New Canon G4000 multi doesn't use carts!

[The Hat]

I still reckon the smaller four and five colour print heads are far more durable than their bigger 8 to 10 head cousins are.

Go back to the 4 & 5 CLI-8 cart print heads, they could last for years and a lot of them still are, I have 3 CLI-8 printers that are old and have done tens of thousands of prints and two of them are only on their second print head.

One head I killed with Yello Gello (My fault) and the other just said “replace” after over 10,000 prints, I suspect it got a time out signal, the other is still going with 54,000 prints and the original head from 2008.

I’ve now acquired a Maxify 4 colour printer which I suspect will last a long time too, it’s an office printer for high duty cycles and a two-year guarantee, why would Canon offer that if it wasn’t going to last, a replacement head is only half the price of the popular heads.

The only fly in the ointment that I can see is, I can’t reset the ink counter, but I can change all the cart at the same time which should cut down on the waste, the printer can run on compatibles or refillable carts...

 

[martin0reg]

Good point. No where in any of the links I have read on the new GI-290 inks does it mention anything about the quality of the inks as Canon does with their other ink lines...

It is no chromalife ... but at least as good as some of the better 3rd party inks, regarding fading.
http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/refilling-canon-with-oem-ink.10712/

 

[stratman]

It is no chromalife ... but at least as good as some of the better 3rd party inks, regarding fading.

Your tests demonstrate this in short order. I knew I had read about these new printers/inks on the forum but had forgotten what. Thank you for the link.

 

[InkFu]

I was pretty psyched about this too till I looked at the specs. I too also noticed the lack of distinct black dye. I thought maybe the big black reservoir is dye but it's still pigment. It also prints at half the dpi of my MG5320. A couple thousand fewer nozzles to for what that is worth and my Pixma was way cheaper. I so want to ditch the syringe but I think I'll stick with current printer.

 

[stratman]

I like nitch this printer fills. Ink that is relatively inexpensive and lasts a loooooong time. Pigment Black for text. Sure, no Dye-based Black or ChromaLife goodness, but I have other printers for high quality image reproduction. If the print head lasts after many days of non-use, then this could be a nice home office type printer or mom and dad or the young ones.

As Uncle @The Hat is wont to say... horses for courses.

 

[mikling]

I still reckon the smaller four and five colour print heads are far more durable than their bigger 8 to 10 head cousins are.

Go back to the 4 & 5 CLI-8 cart print heads, they could last for years and a lot of them still are, I have 3 CLI-8 printers that are old and have done tens of thousands of prints and two of them are only on their second print head.

One head I killed with Yello Gello (My fault) and the other just said “replace” after over 10,000 prints, I suspect it got a time out signal, the other is still going with 54,000 prints and the original head from 2008.

I’ve now acquired a Maxify 4 colour printer which I suspect will last a long time too, it’s an office printer for high duty cycles and a two-year guarantee, why would Canon offer that if it wasn’t going to last, a replacement head is only half the price of the popular heads.

The only fly in the ointment that I can see is, I can’t reset the ink counter, but I can change all the cart at the same time which should cut down on the waste, the printer can run on compatibles or refillable carts...

The Maxify 2020 was seen on Black Friday season for $60 cad which is about $45 USD. With compatible chips, there is no need to reset, as the printer will just chug along after the chips are deemed empty. So if you are able to just visually check the level on the translucent, it will harken back to the the BCI-6 days of no resetter and no need to open the lid. On the Maxify, just open the door, even while the printer is running and you can see the ink levels. I think it will be a while before we see the waste ink pad as a subsytem from Canon. Despite that, the Maxify with pigment ink performs very well for its intended audience. Easily the current low cost bulk printer of choice with no need for tubes. Having ink tanks on the printhead is superior to remote tanks. Another thing, the printhead design of recent Canon printers are superior to the older designs when it comes to burnt out nozzles, they are more durable today, possibly due to improved process technology.

OTOH, Epson is attempting to fabricate their printhead similar to how a thermal head is made to reduce cost. The downside of this is that their printheads will no longer be as "durable" as in the past. What was once considered a clog on an Epson may well be a "tired" or defective nozzle circuit today. Before, hardly anyone ever considered a defective nozzle but that is a real possibility today on Epsons especially their PrecisionCore heads.

These tank printers signal the total maturation of that market segment. Desktop printer markets have reached a sunset stage and that is when the mfrs will roll out everything they can to keep a segment alive to retain some revenue from that segment. It is not totally dissimilar to when the last model year of a generation of automobile is rolled out. That is when everything is thrown in to keep sales of that model going. In this case, they are going to try and entice the users who had given up on printing due to the high ink costs. Expect more of this in the lower end printer segment first. There will be some upward creep but not as fast as some would like because the economics will severely shift their profit model. Does that mean that chipped machines are on their way out? Not necessarily and only time will tell depending on how the economics work out. Remember according to Canon, the average life of their desktop printer is only about 2+ years. Not necessarily that they will malfunction but the owner gets another model and ditches the old. Data possibly gathered from registrations So in essence the total revenue collected is the same whether a chipped printer is purchased or a megatank one.
Of course savvy refillers will know which models to choose that makes even the megatank machines seem excessively expensive. Take for example Canon older 250/251 AIO MX922 for $79 CAD = $60USD. AIO with fax, documenr feed scanner, 5 ink tanks. or the Maxify as mentioned above for even less....but yet a superior machine.

 

[stratman]

but yet a superior machine.

Which one - the MX922 or the Maxify 2020?

 

[mikling]

The MB2020 is one fantastic printer for office use...not for photo. On promo they are priced less than an MX922! They are neutered to make sure that they produce subpar photos.

So I snuck in some internet time and posted the last long comment when I was thousands of miles away in a remote area with my MIL 80+yrs old.

Last nite I got back and started turning all my printers on back on. That takes a while when you have 4 - 5 racks of printers!
Then the last one I powered up was my trusty Epson WF3640 a little over two years old and was presented with a fatal electronic error of 0x9A. This after 12 days turned off.
I purchased that for a $109 CAD back then. Epson had an identical new one on last nite for $99 CAD so I ordered a replacement. Now when it comes to simple desktop units I was reminded that even the very inexpensive ones will accomplish what most people will want these for. I will pay the big bucks for a high performance photoprinter because these do contain advanced technological advancements that improve the end result though incrementally but that is the game anyways. But for document printing you need to seriously consider whether you should spend hundreds of dollars on these tank printers. Both Epson and Canon. Why? Like my experience last night, anything can take it down and there goes the investment. Keep in mind that you are not paying for improved reliability or quality on these tank machines but the convenience. In fact many are possibly bottom rung printers in disguise. How would you feel if you purchased a $300 simple printer and then it electronically dies right after the warranty. You might not have reaped the savings you thought you would. On the simpler machines, the payback is very fast and if it dies, get another. Having owned scores of printers over the years, I can attest to the aspect of the printer gods and the need to offer sacrifices to keep them happy or else! I'd rather offer up my $99 printer in exchange for extended life of my big buck photprinters!!! Printers contain a fair amount of sensors and electronics, that is why many fail over time. Odd, Canon says 2 years give or take and that is about what the lifespan of the WF3640 was. Before I dispose of it, I will remove the factory waste ink tank and install it on my new 3640 replacement from the start. Again a reminder for those concerned about installing external waste ink tanks early. Don't bother until it is needed or at least the warranty is over. No need for externals if you select the correct Epson model.

 

[stratman]

@mikling - very good points.

 

[mikling]

How easy is it to change the waste ink pad on these 3640s? So easy. No need even for a screwdriver. Just remove the cover plate on the rear with two fingers and pull out the waste ink pad/tray. Yes, it is that friendly. There are resetters for the chips on the tank but after using the 3640 for two years on a daily basis, it was only 30% consumed. Extrapolating, then it would have taken 5+ years to fill up the pad. Now I have an extra tank for the replacement printer. Waste ink pad/tank worries are no more and with this particular machine it never really was. Given its longevity, if/when the time came, I would have changed it out for whatever Epson wants. Given a waste ink tank is $14.99 USD from Epson getting a resetter for it does not make sense much less so installing a contraption on the outside.
http://www.2manuals.com/wf3620_waste.php
https://epson.com/Accessories/Printer-Accessories/T6711-Ink-Maintenance-Box-T671100/p/T671100

Again an illustration of just how much printer $99 gets you today. Heck I recently had to pay half that to get two 50lb suitcases onto the plane.