Advice for buying a new multifunction home printer/scanner suitable for refilling.

[palombian]

@Treby I look forward to your review of the TS5050. I think nothing has been posted yet on the forum about these printers. The TS series of printers look to be much more compact and sturdy than the predecessors such as the MG5550, and the rear paper feed is back.

Maybe refilling will not be the same anymore, but we should not let us influence too much by the pessimistic view of a number of pioneers as @jtoolman , @mikling and our much appreciated @The Hat (having the same age I permit me this observation ).

More recent (hacked) service tools have been able to reset the waste ink counters of a number of Canon printers - among them the PRO-10 and Maxify - deemed not resettable before.
It is also not sure disabling of ink monitoring will have unwanted side effects (as more ink purging) on every Canon printer, so maybe new printers as the PRO-300 will be usable this way (after fitting a window in the carts to estimate the ink level).

For nearly every Epson printer a chipless firmware is available, the XP-15000 seems to be a very capable A3 photo printer.

And are the megatank printers really so bad ?

 

[PeterBJ]

For the TS5050 that uses the PGI-570/CLI-571 cartridges a resetter, inks and compatible cartridges are available, for instance from Germany and UK. So refilling as we know it from older Canon printers is still possible.

It is worse with the newest Canon TS printers. They use the PGI-580/CLI-581 cartridges for which there are no resetter available (yet?) and compatible cartridges are very expensive.

So if you want a Canon TS printer get one using the PGI-570/CLI-571 cartridges while they last.

 

[Treby]

Hi palombian, that's very interesting indeed to hear about the print-head issues on the 525 / 526 generation.
That was below my radar.

It's totally logical that it's more likely to be an issue on a higher def photo print head as opposed to a more document biased machine,
That's where the advice I got on the Maxify range on this forum was so spot on for my requirements.
I was sorely tempted by one as I'm certain they would be brilliant regarding refilling & durability.

I really can't complain about the MP600 PGI5 / CLI8 print head apart from the unavailability of a replacement when I needed a new one.
They lasted very well, didn't have regular or insurmountable blockage problems and were straightforward enough to take out and clean.

My gut feeling is the mega tank series may fall somewhere in between as my impression is they are still aimed mainly at home users albeit those who are likely to print often and a lot.
It gives Canon another revenue stream if the print heads are not especially durable, however, I'm sure they are also mindful they can't unduly milk & piss off their loyal customers with underhand tactics.

I think print head lifespan on a photo printer is always, by definition, going to be compromised which is why I will probably invest in a backup print head (after I receive my 2 TS5050's) which I'm sure will remain a saleable item for a long time if not needed.

Hi PeterBJ, I hadn't realised the rear paper feed has be absent from the previous generation.
If I had to have only a single paper feed, then a rear feed is precisely what I would opt for.
It keeps things simple, so less to go wrong.
I use the rear paper feed on my MP600 nearly all the time although the front cassette is a nice touch.
The rear paper feed is so convenient to recycle A4 that has already been printed on one side.
I will probably just cover the rear paper feed with A4 paper in it with a thin lightweight black polyester cover to keep the dust out.

I will endeavour to try to remember to conclude this thread with a review of the Canon TS5050 with any print head blockages or failures it may suffer from.
From a prospective buyer's point of view, this may not be much use as the model range seems to change so fast so they not be available much longer, especially as Canon must be aware that the 570 / 571 carts & chips are totally hacked for us re-fillers and the WIC reset 5204 service tool is out in the wild.
If I or anybody else find an easy neat way to divert the waste ink to an external tank, then Canon will really be up against it making much money from some customers so I wouldn't be surpised to see it withdrawn from sale / superseded very soon.
In fact, I wouldn't be totally surprised if the printers I have ordered become unavailable, as they are not in stock at Amazon at the moment, hence the delayed delivery date and the fact that Amazon has not yet even debited my card.

Treby.

 

[Treby]

It is worse with the newest Canon TS printers. They use the PGI-580/CLI-581 cartridges for which there are no resetter available (yet?) and compatible cartridges are very expensive.

Yes, PeterBJ, this is exactly why I went for the TS5050 and not the TS6350.
The TS6350 is definitely a more desirable printer and is advertised by John Lewis in the UK for only £20 more than the TS5050, although the TS6350 was out of stock from them when I last looked.
The WIC reset 5204 service tool doesn't list the TS6350 either, so no guarantee that you'll ever be able to reset it, although all of the hacks will probably eventually be available, but not much good if you may want to print with it now!
So I decided to forfeit duplex printing and a front loading casette for the certainty of an already hacked printer which make it a bargain right now.

 

[PeterBJ]

I don't know about price and availability, but the Canon TS 6050 also of the PGI-570/CLI-571 cartridge generation has got duplex print and both a bottom paper cassette and a rear paper feed. See this from Canon UK.

 

[Treby]

Hi PeterBJ, I spent quite a bit of time looking into avaiability for the TS6050 printer.
It was number one on my list but it's legacy now.
It was just no longer available or only at a really silly price when I looked.
The TS6050 has been replaced by the TS6350 whose refillable carts with ARC chips are very expensive right now, but at least they are available.
You can't even easily purchase a TS6350 at a competitive price right now in the UK... out of stock at Amazon (£119.99) & John Lewis (£99.99) where you would get them at a good price.
I think printers that are almost completely sold out but fully hacked, actually increase dramatically in price eventually commanding really silly prices beacuse of the cheap ink.

This is why I am on tenderhooks about whether the TS5050's I've ordered will actually materialise!
Demand for it must be high.

 

[Hugorm]

I'm a little confused as I just received a set of refillable CLI581/ PGI580 with ink from Germany. They are with automatic resetable chips. I hope to recieve a 550/551 set soon.
Does anone know a price or availablity of PIXMA G3460? I can't find any seller.

My eksperience with connection (Wifi - ethernet) is, that in a network, ethernet is more stable.
I prefer the IP7250 because of the ink price and like the TS9150 because of it's ethernet connection. The IP7250 is a bit more detailed (using high quality) than the TS9150 when printing A4 colorpictures on normal paper.
10x15 cm photos are the most detailed on the IP7250.

 

[PeterBJ]

I think the G3460 has not been introduced in Europe yet but is soon(?) to be introduced. IIRC according to druckerchannel.de the present series of Canon ink tank printers were first introduced in Asia, then Eastern Europe, then the rest of Europe. I don't know when they were introduced in America.

Here is an intro from Asia.

I have also searched canon.dk, canon.de and canon.co.uk and not found the printer.