Dare I buy a Canon IP3000? For photo printing, refilling cartridges

[PeterBJ]

justin wrote:
Do you have the correct link for the Hp deskjet 960c please?

To me it looks like the manuals cover all existing HP DJ models in the 900-999 range. I should have named the manuals HP DJ 9XX, to avoid confusion.

 

[justin]

Ghwellsjr's advice is right on target. the IP3000 has only three dye-based cartridges (used for color printing of photos and graphics), yellow, cyan, and magenta, and a large black pigment-based cartridge that is used on plain paper for text printing. The IP4000 printer has FOUR dye-based cartridges, including black, and the large black pigment based cartridge for text. The IP4000 printer does remarkably good photo printing for a four dye-based cartridge unit, but I really don't see many of them on Criags list. You should stay with at least one of the five cart printers like the ip4000 unless you want to move up to a six or eight cart printer that is primarily for photos.

To stay with the BCI-6 cartridge you might see an ip5000 for sale occasionally. Very good for photos. I also see the occasional i960, an excellent photo printer, but it has two additional color dye-based cartridges, lighter colored cyan and magenta.

The next generation of Canon printers use cli-8 cartridges. They have a computer chip on them that must be reset after being empty and refilled. This is not a big problem as there are inexpensive resetters available. I found an ip4300 printer for $25 that was almost never used, and I gave it to my granddaughter. I also found an almost brand new ip4500 printer on craigs list that I have on a shelf as a spare when my current printers die. the ip4500 is reputed to be one of the best Canon printers of its generation of carts (cli-8) in the five cart catagory. For serious color printing in wide format there is occasionally a very good deal at craigs list on the Pixma Pro 9000 mk II. These printers were offered with the purchase of some high end Canon cameras, and they are being sold on Craigs list. The asking price varies from $135 to $250, but it is sometimes available at $100 brand new in a factory sealed box. This, however, is a BIG unit in terms of desk space and a BIG jump from an ip3000! It is an 8 cart printer.

The short story - try to find a five cart bci-6 printer as suggested by ghwellsjr. If you can't find one that works properly you might consider a later generation unit that uses the cli-8 cart like the ip4300 or preferably an ip4500.

Thank you fotofreek,
The Canon IP3000 is for sale real local. I will keep an eye out for the other canon models mentioned (here in Sweden).

Now I know what to look for, what to ask and test.
Thanks every one for your help.
justin

 

[justin]

justin wrote:
Do you have the correct link for the Hp deskjet 960c please?

To me it looks like the manuals cover all existing HP DJ models in the 900-999 range. I should have named the manuals HP DJ 9XX, to avoid confusion.

please look at the 2 original links you gave, I think they are the same?
thank you
justin

 

[PeterBJ]

Sorry!

It looks like I made a mistake with copy and paste, here is the correct link for the HP Deskjet 9XX manuals: http://www.eserviceinfo.com/downloadsm/24508/hp_Deskjet 9xx.html

 

[justin]

Sorry!

It looks like I made a mistake with copy and paste, here is the correct link for the HP Deskjet 9XX manuals: http://www.eserviceinfo.com/downloadsm/24508/hp_Deskjet 9xx.html

thank you Peter BJ

 

[The Hat]

I looks to me like you just disagreed with yourself and agreed with me.

I said that on photo paper is where you can see a difference
An iP3000 cannot print 100% black on photo paper, it can only get to maybe 80% or 90%.

I have a similar printer iX4000 with 3 dye inks and one pigment black, it prints photos just fine and when matched against some of my other printers
namely i865, iP4500 and iP4700 they have the extra photo black cartridge and on the same photo paper side by side there no differences visible at all.

When I referred to the multi cartridge printers having better quality I said yes they do indeed but however
only when printed on much higher quality photo papers, whereas on standard photo paper they struggle to appear better.

 

[ghwellsjr]

The Hat, you need to print a photograph that has some large black areas in it and print it on a 3-dye ink printer and on a 4-dye ink printer on the same type of photo paper, then look at them side by side.

 

[Grandexp]

I have a similar printer iX4000 with 3 dye inks and one pigment black, it prints photos just fine and when matched against some of my other printers
namely i865, iP4500 and iP4700 they have the extra photo black cartridge and on the same photo paper side by side there no differences visible at all.

This is just your own opinion. If your photos are all with low contrast, low dynamic range of light, low quality snap shots you naturally will not need the extra photo black. You won't need Pro9000, nor Pro 1. All the extra inks and colors would be a waste of money. If you print images with a full histogram you will need the extra black.

When I referred to the multi cartridge printers having better quality I said yes they do indeed but however
only when printed on much higher quality photo papers, whereas on standard photo paper they struggle to appear better.

I can hardly agree with this. It is the image you print that makes the difference. If you print with dirt cheap photopapers made in China that is another story.

 

[The Hat]

The Hat, you need to print a photograph that has some large black areas in it and print it on a 3-dye ink printer and on a 4-dye ink printer on the same type of photo paper, then look at them side by side.

Here are just two of the usual test photos that I used for comparisons.

Each were printed on normal glossy photo paper in standard and high quality mode on seven different printers ranging from
three to ten colours and as I said trying to pick the photos printed using only the three colours (C,Y,M) was near next to impossible.

Now all laid out flat side by side I know if I was to study each of them very carefully, there is a possibility
that I could actually pick out the two prints done with three colour (I dont honestly know).

This was just a test, a simple random sample printout from each printer and was not meant to prove, justify, contradict or satisfy anybodys opinion,
(Not even my own) all things are possible I suppose when given enough time to consider them properly.

Three colour photo printers have being around for quite some time and their output have always be perfectly acceptable
but with the demise of film cameras the ball park has had to be extended to accommodate even more cartridges just to keep pace with the digital camera..

 

[ghwellsjr]

The Hat, do you have a three color printer? I don't see one in your list of printers.