iP4700 pigment vs black dye ink

[ghwellsjr]

ColorLok is a treatment for plain paper that helps keep dye ink from running when it gets wet. But it makes things worse for pigment ink. I had previously discovered this problem when using a highlighter on pigment ink printed on ColorLok paper but this is the first time I've heard of your problem.

If you have any plain paper that does not have the ColorLok treatment, see if that will solve your problem.

Or you might try telling your printer that the paper is matte photo paper in which case it will use the dye black ink instead of the pigment black ink but I don't know if that will have any other adverse effects.

I noticed that ColorLok is showing up on a lot of plain papers. I guess maybe they should call it ColorLok/BlackUnlok.

 

[Stumped2]

I did a lot of searching after you first mentioned ColorLok and just about every Google hit praises how wonderful it is. And how it reduces smearing, at least when the paper is coming out of the printer.

I found one comment where the person had problems using a highlighter because it smeared the ink & he did mention ColorLok.
http://www.aota.net/forums/showthread.php?t=24694

He also had a problem with ink transfer like I am having, which can be seen in his provided link.
http://www.polisource.com/misc/ink-transfer-Staples-v-HP.pdf

I guess Ill have to buy some different paper in order to see how it works. Or maybe find some old paper that I might have had before ColorLok Technology.

Thank you for the suggestion & Ill let you know what happens.

 

[ghwellsjr]

Great detective work.

Users will have the same problem if they have an older Canon printer that does not use the chipped cartridges, in other words, if it uses the BCI-3eBk pigment black ink cartridge. This older Canon ink has a highlighter smearing problem with any paper, it has nothing to do with ColorLok.

I used an HP Bright White paper to make booklets and I never had a problem with ink transferring from one page to an adjacent page. When printing in duplex mode (two-sided), Canon printers cut the amount of pigment ink in half and then add the dye cyan and magenta inks to make up the difference. The reason for this is two reduce the intensity of the black so it won't "show through" to the other side of the page but maybe it also reduces the problem of ink transferring to an adjacent piece of paper. It doesn't solve the problem of smearing with a highlighter though.

But maybe this suggests another solution for you which is to print in duplex mode, even if you are only printing on one side. It will take a lot longer to print but it might reduce or eliminate your problem.

 

[ghwellsjr]

I see Staples is having a rebate when you buy two packs of their multipurpose paper (with ColorLok) next week, ending up free.

 

[The Hat]

ghwellsjr You wouldn't happen to be using a paper that says it's treated with ColorLok, would you?

I see Staples is have a rebate when you buy two packs of their multipurpose paper (with ColorLok) next week, ending up free.

Sure why would he want to buy some more after you told him that was his problem..

 

[ghwellsjr]

ghwellsjr You wouldn't happen to be using a paper that says it's treated with ColorLok, would you?

I see Staples is have a rebate when you buy two packs of their multipurpose paper (with ColorLok) next week, ending up free.

Sure why would he want to buy some more after you told him that was his problem..

It's free.

And I can take one of my previously acquired Staples rewards (for turning in empty cartridges at $2 each), which I can only use in a Staples store, buy two packs of paper, get a rebate for the full amount, which I then can spend anywhere. At least I think it will work that way, it has in the past.

 

[The Hat]

Just pulling you leg George.

Looks like a great deal all right..

 

[Stumped2]

Thanks for the comment about the BCI-3eBk pigment black. I have an iP3000 which I thought bringing back into service, but it does need a new printhead. I never bought the printhead because it was cheaper to buy an iP3500. After a while I got the iP4700 because it was cheaper than ink for the iP3500. Each new version of Canon printer appears to have a longer cleaning cycle. I like the iP4700, but do not like the long cleaning cycle that frequently happens when I turn it on. I dont know which is worse - waiting for it do go through its ritual or wasting the ink.

If pigment black ink does not work well with ColorLok paper, does that mean that most newer inkjets use dye black for text? Or do they use a pigment ink that works better with ColorLok? If people have problems with highlighting and/or ink transfer I would think there would be more comments on the Internet about this.

For home use the ink transfer is no big deal. But I send out club membership forms & they come back to me with the transferred ink. Im sure most people dont notice it or dont care. Or maybe it doesnt happen until the forms get mailed back. But I would like the paperwork to look neat when someone receives it.

I just printed some black text on 3 different papers & am letting the ink dry & then will try the wet smear test.

 

[Stumped2]

If you have any plain paper that does not have the ColorLok treatment, see if that will solve your problem.

I printed 3 test sheets with some black ink text & then let dry for at least 6 hours. I then ran a very wet finger over each.

1) Plain lined paper from a pad of Office Max paper has no noticeable smear. The paper just has wrinkles from getting wet.

2) A piece of miscellaneous copy paper has a barely noticeable smear.

3) A different piece of miscellaneous copy paper did smear just like my ColorLok paper.

The paper does make a big difference. I was out shopping & looking online and it appears the cheaper copy paper does not have ColorLok or at least does not mention it. Same for a lot of the house brands such as OfficeDepot, OfficeMax & Staples. OfficeDepot online has a $4.99/ream with standard finish and a $7.19/ream with a smooth finish. Neither one mentions ColorLok but Im guessing the smooth finish may work against me too.

I'll have to get some cheap paper & use it on my next batch of form letters & see what happens.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[Stumped2]

ghwellsjr,

Well I bought some paper without ColorLok, sent out & received back some of the form letters that had the ink transfer problem. It is better but not quite right. The black ink transfer is about half as dark compared to what happens with the ColorLok paper.

My friend who used to send out these forms did not have this problem. He used some older paper without ColorLok and an HP inkjet. I just mentioned to him yesterday that I still had the problem, however it was less severe. I already knew he refills his ink carts & he just made the casual comment that he never had this problem using his big bottles of ink.

When coming back to this forum to post my results I noticed another posting that you did. It states: I have never seen a 100% black pigment bulk ink that smears with a highlighter on normal plain paper (those without the Color-Lok feature).

The interesting thing is both you & my friend do not have a problem with bulk ink smearing on non-ColorLok paper.

Ive always used OEM Canon ink. Ive thought about refilling, but I dont do that much color printing. The refill ink would probably dry out before it got used up. And from what Ive read the Canon CLI-221 color inks seem to hold up pretty good if printing a photo.

That being said, maybe I should try refilling only the pigment black ink carts. It may solve the ink transfer problem, and if I print an occasional color photo I would still be using OEM ink. Kind of a win-win situation.

Any recommendations on which refill black pigment ink to use?