cartridges in the next year.

I would suggest not opening the inner foil package until you are ready to install the cartridges in a printer.  If you have already opened the foil package and are not yet ready to install the cartridges I would suggest storing them as shown in the document here.  The extra humidity introduced by the bit of water added to the container will help prevent the cartridges from drying out.

[TinkerTailor]

Thanks a bunch for looking into this, Bob! I was nearly certain that Sa was the site code and it was in the format you mentioned but didn't want to take a gamble, especially if there was someone out there who was able confirm that to be true.