Ailing printead of IP3000. Possible Options ?.

[kanonvater]

Laser is the undeniably superior solution for black text printing. You can forget about head clogging and other hassles. If you don't need printing for a month (or several), you just leave the printer off. All is fine the next time you use it.

Laser printing doesn't have to be costly. Toner cartridges can be refilled, just as inkjet cartridges can be. This cuts the cost per page to a fraction of factory toner.

It's usually better to refill them yourself than to buy third-party refilled carts with unknown history.

As with inkjets, the older the printer, the easier it is to refill. Thus a lightly used older laser can be an outstanding value.

Regrettably the days of buying such used laser printers on Ebay at reasonable prices seem to be just about over, between overly optimistic sellers and stratospheric postage costs. However, Craigslist may still turn up local gems. Also visit garage sales and thrift stores; people dump perfectly good printers when they buy new MFPs. (I suspect that this is where a lot of Ebay used printers come from.) I'm still printing with a decent (and eminently refillable) Samsung laser that I got for $20 at a thrift store several years ago.

There are web pages that list "refill-friendly" lasers. You can also check the suppliers of refill materials for what kits are available for what printers.

 

[Artur5]

UPDATE
Really this summer has been devastating for my Canons, Maybe it’s the heat..
A few weeks ago the printhead of my Pro9000 passed away ( several colors totally dead. Not clogs, electrical failure)
Today I was printing text with my trusty IP3000 when suddenly I noticed that the text showed a sort of banding, Alternatively, some lines were perfect while the others were still perfectly visible but much lighter in density.
I thought of flow problems in the black cart, but that wasn’t sadly the case. A nozzle check revealed that.25% of the black nozzles were gone in a perfect regular pattern. Something inside the printhead was busted. Of course I tried cleaning but I knew that it wouldn’t be any good. The nozzle check didn’t change a bit..
To tell the truth, I wasn’t too surprised, given that the IP3000 and printhead are rated by Canon for 6000 pages and mine it's past 42000.

Anyway, I’m not spending 90 euro for a new printhead from a reputed dealer (I checked current prices ) and God forbid those refurbished units from China/Hong Kong !. Besides, what if the logic board it’s also partially damaged ?.
As I wrote before, time ago I considered purchasing a B&W laser machine, Some interesting models from Brother for instance, with plenty of affordable alternative toner cartridges.
With those third party supplies, cost per page, while very reasonable, would be still higher than my current compatible pigment black for the IP3000, but I take this for granted.

Inkjet alternatives in Canonland nowadays doesn’t seem very enticing anymore. I know that Megatank G series aren’t well regarded here and availability of spare printheads for these models seems an incognito. Current ip4xxx machines are burdened with cheap construction and cartridges very unfriendly to refill. What about higher end models ? I see that some of you recommend the Maxify series but I know very little about them. Not interested on scanner/Fax/photocopy, so I’d be paying extra for useless functions and, size wise, Maxifys are bigger than any small laser. Concerning “refillability”, I just took a fast glance at the thread started by @palombian about refilling Maxifys and it seems all quite complicated and discouraging.

My wounded IP3000 still prints quite good text if I use ‘high quality’ instead of ‘standard’ in the driver. It’s three times slower but I can live with that for the tame being, while considering carefully possible alternatives.
Again, inputs, advices experiences or comments will be gratefully received by yours truly.

 

[stratman]

My wounded IP3000 still prints quite good text if I use ‘high quality’ instead of ‘standard’ in the driver.

you could also try setting paper type to a photo paper like Matte even though you are using plain paper. his will force the printer to use the color Dye-based ink and not the Pigment Black ink. The text may not be as black, as sharp, or be water resistant.

 

[The Hat]

Inkjet alternatives in Canonland nowadays doesn’t seem very enticing anymore.

For great reliability nothing can beat the Maxify, yes, its big and bulky and it has lots of bells and whistles, but I can’t fault it for turning out page after page, I don’t use any of the other bits, like scanner Wi-Fi fax photocopying.

I bought the Maxify because my iP4500 was on its last legs and I wanted at least one printer that could do Duplex, the iP4500 is still standing and refuses to go quietly (page count 56,000), but the Maxify has grown on me...