How empty is 'empty'?

[Smudger]

My IP6850 A3+ printer is running on non-OEM 'gangstah' ink from Ebay. All is good. But when I get alerts that the ink cart is running low I change it almost immediately for fear of burning out the print head. I may be being over cautious. Here's a pic of a 'low alert' ink cart. Seems like there is enough in there to make a decent Tequila Sunrise.

And why does half the tank (left) contain only fresh air?Is that where the ink 'was'?

 

[MP640]

Yep, the left part is the ink reservoir. The ink gets sucked from the reservoir into the sponge in the right part. When the reservoir is empty there will still be enough ink in the sponge.

I refill my cartridges immediately after the first low in warning, but that is to protect the sponge from building up foam. I think when you discard the cartridges and do not refill them, it is safe to continue printing after the first low ink warning.

 

[fotofreek]

Yep, the left part is the ink reservoir. The ink gets sucked from the reservoir into the sponge in the right part. When the reservoir is empty there will still be enough ink in the sponge.

I refill my cartridges immediately after the first low in warning, but that is to protect the sponge from building up foam. I think when you discard the cartridges and do not refill them, it is safe to continue printing after the first low ink warning.

In addition, when one cart shows low (but has the reservoir empty or near empty) I top up any other cart that is up to 2/3 low in the reservoir. Less ink wasted in the long run as each cart refill or change triggers a cleaning cycle. In addition it extends the useful life for more of each cart's refills before need to purge or discard.

 

[Smile]

immediately after the first low in warning cart gets lower ink flow and color do change, if you take your color management seriously you should do like you said, change the cart without waiting for empty condition.

 

[Smudger]

Interesting points, thanks.

I don't refill the carts. And I don't print colour. But I'm pulling the carts. out at the first sign of yellow exclamation marks. It seems cheaper than buying a new print-head.

I'm proofing on low-rent refills at the mo, but paid work gets ChromaLife 100 carts which are rather more expensive.

The two 'cheap' Canon printers, the IP7250 and the A3+ IX6850 both take the same ink cart, (and I think, have the same print-head) which is a real plus. I can have three sizes of paper loaded across both printers for proofing.

 

[The Hat]

@Smudger My advice is to save your money and use up your cartridges fully, it is very safe to leave then in after the low ink warning because the printer will then tell you when to change them long before they become technically empty.

There will be no change in colour output and your print head will not be damaged in any way so it is perfectly safe to carry on with your printing, most of the advice given was in relation to refilling for which you’re not doing..

 

[Smudger]

@TheHat

Excellent, thanks. May I call you 'The'?

We do not wish to fry our expensive gizmos, innit? I've just ordered the eye-wateringly expensive ChromaLife 100+ tanks for these two machines. I'd like to squeeze out the max from them.

 

[The Hat]

Most Canon printers have a guaranteed built in fail safe to stop the print head from getting damaged when using OEM or aftermarket cartridges and I reckon you can’t get better than that.

The Hat works for me..

 

[Smudger]

We have the Spring sales here. My local PC store was selling 'disposable ' Canon mg5650 scanner printers at the price of two sets of OEM carts. They are the same 551 carts inside, so I felt it would be rude not to buy one.

My 'gangstah' inks from Go Inks are working well so far. Prices seem to vary by the hour but £15 for four sets of five XLs seems astonishing. All three printers use them, aside from the Pro 1. No refilling needed.

 

[The Hat]

3rd party inks for the Pro 1 are not as easy sourced as the 551 carts are or as cheap and the only place that makes a full ink set for the Pro1 are China, but if I were commercially selling prints I would stay with OEM inks..

http://maetone.en.alibaba.com/produ...idge_for_Canon_Pixma_Pro_1_made_in_china.html