Refilling the new Canon PG-40, PG-50, CL 41 and CL 51

[alexandereci]

Thanks for the heads up on integrated printheads for light printing. I did not consider this fact. I was along the idea of integrated printhead = replaceable printhead in case something goes wrong.

Does this mean that for heavy-duty, high-quality jobs, it is better to use non-integrated printheads? Since you have a 4000 and 5200, what is the difference in the print quality of those printers with that of a printer using an integrated printhead?

Again, I greatly appreciate your help, thanks!

 

[mikling]

Failing by design simply means you build something good enough to last only so long. I did mention the refilling aspect is really like overclocking your CPU, you are essentially scavenging the "extra engineering" built into the cartridge head. The cartridge was never meant for refilling from a design standpoint, so like the other poster said, keep an open mind on what to expect because like all manufactured products, it also depends on luck of the draw. You cannot expect Canon to put in a similar head that is built into fixed head printer into disposable cartridges.
But also keep this in mind for the future, the irony is that the better Canon or HP gets at mastering the yield on printhead manufacturing variables, the better they can get at actually designing the head to fail sooner after the first fill. Right now they are still giving you plenty of safety factors to exploit.

 

[alexandereci]

Well, that sux. Hmmm... if a replaceable cartridge-and-printhead combo is "just waiting for it to fail" and with the price of a black and colored cartridge equal to or exceeding the cost of a new printer, well, I think its not looking good for my Canon prospect. However, an Epson printer that I'm considering has an ink set that costs about half or 3/5th of a new printer, and that makes about more sense to me.

Is it safe to assume that printheads that are NOT integrated on the cart is a printhead built to last and not "give up" after a certain amount of time?

 

[headphonesman]

" Is it safe to assume that printheads that are NOT integrated on the cart is a printhead built to last and not "give up" after a certain amount of time? "

With the current knowledge, in the circumstances you propose to use your printer, ....the broad answer is yes.
As Mikling points out, head integral carts are probably designed to last the life of the original ink , how much longer they can be made to last by a refiller is what I am amusing myself with.

Be aware that printheads that do not have carts , fall into 2 sorts, the Epson kind and the Canon kind. The Epson runs "cool", the Canon "hot" (I cannot give the technical description) . The Epson (some people say) is prone to clogging because of the "cool" head design, the Canon prone to "frying" a nozzle if a color is allowed to run dry .
Another difference between these heads is that the Epson is not user replaceable , the Canon is, (tho the latter is quite expensive unless you shop around, but lots do keep spare heads ready, ( I do , for the 4000, 4200 and the 5200 )

"printhead built to last "..............Please note no printhead can last forever......It will probably be the first thing to go on the printer .........after a decent passage of time one hopes....in the case of a seperate head.
Which to get , Epson or Canon ??..............entirely up to you.......its 50/50 in my opinion, it will be entertaining for you to keep whichever you get to keep it functioning as cheaply and as long as possible, but you do have to work at it.

 

[mikling]

headphonesman, the piezo head is used commercially for a reason and that is because if used on a commercial basis / heavy basis the clogging issue from ink drying out is a non issue and it's durability is far superior over a thermal head like Canon or HP's. Yes, Epson has the reputation of clogging but I wholly suspect that stems from light usage.
Clogging can come from dried ink and these can be cleared with patience and techniques if it does occur. It is difficult though.
The other area of clogging is from physical particles. and these cannot be easily cleared because we have foreign matter lodged inside the passageways. There is a reason why Epson went away from foam/sponge cartridges as their head nozzles and passageways became smaller. Foam breaks down, it is unavoidable. Get the particles in your head and it's toast. Their cartridges use a spongeless system to avoid this. Now start using spongebased compatible cartridges on the Epson and as long as the sponge in it is of a good quality, you'll be ok. Get a bad batch of cartridges and good luck to your head. The trouble is I've seen too many chinese quality items at ridiculous prices and they get there by getting anything cheaper whenever and wherever they can. So draw your conclusions. The key thing with the Epson is print regularly, use good ink and refill your original Epson cartrdiges. Do the preceding and the myths of the Epson dissapears. If you're a light user of printing, stay away from the Epson... avoid it. Get an integrated cartridge printer if you're a light user because even Canon with fixed printheads do clog as well with period of non use.

 

[alexandereci]

Can you please clarify "light" and "heavy" usage? How many pages per day/week/month constitues what?

And does printing a CYM and black once a week enough to prevent a clogged Epson head?

 

[alexandereci]

Checking up on headphonesman:
How's the print heads (CL-40/41) going? Can you give me an estimate on how much you have printed so far, and how often you have refilled? BTW, do you print on paper or print photos on photo paper?

Thanks!

 

[hpnetserver]

I tend to agree with headphonesman. I have had my ip8500 for almost two years. It is still going strong after lots of photos printed. Thermal print head needs cooling, which is done by the ink that flows through the print head. Print head clogging is a print head killer. Once clogged and if not cleared fast the print head will die from overheating due to lack of cooling. Integrated print head is not likely to last long. Why would Canon want to build it to last for you to refill?

 

[headphonesman]

"Checking up on headphonesman:
How's the print heads (CL-40/41) going? Can you give me an estimate on how much you have printed so far, and how often you have refilled? BTW, do you print on paper or print photos on photo paper?"

With regard to the above:

I do not keep records of the amount I have printed, but it is my "daily" printer for all e-mails and web pages.
In the last week I printed 12 A4 gloss paper photos in one session, weekly I usually do 3-4 Glossy A4s.
Because I have lost the Ink Monitor facility, I usually add more ink every fortnight to bring the sponges back to their normal level, i.e. ink just showing some saturation under the top surface of the sponge.

I have recently obtained empty color carts 41 and 51 from a friend who doesn`t re-fill. I think the "Heavy Yield" 51 is just a 41 with more ink injected, they look the same to me.

They were not protected from drying in the head area and had just been replaced in their original containers.
I tested them they were showing steady yellow lights (low ink status- not yet fully gone). Nozzle check on one showed no magenta at all, the other no yellow , magenta, or cyan !!!!!!!.
After refilling all I ran nozzle checks and managed very patchy / streaky results. Then I did 3 deep cleans and 1 normal clean on each , testing in between with nozzle checks which indicated successive improvement . They are now working perfectly and I have installed one to enable my "original" to take a rest (protecting the head from drying out with the proper clear tape )

Indications are that provided no color is run dry for too long the heads can be quite robust.

 

[feras_L]

hi i have a canon Pixma MP150. when i wanted to refill the cartridge i didnt know where should i inject the ink. i mean the position of the holes for both black and color cartridges. if anyone have a graph of somthing about it i will be thankfull.