Could it be the sponge that limits refills?

[alexh1]

Hi,

I have a ip6210 with the crazy 3 color $35 cartridges and I can refill between 3-6 times or so. When a color finally fails after refill I still get some partial output. Sometimes several deep cleanings will cure it but that's rare. I'm thinking the sponge starts to disintegrate and/or the hypodermic causes sponge debris to clog the ink path. I know some here have speculated that the driver/chip detects refills and locks out the cart but I'm skeptical. I always get the "continue anyway" message and a couple of times I got a weird message that told me I had to replace the cart. In the latter case I powered down the printer and the problem went away.

On one of my failed cartridges, I was able to pop the top off and remove the sponges. The top could be re-attached. The sponges are to prevent leaks in shipping, right? Probably way too much trouble anyhow.

I planning to pick up a 4000 series with the aftermarket spongeless carts but I always wondered why I couldn't get more uses out of the carts.

What is the actual mechanism that meters the ink onto the page?

 

[tigerwan]

What inks are you using to refill these?

 

[alexh1]

I buy the kits from Atlantic Inks.

 

[tigerwan]

There is the problem, they sell universal inks, low quality.......What is your location, and we can point you in the right direction for better inks?

 

[alexh1]

san jose, CA

I don't mind mail order

Thanks

 

[ghwellsjr]

Hobbicolors is located in San Jose. Search eBay for them.

 

[IanYY]

... On one of my failed cartridges, I was able to pop the top off and remove the sponges. The top could be re-attached. The sponges are to prevent leaks in shipping, right? ...

Your ip6210 uses CL41 or CL51 cartridges. The sponge is essential for these carts. If you refill the cartridge with ink with no sponge, you will probably get splats and splots on the paper when you print due to the cartridge leaking. Even with the sponge in place, you should be sure there is no free liquid in the cartridge - this could be why most refill instructions tell you to let the cartridge stand for up to 8 hours after refilling (any excess ink can drain away).

... I planning to pick up a 4000 series with the aftermarket spongeless carts ...

Cartridges for the 4000 series printers work on a different principle. They have 2 chambers in the cartridge - one for free liquid ink and one with an ink-saturated sponge. The printhead (nozzles) is a separate unit, unlike CL41 / CL51 carts which have the printhead built into the cartridge.

It is possible to use spongeless versions of the 4000 series cartridges, but you have to hunt hard on these forums to find anyone recommending them. I think you will find that they are mainly for use with CIS systems.

... What is the actual mechanism that meters the ink onto the page? ...

The printhead controls the flow of ink onto the page, by a complicated process of heating and expelling droplets of ink. See a brief explanation in section 1.2 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkjet_printer

The sponge in the ink reservoir keeps the supply of ink to the printhead within limits. Both oversupply and undersupply of ink cause printing problems.

Ian