Can you really save money if you use 3rd party inks ?

[The Hat]

Refilling can be a total gamble in Canon printers which pays off handsomely in nearly all cases when you follow some simple basic ground rules, deviating from these rules will inevitably result in the loss of your print head, sooner than you think, Read on !

There are so many things that can go wrong with refill inks in the Canon printer, it is imperative to use the best inks you can get, this should minimise any damage that may be caused by introducing the 3rd party inks into the print head.

I have used several different brand inks (Including Universal ink) in the past with some devastating results, which resulted in the loss of many a print head, but in all that time I have never lost a single printer or logic board from the many burned out heads that I managed to damage.

It’s a matter of choice if you don’t like the rules then don’t refill, yes there are trade-offs, like slightly different colours, an increase in prints fading and with the ability to print whatever you like at a fraction of the cost of OEM inks.

Is refilling worth all the hassle, well that can only be decided by your own individual and personal choices, the only thing that I can find wrong with refilling is it’s totally mad, crazy, and very additive to all who part take.

If you are flexible and willing to change your refilling habits by revaluating your refill techniques from time to time then you’ll stay on top and will always be ahead, but if you think you know it all then just wait, you’ll to be very surprised..

Foot note: - Over the years have I saved on anything by using 3rd party inks.
Answer: - Not a single penny in fact and it probably cost me double what I would have spent had I only used OEM inks, because I have printed enough paper to stretch to the Moon and back and enjoy every single moment and continue to do so.

Happy Refilling..

 

[stratman]

Foot note: - Over the years have I saved on anything by using 3rd party inks.
Answer: - Not a single penny in fact and it probably cost me double what I would have spent had I only used OEM inks, because I have printed enough paper to stretch to the Moon and back and enjoy every single moment and continue to do so.

Au contraire, mon frère. The money you saved using aftermarket inks has allowed your printer indulgences, the freedom to print at a fraction of the OEM cost.

Yes, when you open up that new bottle of Image Specialists inks you are smelling liberty!

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Well, I admit I'm refilling since a very long time, and I'm pretty sure I'm saving today. But there are
various aspects to it - not all is a question of savings - trying inks and papers which are not on the OEM supply catalogue - part of the refilling is fun, for some, trying and experimenting and doing things the printer was not really designed for.
The savings are less than the actual price difference may indicate - 3rd party material has different properties - such as less light/UV stability, another gamut, and it is quite difficult to put a cost/saving against such parameters - how much less am I still ready to pay for less UV stability, how much am I willing to invest to create my own color profiles, software,hardware, time for the learning curve. And all this as long as the basic refill process is working.
And getting there requires as well some learning curve, time to experiment for the most practical refill handling process, chip resetters etc. It's difficult to price those efforts into the overall picture of assumed savings with refill. It's more a start up/one time cost forgotten after a while when just ink prices are compared.
And then the ink itself, there a no compatibility parameters for inks, universal inks can't really exist, one type of tire for all cars is not possible either. Inks are sold with quite some 'quality' and compatibility claims, and it's part of cost of the learning curve to find out that not all those claims hold true. And I think that all this counts for refill fans regardless of the printer manufacturer or printer model .
So I think that I'm saving now, but did not all the time, and I need to be aware that I may get less
quality for less money. As long as I'm aware of that and accept that it should be o.k., but I should not get lured into the feeling that I'm getting a great bargain, pay less for the same type of quality.

 

[martin0reg]

...
I have used several different brand inks (Including Universal ink) in the past with some devastating results, which resulted in the loss of many a print head, but in all that time I have never lost a single printer or logic board from the many burned out heads that I managed to damage.
...

Same for me ... sadly including one "burnt" logic board, which means loss of printer
http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/canon-pixma-ip4950-constant-magenta.9748/#post-80116
The point is: by using OEM ink you can minimize but not exclude the risk.

Save money...well I think just like you I have spent all of my savings by printing useless but very interesting experimental stuff, don't want to miss this waste of time and ink..

 

[turbguy]

I still use my MP730...many years old. Pigment black OEM refills cost me about $13 each. A refill costs about $0.40 cents...no contest for text printing!!

 

[jimbo123]

been refilling my canon printers for 7+ years now. for those who like numbers here are some.

latest count is 945 refills, spread over several printers/print heads, over 7 years.

some ink carts are original and date back the full 7 years:

• - my CLI8-MAGENTA is original and has 99 refills, never purged
• - my CLI8-BLACK is original and has 64 refills, never purged
• - my current PGI5-BK is at 163 refills, PGI5 before this lasted 71 refills

savings of 945 refills is significant, but so nice to be able to print and not think about ink costs

even have set up my daughter refilling, her friends bring large documents over to her house to print, too funny

J

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• Active Printers: MP830, MP980, PRO-100
• Stored Printers: MP830, IP4500, MX700, MX860, MX870
• Method: German Durchstich Method
• Ink: Hobbicolors and OCP
• Misc: Squeeze bottles - so much easier than syringes

 

[ThrillaMozilla]

Are you kidding? Refilling my HP saved me hundreds and hundreds of dollars. With some care and testing, I have ink that is relatively fade-resistant (and UV-free home lighting!). To match OEM colors and improve stability I use OEM magenta and photo black. Happy as a clam.

 

[Smile]

By refilling you can save allot of money, and save the planet by re-using
By using custom made ICC profiles you can get the right color that match the original back !

 

[Lucas28]

It's recommended to refill OEM cartridges only if you are using a Canon printer. So we have to buy an OEM cartridge every now and then. I buy sealed OEM cartridges on Ebay, for less than half the listed price. They are offered by people who had their printer replaced, while they still had some new cartridges left.
So never buy OEM cartridges in a store; their prices a too high!

About universal ink: I don't see the problem. Of course, the quality is usually not very high, but for printing text or graphs it does the job. Actually the universal black is dye ink, which may even prolong the life of your print head.

 

[The Hat]

Very few guys buy new OEM carts, they normally just use the set that came with their new printer, but if they need another set they are more lightly to buy aftermarket ones, not many know they can purchases empty OEM's very cheaply from their ink suppliers, most good suppliers carry OEM empty stocks.

Universal ink is a poor man’s joke it's totally rubbish ink and in some cases dearer than regular brand 3rd party inks, it won’t cause any problems when used in an Epson but a Canon printer is far more prone to overheating and print quality is also terrible so this ink should be avoided, that’s my experience of it anyway..