Canon Pro9500 Mark II -- Help with emptying Matte Black Cartridge

[InkMiser]

I'm transitioning from OEM to third party inks. I'm filling the PGI-9 carts through their sponges which goes quickly and saves drilling holes. I don't want to lose time printing with a hybrid inkset, i.e. replacing each cart as it runs out. I just want to refill all the carts at once so that I can profile my papers with the new inkset.

I emptied my red tank by simply printing six copies of an all-red Photoshop document on plain paper. I can't seem to figure out, however, when matte black is called for. I made an all-black document and printed it with the matte paper setting but the photo black tank level went down.

Does anyone know how I can quickly use up the matte black tank?

Thanks for your help.

IM

 

[stratman]

Use a syringe with a needle to suck out the remaining ink.

If you are concerned with color fidelity, ie profiling using only your third party inks, then purge the cartridges of the OEM ink before refilling.

 

[InkMiser]

Thanks for the suggestion. Would you insert the syringe directly through the sponge? I'm trying to keep the cartridge as intact as possible.

The larger question that I haven't been able to answer is when the Pro9500 calls on the matte black cartridge. I know that there are other brands where one swaps out the cartridge to achieve a different look but this isn't the case with Canon. Over the course of a lot of printing (b&w as well as color) I've gone through a gazillion photo black cartridges but very few matte black ones.

Does anyone know what tonal values or HSL combination in Photoshop is likely to require use of the matte black cartridge?

 

[InkMiser]

Just tried inserting a hypodermic through the sponge (on an old cartridge). No go.

 

[InkMiser]

Figured it out. Just identify your media as one of the fine art papers, e.g. Canon Fine Art Premium Matte, and the driver will substitute MBK for PBK.

 

[stratman]

You would insert the needle through a hole made in the cartridge such as from the German/Durchstich method of refilling, or, you could tap the top of the cartridge such as is done for top refillers (needs to be sealed).

People have purged/flushed a cartridge by directing water at the ink exit port. The water/ink mixture exits via any hole drilled in the cartridge. You could blow into the atmospheric vent on the top of the cartridge to force water out.

How are you refilling with third party inks? Unless you are vacuum filling or some other method via the ink exit port, then you aren't you taping a hole somewhere in the cartridge?

 

[InkMiser]

I've tried the German/Durchstich method for the PGI-9 carts and found that rather than drilling a hole in exactly the right spot and then filling it with a hot glue gun, it's much easier to turn the cartridge upside-down and gently inject the ink onto the sponge. The ink drains down into the cartridge which contains only one chamber -- a spring-loaded foil bladder. With practice, it takes less than two minutes to fill a cartridge.

The German/Durchstich method allows one to flush out the cart which the trickle-down method does not. On the other hand, by the time the cart weighs 17 grams, there can't be very much of the OEM ink remaining in it. By the second time the cart is refilled, that's a non-issue.

Hope this makes sense.

 

[pharmacist]

Are you guys crazy: the PGI-9 is NOT compatible to the German durchstich refill method, since the internal built is totally different. It looks like an heavily dripping red cartridge causing the fast drainage of this colour. On normal paper the red (actually orange) is never used, so it must be leakage. Also the photo black is leaking from my observation.

 

[InkMiser]

Absolutely, and I apologize.

What I have been incorrectly referring to as the German/Durstich method was actually described by The Hat here .

 

[stratman]

I now see the PGI-9 is a different engineered cartridge. The Durchstich method would not be the way to go.

Worst cartridge to refill Canon has ever designed.

Where were you earlier, pharmacist? Could have saved us some typing.