Canon ip6000D: Status monitor not working

[DaveNotHere]

I have a Canon Pixma ip6000D, running in Windows XP Home SP2. The Status Monitor (ink levels indicator) doesn't seem to be working. Over the two months I've owned the printer, the ink levels have not decreased, although some ink tanks are actually almost half-empty.

I have tried reinstalling printer drivers, reinstalling Windows XP, replacing the USB cable, and I tried all the tests in the printer's Maintenance tab. Nothing helped the Status Monitor to work the way it should.

Is ANYBODY here familiar with this kind of problem? How do I resolve this? I'd like the convenience of the visual ink level representation.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[fotofreek]

The ink status monitor doesn't show incremental use of ink. When the reservoir portion of the cartridge is nearly empty a small prism cast into the bottom of the reservoir is exposed. You can see it when you hold the cartridge up to the light. An optical sensor then causes you to get the first warning that the ink level is low. After printing a bit more from ink in the sponge area there is a second warning. You then need to change the cartridge. If you continue to print, thinking that you'd like to squeeze out the last bit of ink, you risk causing problems with the print head. If you are thinking of refilling your cartridges you should not wait for the warning from the monitor. Most people refill cartridges when the reservior is about 3/4 empty. Otherwise, the sponge dries out and won't take up ink when you refill the cartridge. You then limit the number of times you can refill that particular cartridge. For people who refill, unless the sensor is activated when a cartridge is empty, refilling and putting in a full cartridge will not register as full in the monitor if you refill before the sensor sees an empty tank. Canon and Epson printers and their cartridges are designed to leave some ink in the cartridge at the point where you need to put a new one in. This is to protect the printhead. The newer Epson cartridges have a computer chip in them that estimates ink usage and shows that estimate on their ink monitor. It is not an actual measurement of ink usage like a dipstick in the car's oil pan.

 

[DaveNotHere]

Thanks for the prompt response! So, you're saying that the Status Monitor will not show, for instance, 80% or 50% Full...but it shows either "all or nothing"? My old i960 used to show it, and I've seen screenshots of the ip8500 showing exact ink levels.

So, that monitor isn't supposed to work in "real time" then? If not, then I can trust it to tell me when it's time to switch out the tank?

 

[drc023]

It doesn't work like the gas gauge on a car. On any of the printers it's just an approximation based on usage. However, the prism that fotofreek referred to in his update is designed to tell you when the reservoir is nearly out of ink. This is based upon a light source being reflected through the prism. No approximation there, just solid hardware/electrical function. This will explain it even better. http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/canon_ip6000d_pg2.html Until the low ink warning level is reached there is no way for the printer to be able to give you an accurate usage level. You could replace a tank with 75% of the ink used with a full one and the status monitor level wouldn't change. The same goes if you replaced a full tank with the 75% used one. The status monitor would still read full.

 

[DaveNotHere]

Fotofreek spoke about "the new Epson cartridges". What about the Epson R320? Does it work in this model?

 

[fotofreek]

I don't know Epson printers that well. I had an Epson Stylus Color 900 that used dye based inks and unchipped cartridges. I only know from reading the postings here and on the printer newsgroup that many more recent epson carts are chipped and track estimated ink levels.