Canon Pro-100 For $99....?

[George in Georgia]

I bought my Pixma Pro 100 from Adorama and submitted the refund materials on or about November 8. The refund AmEx Card preloaded with $300.00 arrived the day after Thanksgiving. Pretty good response time! Love the printer, although the user interface is a bit more involved than on my decrepit Epson R 1800. I've got the refill kit from Precision Colors; the Light Gray is almost empty so I need to gird my loins and refill it and top off the other carts. Just gotta work up the nerve....

 

[stratman]

I bought my Pixma Pro 100

I've got the refill kit from Precision Colors; the Light Gray is almost empty so I need to gird my loins and refill it and top off the other carts. Just gotta work up the nerve....

You're going to be just fine! choose your refill method - top fill or Durchstitch - and dig in. I hope you have the resetter for the chipped cartridges. If not, hold off on refilling and do not 'disable ink level monitoring' on an cartridge marked "empty" so as to keep printing. We are working with Roy and his Pro-100 which is having some ink level monitoring issues - http://www.printerknowledge.com/thr...ving-problems-with-displayed-ink-levels.8327/. I think this is an isolated incidence and you should not be overly concerned, but I would rather you avoid any issues if possible.

Just reset your chips when the printer ID's them as either low or empty and then refill and continue printing heaven.

 

[The Hat]

Ops stratman, a little correction is needed here: -
when the printer ID's them as low and NOT empty...

 

[stratman]

when the printer ID's them as low and NOT empty...

Why?

 

[The Hat]

WHY ?...

I reckon that’s exactly what Roy did to get his abnormal ink monitoring levels,
so to avoid a repeat I was recommending only going as far as the low ink warning
then to do the reset..

 

[George in Georgia]

You're going to be just fine! choose your refill method - top fill or Durchstitch - and dig in. I hope you have the resetter for the chipped cartridges. If not, hold off on refilling and do not 'disable ink level monitoring' on an cartridge marked "empty" so as to keep printing. We are working with Roy and his Pro-100 which is having some ink level monitoring issues - http://www.printerknowledge.com/thr...ving-problems-with-displayed-ink-levels.8327/. I think this is an isolated incidence and you should not be overly concerned, but I would rather you avoid any issues if possible.

Just reset your chips when the printer ID's them as either low or empty and then refill and continue printing heaven.

Many thanks for the encouraging words! BTW, the excellent instructions with the Precision Colors kit I bought (with the resetter, oh yes) mention merely drilling a 5/32" hole adjacent to the factory fill port. This sounds a LOT easier than fiddling with extracting the ball, and then enlarging the hole. Is there a down-side to this method? I presume that the sponge filling the chamber one drills into would catch any plastic bits from the drill, and save clogging the head?

Would it be possible to drive the ball down into the ink chamber, and then enlarge the hole? The extraction process sounds pretty awful....

I'm so glad to have found this forum! The friendly, helpful folks and the wealth of information are wonderful!

 

[stratman]

I reckon that’s exactly what Roy did to get his abnormal ink monitoring levels,
so to avoid a repeat I was recommending only going as far as the low ink warning
then to do the reset..

Tis yet to be shown but I'll not disagree with you for now about when to refill the Pro-100 until better info emerges.

 

[stratman]

...drilling a 5/32" hole adjacent to the factory fill port. This sounds a LOT easier than fiddling with extracting the ball, and then enlarging the hole. Is there a down-side to this method?

Depending on who you ask the answer is almost nothing to several. The pro's and con's off the top of my head are as follows:

Top Filling Cons:
The one sine qua non of top filling is to make sure the refilling hole is absolutely sealed shut or else ink will leak out from the ink injection port down below (and of course from the improperly sealed refill hole). This can be quite a mess and cause print head failures amongst other things.

The top fill method can be quite messier than the Durchstich method and i would advise you wear gloves, at least initially, unless you don't mind ink stains on your hands.

The top fill method involves different steps in refilling due to having to take out and put back in the plug, screw or sealing method of choice. These steps can be a source of mess.

The top hole seal must not extend up above the level of the top of the cartridge too much or the print head will be obstructed from moving properly. Precision Colors has low and regular height plugs to accommodate your printer's clearance.

May or may not take a little longer than the Durchstich method.


Top Filling Pros:
No alteration of or change in position of the sponge which some worry may alter ink flow geometry as potential with the Durchstich method. Some believe that the Durchstich method, even without an out of position sponge, increases risk of ink starvation. An air bubble in the tunneled out channel formed by the needle can cause ink flow problems, although I have had air bubbles and zero problems.

Top refill whole makes purging of cartridges faster.

No potential for a leak from a side hole using the Durchstich method.

Needle length is trivial concern compared to requiring at least a 2" needle to use the Durchstich method.

It "feels" right to the individual. What works best for you is up to you. (most important reason)

I presume that the sponge filling the chamber one drills into would catch any plastic bits from the drill, and save clogging the head?

Plastic bits are not regularly a problem with the Durchstich method. I cannot recall a post on the forum about this in quite some time. You can always use a push pin, heated needle, or awl to make the Durchstich refill hole and bypass the plastic bits question. The bigger concern is not drilling into the sponge and damaging it.

Would it be possible to drive the ball down into the ink chamber, and then enlarge the hole? The extraction process sounds pretty awful....

Yes. I have a cartridge that I poked the ball through and it floats without problem that past several years. I used a silicone plug from Precision Colors to seal the top hole, both where the ball used to be and in a hole I drilled next to the ball ask you've mentioned. I also have a hot wax top hole that has not leaked for several years and one that has leaked.

I'm so glad to have found this forum! The friendly, helpful folks and the wealth of information are wonderful!

Welcome aboard!

 

[George in Georgia]

Thanks Stratman! I think I'll drill adjacent to the factory fill hole. Sounds much simpler. BTW, I like your avatar. I remember when I was 3 or 4 putting a bobby pin in an outlet. An "electrifying" experience.

 

[stratman]

I remember when I was 3 or 4 putting a bobby pin in an outlet. An "electrifying" experience.

There are more like us here than you might think.