First Refilling Questions

[lowell374]

I have a Canon Pro-100, and thus CLI-42 type cartridges.
If a cartridge chip has not yet signaled the printer that it is low, or empty, does the chip ever need to be reset?

Suppose I let the cartridges just remain in the head-holder and top them off with ink. Will that work for all time? That way I will not ever have to “mess” with the carts and their seal to the head will only be broken once; except for the initial removal of the “sealing” ball.
I have a set of almost empty used cartridges which have sat around in a closed glass food container for 14 months. Can I now, without fear of mold, suck out the old ink and put that ink into new cartridges? Or should I just discard the old ink, flush the cartridges, and attempt to do a "regular" refill procedure?

 

[The Hat]

If a cartridge has not yet signaled the printer that it is low, or empty, does it ever need to be reset?

The answer is yes..

@lowell374, what you’re thinking of doing has been tried many time before, and it doesn’t work for two very good reasons.

The first, refilling your cartridges whilst still in the printer can only end in disaster with your cartridges leaking, spillages and cross confirmation just to name a few.

The second is the chips on the cartridges themselves, they must be reset each time you refill, even if you decide to refill when the cartridge is only 50% full, so in a nutshell it is imperative to always reset before you begin to refill any of the cartridges.

A better option is to replace all of your cartridges when one of them is showing low ink, that way you save time, ink and cut out a lot of unnecessary un-schedule stops, you can then reset and top up any cartridge that need more ink later.

It’s not a chore but a labour of love…What could be better..?

 

[lowell374]

Thanks "The Hat" for your response.
Sorry, your fifth sentence seems, to me, to be contridictory. You say "...top up any cartridge that need more ink later". If you can, after refilling all the cartridges, top up any cartridge that need more ink later, why not just always "top up later"?
BTW, it's not a labor of love for someone who has never done it before. It's somewhat stressful. I can only hope that after I've done it a few times I'll be less stressed. That's why I have three full sets of used cartridges waiting to be refilled.

 

[The Hat]

The “top up later” sentence was in reference to the cartridges that had been removed from your printer when you had to change one cartridge, the ink levels in these cartridges would show different amounts, that is what I meant when I said “top up later” rather than refill.

“Later” means when you have the time to do so rather than straight away..

 

[Roy Sletcher]

BTW, it's not a labor of love for someone who has never done it before. It's somewhat stressful. I can only hope that after I've done it a few times I'll be less stressed. That's why I have three full sets of used cartridges waiting to be refilled.

Lowell,

Just to jump in here as somebody who sweated this out a few years ago.

I can now say with confidence that if you follow the instructions in these forums everything goes as described and really is pretty straightforward. I can now reset and refill the 8 carts in a matter of a few minutes.

However, for the first time my advice would be:

• Get comfortable, do every thing methodically and carefully.
• Double, even triple check correct colour is going into correct cartridge. (just in case you get weird print results and start to second guess whether you refilled the correct colour. - Been there done that)
• Carefully guard against spills - The squeezy caps with needles are a good safeguard.
• Establish a procedure and workflow routine that you use repetitively, so that if distracted or have a problem during a refill, you can recover without confusion or mistake.

Good luck - let us know how it goes.

rs

 

[lowell374]

Lowell,

Just to jump in here as somebody who sweated this out a few years ago.

I can now say with confidence that if you follow the instructions in these forums everything goes as described and really is pretty straightforward. I can now reset and refill the 8 carts in a matter of a few minutes.

However, for the first time my advice would be:

• Get comfortable, do every thing methodically and carefully.
• Double, even triple check correct colour is going into correct cartridge. (just in case you get weird print results and start to second guess whether you refilled the correct colour. - Been there done that)
• Carefully guard against spills - The squeezy caps with needles are a good safeguard.
• Establish a procedure and workflow routine that you use repetitively, so that if distracted or have a problem during a refill, you can recover without confusion or mistake.

Good luck - let us know how it goes.
rs

Thanks for the advice. Just getting anxious since I have only a few days left to refill so that I can finish printing a christmas present.

Just wish someone had created a "Best Practices" stickey. I find the search engine too impossible to use. I mean, what's with the "too few characters to search" notification. If I want to search for "CLI-42" and "refill" then gosh darn it, do so.

 

[lowell374]

The “top up later” sentence was in reference to the cartridges that had been removed from your printer when you had to change one cartridge, the ink levels in these cartridges would show different amounts, that is what I meant when I said “top up later” rather than refill.

“Later” means when you have the time to do so rather than straight away..

Thanks. I think I get-it. Any thoughts on my last paragraph?

 

[The Hat]

@lowell374, you’re asking me, sure I can't use the search on this site to save my life I’m hopeless at it.
Here are a couple to start you on..

http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/a-handy-refillers-check-list-guide.6491/
http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/top-filling-method-for-canon-cartridges.5534/

Try searching for CLl-8 refilling and not CLl-42’s..

 

[lowell374]

@lowell374, you’re asking me, sure I can't use the search on this site to save my life I’m hopeless at it.
Here are a couple to start you on..

http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/a-handy-refillers-check-list-guide.6491/
http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/top-filling-method-for-canon-cartridges.5534/

Try searching for CLl-8 refilling and not CLl-42’s..

Thanks "The Hat". Your references to threads are what I needed. While I've been lurking for a long time I can not, at my 4 score+ years of age, remember what I've read a year ago.
Again, Thanks