For at least five years I have been refreshing my printer ribbons without difficulty and with little contamination to my aged and therefore fumbling fingers. On examination of the ribbon cartridge it is clear as to which is the "lid" and which is the "container".

Remove the lid by working around the edge and lifting it clear. The ribbon will now be seen laid up in the container. Do not disturb it! Now apply about five drops of stamp pad ink to the exposed edge of the ribbon.

Let each drop permeate before applying the next in a different spot. Replace the lid and leave the cartridge horizontal and container down for 24 hours before use. This delay helps to achieve a uniform spread of ink.

I only carry out this treatment on original ribbons where the quality of the material is superior to that of cheaper fabric ribbons. I have no reason to believe that this ink is injurious to print-heads as it is formulated for use with a variety of stamping devices.

As to the economics of this process, I get three "lives" from a ribbon initially costing about £10. As most of my printing is for voluntary organisations, I am interested in saving pennies if not pounds! These comments relate to my experience with Smith-Corona D200 and Panasonic KXP115 ribbons. Stamp Pad Ink is available from WHSmith in 30ml bottles.

Thomas Boustead, EUG #6