Is it possible to refill cli-546 with MegaTank ink?

[madcat]

Hello, new to this forum.

I have a Canon TR4550 printer and I was wondering if it's possible to use the bottled inks for the Canon MegaTank printers for refiling cartridges? Would any of the GI-490/290 or GI-43/23 bottled inks work? What is the quality of these inks? Also can I refill the PG-545 pigment black cartridge with the GI-490 Pigment black?

Thank you.

 

[stratman]

Welcome to the forum, madcat.

I was wondering if it's possible to use the bottled inks for the Canon MegaTank printers for refiling cartridges?

Yes. Use the proper Pigment ink and Dye-based ink counterparts.

GI-23 CYMBk + Red +Gray – All Dye-Based and are ChromaLife100 rated.

GI-290 Black - Pigment Black

GI-290 CYM – Dye-Based

Your CL-546 uses CYM Chromalife+ inks that supposedly are more fade resistant than Chromalife (no +). Read more here. Forum member @maximilian59 did his own testing and had good results with fading here. Environment the printed image is stored/displayed as well as the Paper used play important roles in fade resistance.

can I refill the PG-545 pigment black cartridge with the GI-490 Pigment black?

Yes.

Let us know how the inks work out for you as your thank you for the free advice.

 

[Artur5]

For a close color match to the original inks of CLI-546 carts, a custom profile is advised, but if color accuracy isn't that important, then all it takes is tweaking by trial and error the color settings in the driver.
According to general consensus, the Canon ink of GI-290 dye bottles is noticeably inferior in longevity to their Chromalife 100+ ( used in CLI-546 and other cartridges ).
Again, if longevity is not paramount, that shouldn't be a problem, but I reckon that GI-23 is a better alternative than GI-290 dye inks.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Again, if longevity is not paramount, that shouldn't be a problem, but I reckon that GI-23 is a better alternative to GI-290 dye inks.

Product numbers vary in the Canon universe by sales region, it's the GI53 vs. the GI590 inks in Europe, I tested the GI590 ink when it came out with the G1500 megatank models some time ago , the performance of this ink is vastly inferior in terms of fading vs. the GI23/53.... inks. The GI23/53 inks are a class better and are the Chromalife 100 inks you can get as well at much higher prices in CLI..... cartridges; and since that the GI53 inks perform much better I would advise not to look for GI23/53 claimed compatible bottled inks by 3rd party suppliers. The pigment black is not affected by these differences.

Fading of inks is a pretty complex subject overall, but let me give you just an example and a link to a test by the Wilhelm Research Institute doing such tests

http://www.wilhelm-research.com/hp/WIR_Ink_Tank_Printer_Comparison.pdf

They refer here to the GI790 ink of a G4200 and state a display rating of 5.4 years on a Canon Glossy, and 75 years for a HP ink - the Canon Chromalife 100 is pretty similar , don't get into the details of their measurements, just look to the ratio of 5.4 to 75 years - more than a factor of 10 - you should get the G290/590 ink for free when comparing these performance differences, and it can be worse with 3rd party inks, so be glad that you can buy the bottled GI23/53/73 inks at an affordable price - there is no better performing bottled ink you can get.
The Chromalife 100+ inks are not available as bottled inks , the inkset is different - with light/photoinks and 2 grays for the Pro-200 and without much of a performance difference vs. the Chromalife 100 inks.

 

[PeterBJ]

...but if color accuracy isn't that important, then all it takes is tweaking by trial and error the color settings in the driver...

Some Canon printers can print a test pattern for colour adjustment in the driver to make correcting the colour easier. If the Canon TR4550 has not got this function, then here is test image that does the same job.

 

[madcat]

Thank you everyone for the detailed info. I will try to refill them with the good GI43 ink and report the results.

 

[maximilian59]

The GI-590 is no ChromaLife100 ink. Canon even doesn’t mention anything about longevity of these inks. I could not find a statement. It’s the same as with Epson and their cheaper Ecotanks. It’s just ink. Even Claria Home is far away from Claria Premium or Claria HD. I think it’s not correct to compare the figures of GI-590 inks with ChromaLife100 inks and make the conclusion they have the same behavior. Proof could be to print a number of patches on the same Canon papers with all these Canon inks and to put them in one test. One has to use Canon papers because that’s what Canon states. Canon dye inks don’t like other papers very much. Epson inks are more forgiving the quality of non OEM papers.
Maybe this is one of the reasons Canon is always speaking of a system.
Cheers,
Maximilian

 

[The Hat]

Canon even doesn’t mention anything about longevity of these inks

What does it really matter how long these inks last, They are cheaper than cart inks, the printer likes them, I like them and they will outlast me, so have I forgotten anything..

 

[maximilian59]

What does it really matter how long these inks last, They are cheaper than cart inks, the printer likes them, I like them and they will outlast me, so have I forgotten anything..

I still hope for living more than 30 years.
Yes the GI-590 are damned cheap. But the GI-53 are not to expensive. So everybody has a choice here. The good thin is, you know what's in the bottle.
I like my Pro-100s, unfortunately there are no bottled inks from Canon, but I still use also Precision Colors inks and OEM, depending on the need. If I sell the print, I take OEM. That's my choice here. On the other hand I use a Epson XP-7100 with the inks from the ET-77xx. Saves also a lot of money for small prints up to A4. Got multiple sets of these inks for less than 40 Euros and can now print many many many photos with them.
Cheers,
Maximilian

 

[Artur5]

What does it really matter how long these inks last, They are cheaper than cart inks, the printer likes them, I like them and they will outlast me, so have I forgotten anything..

Unless you plan to die in less than one year, those inks will out last you only if the prints are stored in a light-proof vacuum sealed box.