Looking to replace a much older Canon printer; current or older model?

[videobruce]

Situation;
Current printer of probably 8 years: ip4300
Panasonic Laser printer

Printer only, no multi function machine, no wireless connection,
I was considering one of these large tank printers as long as 3rd party ink is available,
Replaceable printhead!! (a must),
Drivers for Win7 & XP Pro,
Mostly print web pages & .pdf material, very few photos (maybe .5% of the total prints),
I would like to stay with Canon (15 years with Canon now) but that's not cast in stone,
I would prefer 4 tanks (not 5 or more),
Service & troubleshooting literature available!

I was looking at a G1200, but the print speed is terribly slow which was the only negative I read about.
Something after the models that took the PGI-5/ CLI-8 carts with resettable chips.

I hope all of that made sense and thanks in advance.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

The G-series of Canon Megatank printers uses 4 inks - a pigment black and 3 CMY dye colors, but I'm not sure that Canon would deliver service and troubleshooting literature at all, I'm not aware that they do that for any other printer - beyond a typical user manual.
This G1200 is an entry level megatank model, but I would assume that just photo printing could be 'terribly' slow depending on the quality level setting and printing on regular paper with the standard quality setting should be o.k.
Printers with CLI-8 cartridges are long gone, they got on the market around 2006.

If longevity of your prints is not much a concern for you 3rd party ink bottles should be available at lower prices than the Canon ink bottles, the Canon ink for tlhis printer series has a pretty weak long term stability , no better than other 3rd party inks. If you care for longevity you can use the genuine Chromalife inks of the G620 - the G23 inks - for use in the G1200.

 

[videobruce]

What I meant by service literature are what the manufactures has available to their service department people posted from different sources & countries. I have a ton of service literature on the ip4300. I've seen other models available, the last one was from Russia (of all places). That also includes here.
Yes the 1200 doesn't have the 2nd black (which I was never keen about), but that isn't a deal killer.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Yes the 1200 has the 2nd black (which I was never keen about), but that isn't a deal killer.

??

The G1200 comes with one black - a pigment black only - no dye black for photo prints on glossy paper

https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/...nkjet-printers/g1200?tab=supplies_accessories

 

[videobruce]

Typo on my part.
The 4300 has the 5th tank and I don't see the difference between that the i560 I had before..

I just stumbled across a post you made 3 years ago about the dye based black;
"That ink is not used for photo prints on glossy papers which creates some blacks getting a color cast in some cases," which I never read about anyware, but again that isn't a deal killer.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

A wide range of Canon printers run with 2 black inks - a pigment black for copy/matte papers and a dye ink for glossy/photo papers, the G series Megatank printers just use 4 inks - 1 pigment black + CMY . The only exception is the photo printer G620 with CMY , red, gray and a dye black Chromalife 100 inks

 

[The Hat]

Printer only, no multi function machine, no wireless connection,
I was considering one of these large tank printers as long as 3rd party ink is available,
Replaceable printhead!! (a must),

You could try the Maxify models, yes I know you said you don’t want an all in one, nor did I, so I don’t use them, just the printer which is great, you can choose small carts or large carts, and it can be re-filled when you run out of ink.. A Very good tuff printer..

 

[videobruce]

I see that it appears the 1200 is disco'ed and replaced by the 1220, but I don't see a difference between the two.

AFA as the Maxify line, it's just something more to go wrong and harder to service if necessary thou I'm doubting that is really possible like their older models. The other issue is size, I'm restricted and those are at least 5" deeper than what I have now for starters.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Replaceable printhead!! (a must),

Printheads are listed under accessories as BH-20, CH-20

https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/pixma-g1220-megatank-inkjet-printer

The 1220 probably got some cosmetic update and/or some functional extension like another wifi mode - but I don't know in detail.

Drivers for Win7 & XP Pro,

I wouldn't expect a driver anymore for Win XP, it is not listed in the specs, only Win 7 SP 1

Inks have changed from GI-290 to GI-21 bottles, but they are not really different, both have a weak longevity, but much better Chromalife inks would be available

 

[videobruce]

I was to Canons site and under drivers it just listed "Windows", nothing specific. Yes, XP is probably pushing things. Not a deal killer.

FWIW; I called Canon and asked about the 1200 vs the 1220. The 1200 was disco'ed with the 1220 replacing it at $190 US. I asked about the differences and was told the 1220 has a "improved ink system". It suppose to use less ink.

I also stumbled across the G5020 at $60 more ($250 US) at 4.5 lbs (1.5x) more, 1.5" deeper, 1.5" less width and 1" more height. Printing speeds are 1.5x faster with text and color. It adds a LCD display and 6 additional buttons and wireless Networking.