Epson and Canon have lowest operating temperatures whereas HP and Lexmark have highest. These print head fire at many thousands of degrees Fahrenheit. If you are using an ink that is not designed to withstand temperatures of this magnitude then you are likely to run into problems.

Then you have standard grade vs. hi grade black ink. The standard grade may print a lot grayer than hi grade which we call "Ultra Black". This is mostly prominent in pigmented black inks. If your black print looks a little on gray side you might want to upgrade to Ultra Black ink.

Also there is photo black. Photo black inks are always dye based since pigmented inks do not mix well with dye based colors. These inks are formulated to "get along" with their color counterparts for best results in photos.

So now you are all black ink experts. After reading this is anybody motivated to buy one of those universal kits? I shutter to think what their budget for lawsuits is. :-)

Finding right place to drill a cartridge may take some trial and error. If you proceed logically you should get it first time. For instance if a cartridge has two chambers, one with a sponge and one without, drill in reservoir side, not sponge side. In a multi-chamber cartridge with several colors drill over place where you suspect first color is and use a toothpick to sample color. The chambers will usually have some kind of dimple or air hole directly over each chamber.

Start by injecting a small amount as a test, like 2cc or 3cc for color cartridges and 8cc - 10cc for black cartridges. You can add more if test is successful. Try to avoid overfilling cartridge to avoid cross chamber contamination.

Take notes in case you kill cartridge somehow. Your next attempt won't be possible until you buy another set of cartridges and use them up. If you're like me I won't remember what I did in a few weeks. (or days for that matter, that's scary!)