Business Profile: Just Right Inkjets
by Ronelle Ingram

Sometimes, the job will find you. James Sarubbi Jr. was first introduced to the compatibles business world when he was a driver picking up empty laser cartridges for his father, Jimmy Sarubbi, who owned Capital Cartridge. Sarubbi recalls that his dad supplied the remanufacturer with empty cartridges. “The demand was so great that we could never keep up.

“As an empties pickup driver, I had customers all over the Los Angeles area. I had one customer who would throw hundreds of boxed empties out his 2^nd floor window. One time, I was in downtown Los Angeles in a fancy 47-story building.  The freight elevator was broken. I was not allowed to carry the cartridges on the passenger elevator. So, I walked down 40 flights of stairs carrying five empties at a time, then rode up on the passenger elevator.

“I made friends with a lot of customers and learned a lot about the people who use laser cartridges. I would also pick up empty ink jet cartridges. When we were not busy, I would pick up business cards from offices in the same buildings where I was picking up empties. I gave these cards to my dad. He would then call those offices and offer our pickup service. In the late 1990s, there wasn’t the emphasis on recycling, as there is today. We were providing a real service to those companies. It was relatively easy to add new customers to our pickup list with just one telephone call.

“The more I got involved with the day-to-day operations at Capital Cartridge, the more I thought about selling new and recycled cartridges to the people we already knew because we were picking up their empties. My dad remained an empties supplier, and I began selling remanufactured cartridges that I purchased from different suppliers.”

The year 1997 was a breakout year for Sarubbi. He attended his first industry-sponsored conference. There, he was exposed to dozens of new ideas and products.  He attended one seminar entitled “Inkjets: Product of the Future,” presented by HP. Sarubbi knew, over the years, he had picked up thousands of ink jet cartridges that were being stored in the back of his dad’s company warehouse.

Sarubbi was now intrigued with the idea of getting involved with ink jets. If HP thought they were “the product of the future,” maybe ink jets could become part of his future. Sarubbi saw an ad in ENX magazine for a vendor looking to buy empty ink jet cartridges. Sarubbi contacted the vendor, and the vendor asked for a list of the inventory Sarubbi had for sale. “It took a while to count over 25,000 ink jet cartridges that we’d been collecting and storing over the years. I couldn’t believe there was that much value.

“I now had enough capital to start my own company. I started Inkjets and More in 1998. I bought refill equipment, hired a few people, and before long, we were filling and selling over 1,200 ink jet cartridges a week. We were selling about 95 percent retail with a small wholesale clientele. I used the customer list from my dad’s company. I offered a free cartridge to each of our customers. If the customer liked the product, he could pay for it and buy some more. If the customer wasn’t completely satisfied, there was no charge. [I knew] this marketing tool would work because I used it before when I was selling toner cartridges.

“In the morning, everybody filled cartridges; in the afternoon, we all bagged and boxed; in the evening, the workers went home and I did all the paper work--16 hours a day, seven days a week. I was an overworked, underpaid business owner. There were times that everybody got paid except me. My wife, Kelley, was pregnant with our first child, Nicholas. I knew I couldn’t go on like this.

“In September of 1998, Future Graphics LLC offered me a job I couldn’t refuse. I was now the director of the company’s new ink jet division. I was able to use all my knowledge, spend more time with my family, and get paid on a regular basis. During my time there, I met a number of industry leaders with whom I made long-term relationships, leaders from companies like IJR and R-Jet Tek, just to name a few.

“In November 2000, I helped out some of my acquaintances. We came up with a new machine to fill color cartridges, designed a universal cap for some Lexmark cartridges, and designed other tools that help automate the refilling of ink jet cartridges.

“In August 2001, I was given another opportunity, this time to start up an ink jet remanufacturing facility called Perfect Ink for Laser Imaging International. During that time, I gained an enormous amount of knowledge about the business. I had a vision and wanted to start my own business.

“By August 2002, I was ready to start my own ink jet refill business, called Just Right Inkjets. It began in my garage, but the company quickly outgrew the home front, and I moved it into a small manufacturing facility. Within a year, the company outgrew its offices again, and I moved it once more, tripling the size of the manufacturing plant.

“Today, Just Right Inkjets manufactures an extensive line of the most popular HP, Lexmark, Dell, Sharp, and Xerox ink-jet-refilled products, and Just Right also carries a full line of compatible cartridges for Epson and Canon.” The company offers private label packaging, which can be designed by its own in-house graphic designer. In addition, it provides same-day shipping of all in-stock products on orders placed before 2:00 p.m. PST.

Just Right Inkjets has won numerous awards, including the Readers’ Choice Award for “Best New Start-Up” company.

In addition to being in the wholesale ink jet business, Sarubbi offers for sale the BCF-1, which can fill up to six cartridges at a time. In his opinion, “it’s the best ink jet refiller on the market today.” He continues, “After years of modifying other manufacturers’ equipment, I decided to design, manufacture, and use a customized black-cartridge ink jet filler. I wanted a machine that provided state-of-the-art consistency, was easy to clean, and could adjust easily to different cartridge sizes. [I wanted it to be] affordable and, most of all, a cartridge filler that anybody could use properly with minimal training. The BCF-1 was created out of our own need.

“It was designed by users, for users. There is nothing fancy; just workable parts and adjustments that don’t require an engineering degree to understand. The BCF-1 will save the user time and money. It’s available in several configurations and cradle options, allowing it to support a full line of cartridges. Constructed of high-quality, heavy-duty aircraft aluminum and heavy-duty Plexiglas, the BCF-1 is both durable and yet light enough to move easily on the manufacturing floor. It’s designed for ease of use, fixture expansion, and automated filling with a push of a button. Standard features include six black filling stations for use with HP, Dell, Sharp, Xerox, and Lexmark. Custom cradles are also available. Ink dosage is adjustable from 10cc to 120cc.

“This customized black-cartridge filler is now available for small companies who are tired of struggling with less efficient ink refillers. It truly is the best filler I have ever used.” Adds Sarubbi, “It was designed around our own need to be able to have any member of our staff run the filler machine. [And that] ease of use enables our manufacturing to take place all day.”

“Our quality control manager, Scott Froehlich, is a graduate of Microsoft University. He brings with him knowledge and education, with a background in the computer industry, both hardware and software. He brings new ideas and energy to the company. Scott is available to help out our customers with any problems they might have with the BCF-1 or any of our cartridges.”

From humble beginnings, Sarubbi has grown up in the compatibles business. He understands the entire business cycle--acquiring empties, obtaining customers, manufacturing techniques, machine designs, production floor efficiency, hiring and training, as well as product knowledge and how to market and sell the product to wholesalers. He always has an eye on consistency and quality at a value-added price. Just Right Inkjets has brought the entire process together providing high-quality ink jets to the wholesale industry. To contact Just Right Inkjets, call the number below.

 Just Right Inkjets

9433 Irondale Ave.

Chatsworth, CA  91311

818/772-5811

Fax: 818/772-5911

Email: james@jrrinkjets.com