Power Off Procedure?

[PalaDolphin]

I unintentionally unplugged my Canon Pro-100 printer without powering it off. It complained and felt I should be properly trained in the proper way to power off itself. This avoids damage to the print heads due to clogging. I promised it I will never intentionally do that again.

Up until now, I've always left it on just like my computer. But, in the case of a power outage, it's possible there could be a problem.

Should I leave my printer off all the time and only turn it on to print? Does turning it on and off use up ink? What do you guys do?

 

[The Hat]

All my printers are set to go asleep 30 minutes after been in use, and at days end I always power off the sockets to all my computer equipment, I am not a believer of leaving any computer or printer on for no good reason, I reckon you waste more than you save.

What reason would you have for leaving a printer on, it has a sleep mode so why not use it, and by printing regularly your ink wastage is cut to a minimum anyway, this 60-hour cleaning thing is just a myth, the printer will do what it has to do anyway, this can be check by the use a printer Potty over a twelve month period.

A much bigger savings can be had by replacing all cartridges when one shows low, and whether you choose to leave your printer on 24/7 or not you need to clean the purge area (Parting Station) yourself manually at least every six or eight weeks to keep the printer in perfect running order, (This requires powering off)....

 

[arw4]

I absolutely agree with @The Hat on this. There had existed a school of thought which claims that if we leave our printers on 24/7, they will consume less ink. I have followed this advice in the past, but no longer do so. I now do similar to @The Hat, although my printer's auto sleep function is currently set to 120 minutes. In practice, I have found this has no detrimental effect in terms of ink consumption.

On the other hand, consolidating your printing tasks may have a positive effect in reducing your overall ink consumption, rather than printing the odd page or photograph here and there. I also tend to avoid inspecting the cartridges more than necessary. Doing otherwise will tend to induce more self-cleaning cycles.

 

[PalaDolphin]

Thank you, both @The Hat and @arw4 for this valuable information. You can't control power outages.

 

[vienna01]

All my printers are set to go asleep 30 minutes after been in use, and at days end I always power off the sockets to all my computer equipment, I am not a believer of leaving any computer or printer on for no good reason, I reckon you waste more than you save.

What reason would you have for leaving a printer on, it has a sleep mode so why not use it, and by printing regularly your ink wastage is cut to a minimum anyway, this 60-hour cleaning thing is just a myth, the printer will do what it has to do anyway, this can be check by the use a printer Potty over a twelve month period.

A much bigger savings can be had by replacing all cartridges when one shows low, and whether you choose to leave your printer on 24/7 or not you need to clean the purge area (Parting Station) yourself manually at least every six or eight weeks to keep the printer in perfect running order, (This requires powering off)....

What is PRINTER POTTY?

 

[PeterBJ]

It is an external waste ink container sold by Octoinkjet UK. It is easier to empty this container than replacing or cleaning the ink absorbers.

 

[palombian]

I absolutely agree with @The Hat on this. There had existed a school of thought which claims that if we leave our printers on 24/7, they will consume less ink. I have followed this advice in the past, but no longer do so. I now do similar to @The Hat, although my printer's auto sleep function is currently set to 120 minutes. In practice, I have found this has no detrimental effect in terms of ink consumption.

On the other hand, consolidating your printing tasks may have a positive effect in reducing your overall ink consumption, rather than printing the odd page or photograph here and there. I also tend to avoid inspecting the cartridges more than necessary. Doing otherwise will tend to induce more self-cleaning cycles.

The 60 hrs "myth" is documented in detail in the maintenance manual of the PRO9500 MkI, not in the MKII - known for using much less ink for cleaning.
Ink loss when changing carts is rather moderate, and not such a problem since the ink counter can be reset and a potty added just in case.

For a refiller the life of the printer (one you can maintain yourself or at least refill, something you don't know with a new one) is more important than the ink cost.​

I can't prove leaving the PRO9500 II on and printing a nozzle check every 2 days saves ink.
The only advantage is that it spreads maintenance over time and not when you have an urgent print.

My Maxify is programmed on during the day only for convenience, this one is a quick starter and moderate on ink maintenance processes. But do not touch a cartridge or you pump a pool of ink in the ink absorbers (you officially cannot with reason).

I had other printers installed (ex IX6550) which started automatically when receiving a print job.

 

[arw4]

For a refiller the life of the printer (one you can maintain yourself or at least refill, something you don't know with a new one) is more important than the ink cost.

That is certainly an important consideration, @palombian, but is likely to become more significant relative to the initial amount invested. And, of course, the initial investment is not necessarily limited solely to the purchase price of the printer, but could encompass a whole raft of other costs according to the intended printing purposes of the end user.

 

[arw4]

Here's a interesting little article from Which? following their research into ink consumption.

https://www.which.co.uk/news/2017/04/which-printer-tests-reveal-4000-ink-waste/

 

[stratman]

That is certainly an important consideration, @palombian, but is likely to become more significant relative to the initial amount invested. And, of course, the initial investment is not necessarily limited solely to the purchase price of the printer, but could encompass a whole raft of other costs according to the intended printing purposes of the end user.

Also known as "Total Cost of Ownership" (TCO).

I think @palombian 's point is that since quality refill ink is inexpensive when compared to OEM ink then the lifetime of an expensive PRO printer is the key factor in TCO. You are going to buy ink and paper regardless. A resetter and tools for refilling are initial up front costs that generally last a long time and are well offset, as are the bulk ink costs, over time when compared to the costs of OEM ink alone. What you do not want to do is buy the expensive printer too often.

Of course, what your intent and expectations with/of your prints may shift priorities and costs. For example, if you plan on selling your prints then OEM inks are probably advisable.