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Have you ever wondered what would happen if you put your HP ink cartridge in a microwave? No? well, technically, neither have we–but that hasn’t stopped other people from trying out the experiment and posting their video on YouTube for others to enjoy! Most people tend not to put very much thought into their ink cartridges as long as they are full, work properly, and don’t stain their clothing. However, this severely limits the possibilities; with a little creativity (or insanity) your dull old printer could be used for a variety of entertaining purposes. Your imagination is the limit!

So, you might be wondering, aside from ruining a perfectly good microwave what exactly can one do with their printer? If you look online you will find dozens of intriguing and downright crazy do-it-yourself projects that people have engaged in using a beat up old printer and some old fashioned ingenuity. For example, some very tech savvy do-it-yourself hobbyists have begun printing stencils to use in photofabricating their own circuits. Other hobbyists and even industry professionals have begun using hacked dot matrix printers from the early years of personal computers to actually create 3-dimensional objects and models, sometimes creating intricate artwork or totally functioning products!

And, to answer the original question, what happens when you microwave an HP ink cartridge is a brilliant explosion of color. Some inks and all of the plastics used in the cartridges are manufactured from petroleum, meaning that it takes about 30 seconds before the cartridge catches on fire and presents you with an array of colors from the burning chemicals. Just be sure to keep a fire extinguisher nearby, and don’t inhale the smoke. Or, better yet, leave it to the questionably sane people on YouTube to present you with a safe and thoroughly entertaining experiment in how you can use and abuse your printer in the name of fun.