It seems that every time I am ready to use my printer, the printing looks faded; time for new ribbon; NOT SO. The printer is sitting idle and the ink is drying out especially in the winter months.
A few years ago George Chambers in the Sink-Link N/L wrote a note on inking the ribbon; a couple of drops of printer ribbon ink on the ribbon and re-wind the ribbon manually or by moving the print head from one end to the other while the printer is OFF. (I got my ink from RMG Enterprises but it is also available from office supply houses). That worked fine and the printing was darker than a “new” ribbon.
But that also dries out in a while; the next step was to go to the Encyclopaedia Britannica and find out what printing houses use for an ink recipe: for quality printing such as magazines with photos they add either mineral oil or glycerine. My medicine cabinet included both. I used a couple of drops of mineral oil because it is a more stable chemical and also is a lubricant for the print head pins for longevity.
If you are a tinkerer like me, pop the ribbon cartridge open and put the oil and/or ink on the foam rubber wheel inside. Now I can print all day and once a month and I get the darkest printing I ever had.