Apple Color Printer: Cartridge Shelf Life & Date Codes (2/95)


What is the shelf life of the Apple Color Printer ink cartridges?

The shelf life for the Apple Color Printer ink cartridges is 2 years after the date of production as long as the cartridges are stored in their original packaging, exposure to no sunlight, and temperatures between -22 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit (-30 and 40 degrees Celsius). Once the cartridge has been opened and installed in a printer it has an expected shelf life of 6 months.

The date codes are imprinted on each cartridge and consist of 6 alphanumeric characters. The second character indicates the last digit of the year, and the third character provides the month that the cartridge was produced. The month date codes are as follows:

A = January
B = February
C = March
D = April
E = May
F = June
G = July
H = August
I = September
J = October
K = November
L = December

The sixth character provides information on the ink color. The four possible codes are:

C = Cyan
Y = Yellow
M = Magenta
K = Black


Article Change History:
06 Feb 1995 - Changed access privileges of article.

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Published Date: Feb 19, 2012