Refilling Question

[mccoady]

With help from this forum I was able to refill my Canon ip4300 CLI-8/PGI-5 cartridges using the German Refill Method with IS ink... I'm using OEM Canon carts I have 3 of each color as backups.

My question is this, when refilling the cartridges most refill it from anywhere from 75%-85% or somewhere in that vicinity and I'm not sure how this compares to a new Canon OEM cartridge when bought new retail. With these refilled OEM carts (and chip setter) is my Canon printer still going to alert me as before when the cartridge is low and also when I need to replace it?

 

[mikling]

On Canon printers such as yours, there is an optical sensing system built into the printer and cartridges. This sensing system will detect when the tank or reservoir is empty of ink. So irregardless of what the chip actually indicates, this sensing system will warn you if the tank is empty and then indicate that you are running low. That is about when you can refill or schedule to do so. At this point the chip might not indicate empty. What happens is that when the printer detects the tank side has run out, it knows how much ink is actually left on the sponge side and then will run the chip down to match. After it has exhausted the sponge side by a fixed amount of printing, it then indicates it is empty.

This optical sensing system only functions when the chip is active or the ink level monitor ( should be estimator really) software is working. So this is another benefit to having a chip resetter or functioning chips. The optical system with functioning chips is the only true method of determining if you have ink in the cartridge tank or reservoir. So whether you refill it 75% or 85% or 25% , the optical system will always warn of when the tank/reservoir is empty provided the chips are functional.

 

[The Hat]

With help from this forum I was able to refill my Canon ip4300 CLI-8/PGI-5 cartridges using the German Refill Method with IS ink... I'm using OEM Canon carts I have 3 of each color as backups.

My question is this, when refilling the cartridges most refill it from anywhere from 75%-85% or somewhere in that vicinity and I'm not sure how this compares to a new Canon OEM cartridge when bought new retail. With these refilled OEM carts (and chip setter) is my Canon printer still going to alert me as before when the cartridge is low and also when I need to replace it?

I tried numerous ways to find out just when the CLI-8 cartridge was empty
by refilling a half-full cartridge but not resetting it.

You would expect the low warning to pop up when the cartridge was half full again but it didnt.
The low warning signal came up after the reservoir was empty
which in my case was in fact one and a half fills later.

So regardless of how much you fill the reservoir in your cartridge whether its 75% to 90%
the low ink warning will always come up when the reservoir is empty and so can be safely used as an indication
as to when to remove and refilled the cartridge again. (+ Reset)

When the reservoir is empty the cartridge still has another 20% or more ink left in it,
so if you continue to print after the first warning the next message will show cartridge is empty
and the printer will stop its self, but there is still a little ink left in the cartridge just to protect the print head.

This is one good reason for using only OEM cartridges as this calculation is based on
the amount of ink that the OEM sponge can hold and therefore it is pretty accurate..

mikling got in just before me..

 

[stratman]

My question is this, when refilling the cartridges most refill it from anywhere from 75%-85% or somewhere in that vicinity and I'm not sure how this compares to a new Canon OEM cartridge when bought new retail.

IIRC, new Canon OEM CLI cartridges are filled to a level approximately 3-4 mm from the top of the spongeless side. A CLI-8 Black new OEM Canon, never opened, that I've had for ~3 years appears to have a fill 3 mm from the top. I fill my cartridges to a level from 2-4 mm, occasionally more, and print until the printer marks them as empty. Actually, I print until one cartridge reads empty and then refill all, but you get the point. I have never run out of ink and the printer kept printing. Never.

Refilling as per above does not require refilling at the Low Ink warning. Canon designed their system to have usable residual ink left in the sponge even after the Empty message occurs, reported as up to 1 ml of ink, presumably as a margin of safety to prevent consumers from burning their print heads out while following directions for use and replacement of cartridges. Your comfort level, however, will dictate your refilling method and schedule.

 

[mccoady]

Thanks for all the responses and explaining things in detail I wasn't sure when to refill the carts.

I wasn't aware of the optical sensing system I will continue to use the cartridges until they read empty like I've always done with new Canon retail cartridges and then refill/reset chip.

 

[stratman]

... I will continue to use the cartridges until they read empty like I've always done with new Canon retail cartridges and then refill/reset chip.

Just to be clear and complete: For my method of refilling to work you must allow the sponge to absorb ink during the refill and then top off the sponegeless side to within 2-4 mm from the top. Also, if a cartridge were to leak for whatever reason you must stop the leak and refill. The reason is the chip, which presumable counts something in order to register "Empty", is completely unaware of actual ink amounts in the cartridge. You could reset the chip on an empty cartridge and neither the chip nor the printer - including the optical ink sensor - will prevent printing.

 

[Big_Al]

... I will continue to use the cartridges until they read empty like I've always done with new Canon retail cartridges and then refill/reset chip.

Just to be clear and complete: For my method of refilling to work you must allow the sponge to absorb ink during the refill and then top off the sponegeless side to within 2-4 mm from the top. Also, if a cartridge were to leak for whatever reason you must stop the leak and refill. The reason is the chip, which presumable counts something in order to register "Empty", is completely unaware of actual ink amounts in the cartridge. You could reset the chip on an empty cartridge and neither the chip nor the printer - including the optical ink sensor - will prevent printing.

1. Now I am confused on the CLI-8 ink cartridges- What is the usefullness of the optical ink sensor?
2. The CLI-6 has no chip, and I would guess there is an optical ink sensor that lets one know when the ink is low.
3. I gave my Granddaughter a Canon iP6000D with four CLI-6 cartridges and two CLI-8 cartridges. Will the CLI-8 cartridges show when they are low?
Thank you, Al

 

[stratman]

Big_Al:

The optical sensor on printer models using the CLI-8 cartridges, if it works at all, will not immediately kick in and pop up a window alerting to low ink in the specific instance I wrote about. Besides other forum member's testing with similar results, my own single test of the optical sensor, using a cartridge reset but no ink in the spongeless side of a single CLI-8 cartridge, resulted in no immediate warning of low ink despite printing several pages mixed text and color images (web pages) requiring that CLI-8 cartridge color. Purely anecdotal conclusion, but one several others have experienced as well.

 

[ghwellsjr]

1. Now I am confused on the CLI-8 ink cartridges- What is the usefullness of the optical ink sensor?
2. The CLI-6 has no chip, and I would guess there is an optical ink sensor that lets one know when the ink is low.
3. I gave my Granddaughter a Canon iP6000D with four CLI-6 cartridges and two CLI-8 cartridges. Will the CLI-8 cartridges show when they are low?
Thank you, Al

Don't you mean BCI-6 (not CLI-6)?

 

[ghwellsjr]

This is the first I have heard that printers using CLI-8/PGI-5 cartridges actually do anything with the optical sensor. When did this become the new norm?