Up front, I'm too stupid to figure out whether it is the color or blank ink that is low, so that my photos have horizontal lines in them.

Here is my question:

If I pull out the color cartridge and replace it, and the "old" cartridge was still okay so I put it back in, will it mess up the shelf life on the "new" one if I remove it and try to use it later?

This sounds like gibberish, sorry.