German "Durchstich" refill method for the PGI-520/CLI-521 cartridges

[Redbrickman]

Blackat,

I am sure most people don't realise what it is like to struggle with the conditions you describe.

May I make a suggestion to all members of the forum that use the German method?

If Blackat can find a set of OEM carts for his printer, and can say where he lives (approximately) then maybe someone nearby could do the modification to the carts for him?

Or if he could post them to the nearest member of the forum willing to do the work, that would be a good solution.

 

[The Hat]

Thats a very nice gesture Redbrickman good on you.
Maybe someone just might respond generously and help her out because she has being trying very hard to refill
now for some time without success and is using the only cartridges that shes got to hand.

What she really needs is a set of empty OEMs 520/521 so I will check and see if websnail has any
and if so get them to her, I suppose thats the least I can do anyway..

 

[rodbam]

I wonder if Blackat is having the same problems I had when I first tried the German method. My first refill went great but I run into problems every time after that because the needle wasn't going all the way into the ink chamber. My problem was solved when I made the needle entry hole a bit bigger which allowed me to move the needle around to find the small entry into the ink chamber. I've had zero problems since.

 

[BlackKat]

Late responding to this and apologies as I thought I had ages ago. The Hat kindly did sort me out in the end with a set of OEM cartridges and those immediately proved that it was the compat carts that were the problem. With the OEMs I was sorted in the space of 5 mins with a lot less pain in the process!! So for me at least, I would suggest that you absolutely HAVE to use OEM carts unless you're both very lucky with your compat ones or a heck of a lot stronger or persistent than I was (and I truly was VERY persistent I can promise you).

I can't thank The Hat enough for the time he spent working with me on this privately and his willingness to help me to the nth degree regardless of me continually pleading incapability of the task And equally once again, thanks to ALL of you who've posted here and who initially provided me with the interest in even starting on this path which ultimately will grant me the ability to afford to do a LOT more printing than I might otherwise. THANK YOU!!!

Romayne (& yes, I'm a lass )

 

[The Hat]

BlackKat Can't get hold of The Hat just now

I am already on your case just check your Email..

 

[Donkeyoatay]

I would just like to say a big thank you to Pharmacist for starting this thread and submitting the instructions together with photos for the German refill method. I purchased the supplies I needed from Octoinkjet and followed Pharmacist's instructions. This morning I refilled all my carts using this method with no problems whatsoever. It was quick, clean and uncomplicated. That was my first attempt at refilling and I am really satisfied with the results.

I have a Canon MP 550. Can someone please confirm, if it is OK on the next refill to remove all the carts at the same time, as the Canon user manual states that when changing the carts, one at a time must be changed. If I can remove all the carts together that need refilling, it would be a quicker procedure.

Michael.

 

[stratman]

I have a Canon MP 550. Can someone please confirm, if it is OK on the next refill to remove all the carts at the same time, as the Canon user manual states that when changing the carts, one at a time must be changed. If I can remove all the carts together that need refilling, it would be a quicker procedure.

Yes, you can remove all of the cartridges at one time.

One caveat -- the print head will automatically return to park itself over the purge pads (the extreme right as you look at the front of the printer) after several minutes. This is normal for Canon printers to return to this position when the printer is idle or being shut down. If you plan on having something obstruct the print haed carriage pathway for more than a couple of minutes, then remove the power cable after the print head centers itself so the print head will not attempt to move against an obstruction and possible damage something. If all you are doing is refilling, then you do not have to pull the power cable since nothing will be obstruction movement. If the print head returns to its position over the purge pads, for instance if refilling takes longer than the several minutes Canon programmed your printer to wait before automatically moving back over the purge pads, then you would simply close and re-open the cover to cause the print head to move to the center again.

Second caveat -- try return the cartridges back to the print head to prevent drying of ink within the print head and causing a clog. The few minutes it should take to refill all your cartridges should not present a problem. If it takes you much more than 30 minutes to refill all your cartridges then you might consider refilling a couple at a time or having a second set of cartridges pre-filled and ready for use. That way, you can refill at your leisure.

Great to see you on the forum again Donkeyoatay!

 

[Redbrickman]

Best plan is have a spare set of carts refilled and ready to change.

When one cart is low change all at once. That means the printer only does one head clean.

If you just replace one cart the printer cleans all the nozzles, so each time you only change one cart the printer wastes ink from all the carts.

Having a spare set also prevents any chance of ink drying in the nozzles, when the inlet pads are exposed waiting for a replacement cart.
It also means there is no pressure on you to refill quickly, so you can have a beer, coffee, water, or just enjoy the quiet while you smile and refill on the cheap

 

[Donkeyoatay]

Thank you both for your advice. I will start looking for a set of spare carts.

Michael.

 

[emmaachile]

I bought some aftermarket catridges from amazon and it resets just like the original cli-221 from canon. This is the link
cli221 and pg220 canon catridge http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002OOBGW6
the resetter is http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003OBDHKC