noob needs advice on getting started refilling with ip4000

[ghostbear]

I would like to know more about the ip4000 in general, for eg.

How does it tell when ink is low ?

When a tank says low can it be refilled at that time and then be seen as full ?

Is the ip4000 a good candidate for refilling ink tanks ?

The only thing I have done so far is install a set of after market ink tanks and that worked ok.

Any advice to get me started will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks , ghostbear

 

[Osage]

Hi ghostbear,

I have an ip4000 and will take a stab at your questions. To answer some of your questions but not necessarilily in order.

(1) The ip4000 is an excellent printer for refilling.---and the BCI-3&6 cartridges are perhaps the easiest to refill of any inkjet on the market. No chips to complicate things and no printhead on the cartridge itself.--the cartridge might be more accurately called an inktank.

(2) The ip4000 monitors the ink in the cartridge resevoir by means of an internal light. When the resevoir empties and reaches bottom the light goes through the tank and reflects off the prism in the botton of the tank. The cartridge is translucent--the ink is not. Triggering a low ink warning when the non translucent ink reaches tank bottom. There is still some ink in the sponge section and you could continue printing some pages after that.---but if no ink is delivered to the printhead you lose the printhead cooling effect and risk damage to the printhead. Many recommend you top off your cartridge before you get a low ink warning to extend cartridge life and avoid any sponge drying. Which you can visually examine by pulling the cartridge and refilling when the tank level reaches say 10-20%-----the ip4000 isn't really effective as say a car gas tank gage where it shows a continous reading of the exact amount in the tank.---its the low ink warning you pay attention to.

(3) Lots of debate on these forums on which bulk third party suppliers to use--be it refilling or thirdparty prefilled cartridges. ----but check out your vendor well and lots of good choices. I would not risk using a vendor not receiving good reviews on these forums--why buy a pig in the poke when so many good vendors have been reviewed? But I have also decided to switch from third party prefilled cartridges and decided to go with hobbicolors. Other good vendors exist ---so in the end you pays your money and takes yer chances----But choosing a vendor recommended by these forums that have inks formulated for your printer immensely improves your odds of being a happy camper.---your next step will be to review various refill instructions for BCI-3&6 cartridges on this and other web sites-----I will note Dave at hobbicolors will email you his refill instruction sheet in pdf format----no sale required.-----but two main dangers to refilling exist---either overfilling or having a ink inlet hole that leaks air when capped.

Thats my take on it----others may wish to comment also.

 

[ghostbear]

Osage ,
Thank your for the helpful information on the ip4000. I have tried to get the hobbicolor web site to work but have not been able to at this time. I've read that the hobbicolor refill kit is one of the best, if you can post a working link for them it would be helpful. I guess one thing I need being a newbie is sort of a step by step as to the refilling proceedure, I'm guessing this would come with a refill kit. For the time being I am still looking for all the nuts and bolts information on how to take care of the ip4000 to get the most out of it.

Thanks again, ghostbear

 

[Osage]

To ghostbear,

The best way to get linked up to hobbicolors is to go to ebay---type in hobbicolors
in the ebay searchbar-----and that should open up to a number of auction items.
You are looking for a five color medium refill kit-----cost $21.95 plus shipping as a buy it now auction. Hobbicolors usually lists that kit as one of the options but on occasional weeks that item won't be listed--opening up any hobbicolors auction will get you contact information for Dave at Hobbicolors plus information on what each kit contains.

Sadly the hobbicolors web site is not quite ready for prime time in my opinion. But Dave may be so busy answering emails that he has no time to work on the web site. The problem with being popular, offering a good product, and good customer value.------but don't want to be a tout for Hobbicolors----they are not the only game in town--so read other users opinions as there are many on these forums more knowlegable than I.

I have found Dave great at promptly responding to emails. Regardless if you buy from him or not.

 

[fotofreek]

the link to the hobbicolors ebay site:
http://search.ebay.com/hobbicolors_W0QQfkrZ1QQfromZR8

 

[drc023]

Ghostbear,
All of the comments posted about HobbiColors is very accurate. In a word, both their product and service is - excellent.

You had also asked about the ink status indicator and refilling procedures. In addition to what Osage already posted, the ink status indicator isn't significant until the reservoir side is actually low, at which time the low ink warning appears. If you refill prior to that time, the status indicator isn't reset because the optical sensor hasn't been able to detect a low ink condition. This in no way will cause any problems or damage to the print head. In fact most refillers don't wait for the low ink warning to pop up. If for some reason you do want to reset the status indicator to full, simply insert an empty cartridge and close the cover. Then put in a refilled cartridge.

Refilling procedures tend to sound far more complicated than necessary. 1.- If you are using HobbiColors tanks, the first thing to do is to break off the orange cap on the bottom and then hold it back on with a rubber band. The only reason for doing this is that if you fill up the cartridge first, there should be a drop or two of ink that has leaked out from the outlet (which is normal). If the cap is attached a little too snug as were a couple that I had, there is a possibility that the ink could be slung out and get on your clothing or desk. Guess how I know this little tidbit? 2.- Using the syringe, inject ink into the reservoir side about halfway up and then wait a short time for that ink to be absorbed into the sponge area. This is for the initial fill only. Subsequent refill don't need this step. 3.- Continue to fill up the reservoir until it's about 1/4" from the top. No reason to overfill. 4.- Put the screw back in the inlet hole. 5.- Blot the outlet on a paper towel or tissue. There should be a drop or two of ink, but it should stop very quickly.

That basically all there is to refilling a BCI-3/6 tank.

 

[on30trainman]

I will post my results and suggestions also - just got a Hobbicolor refill kit for my ip4000. I haven't tried filling/refilling cartridges for many years. My only other attempt was with an old HP. What a disaster - ink everywhere and constant leaking from the output hole. Said I would never do it again. About two years ago I tried third party cartridges on an Epson C-82 I had and ended up with plugged up print heads, so I was kind of leery about using them again. But the cost of Canon OEM cartridges is ridiculous - $40 to $60 for a set even at Costco prices. I decided I was going to try third party cartridges, even bought some colors at a recent computer show. But after finding this forum I decided to give Hobbicolors a try. Ordered the 5 color set plus an additional set of empty cartridges. Excellent delivery - 3 days to Eastern PA. I just filled the first set this morning and tried them. The filling went fairly well - not too messy. Filled one color a little too quickly and some ink came out the fill hole - made a little mess. Learned to just slowly push on the syringe plunger. The others worked fine.

The comment drc023 made about breaking off the orange cap first from a virgin cartridge is a good one. I did my first fill with the caps still glued on. When the cap is snapped off of a full cartridge, it is easy to have a few ink drops go flying. It only got on my fingers, not any clothes or other items luckily. I will use a different technique than putting the orange cap back on with rubber bands. I also bought some cartridge holders from Compubiz (http://216.219.159.185/). I just got them in the mail today (after I did the first fill)- another quick delivery since I only ordered them Sunday afternoon. They cost 99 cents each and seem to work fine - bought extras of each size. They have a small rubber pad that seals the outlet hole. I will put the empty cartridge in the holder and fill it in there. The cartridge will sit flat on the table for filling, not like the cartridge with the orange cap rubber banded on. As someone posted a few days ago in another thread - I would like to see bigger nylon screws on the Hobbicolor cartridges. My old fingers had some problem getting the screw back in. Filling the cartridges in the Compubiz holders will probably make it easier to get the screw started back in - to be seen.


Right now I am doing some photo printing to compare the Hobbicolor results to the Canon OEMs. So far the Hobbicolors seem OK to me. One thing I did notice was that I had to do one deep cleaning cycle after I first put the cartridges in to get rid of banding. Maybe it was needed to get the ink to start flowing properly. First nozzle test was fine and so was the first photo, but the next print showed banding and the next nozzle tests had problems. Initially I was concerned why the banding was showing up, then I realized that the first nozzle test and photo were probably made with ink that was still in the printhead - not all used up from when I removed the previous cartridges. All subsequent prints and nozzle tests since the one deep cleaning have been OK so far - hope they continue. I think Hobbicolors refill kits, and the Compubiz holders, are good products at very reasonable prices.

Steve W.

 

[jackson]

I use the Hobbicolors kits too and I echo what was said about removing the orange cap.
As to the plastic screw, I have my girlfriend put them in and to prevent any chance of ink getting on clothing I have her remove hers first.
Better safe than sorry, eh?

 

[fotofreek]

Jackson - excellent technique for avoiding ink on your clothes! I replaced the screws with stainless steel screws/o-rings on the hobbicolor carts as the phillips head is easier to remove and replace. Also slightly larger than the plastic one and easier to handle.

 

[drc023]

As to the plastic screw, I have my girlfriend put them in and to prevent any chance of ink getting on clothing I have her remove hers first.
Better safe than sorry, eh?

And who said chivalry was dead?