Replacing a Canon Pixma ip4000

[jayjay22]

Hello, I have been a forum user for awhile, and I regret not having participated more. In the future I will make an effort to participate and share what knowledge I can with every user of this incredible forum. That said, I feel that after a bit over 2 years of owning my Canon Pixma IP4000 it has gone to the great printer heaven in the sky. It no longer prints correctly and I have tried all the methods shown on here for cleaning it, including distilled water, Isopropyl Alcohol, Windex with Ammonia D, etc... I have given up on it mostly because I really wasn't too crazy about it all along anyway. It was a decent printer when it worked, but quite honestly I spent more time unclogging the printhead than I did printing. I used only hobbicolors blanks and inks the whole time. Part of it may have been my fault since I would often print a ton of stuff and then leave it sitting not printing anything for several weeks.
However, I have decided to try an epson since I know people seem to have good success with the CIS systems for them. I am looking for suggestions on a good epson in the mid price range $100-$150 which will fulfill the following wants:
1. Compatible with a CIS system
2. Prints directly to cd's/dvd's (I think most epsons include this)
3. Borderless printing capability up to 8 1/2 x 11 (my understanding is that most epsons have this anyway)
Thus far I am looking at the Epson Stylus Photo R380 along with the following CIS system off ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=300160465273&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=020 Does this look like a decent printer for my needs? I mostly tend to print full color custom DVD covers and never have printed alot of photos, but want to start.
Lastly, does anyone have any experience with the CIS system in the auction above or a similar one? Do they work well most of the time without many problems? Also, wondering if epsons tend to clog as much as canons? Many many thanks for anyone who took the time to read this and offer suggestions. I look forward to hearing from you guys. Thanks again, Gary

 

[billkunert]

You might want to check www.inksupply.com (MIS Supply) and look at what they have to offer. They specialize in all things Epson including CIS and excellent ink. I've used their HP ink for years with zero problems. They also have quite a bit of info on the site.

 

[on30trainman]

What are you going to do with your old ip4000? Don't trash it. Heck I would be interested in it, especially if it is only a printhead problem. I have been using my ip4000 for over two years now - been using Hobbicolors inks for over a year. Replaced the printhead about a year ago and it has been working perfectly since. Had an EPSON a few years ago - always had problems with clogs and the printer wanted to do a cleaning cycle everytime I turned it on.

Steve W.

 

[jayjay22]

Hello, Many thanks to both of you for your reply..

Billkunert, thanks for the link, inksupply does seem like a quality supplier. One thing I wonder though is why the drastic difference in price between the CIS on ebay and the one on inksupply. The ebay one is $65.00 while the inksupply one is $240.00. The ebay one seems much nicer and looks easier to use. Please correct me if I am wrong. I know the old addage that you get what you pay for, but sometimes there is a diamond in the rough.

on30trainman I would not trash my ip4000, since I know they are highly sought after in some aspects by people who are well versed in refilling these cartridges. I want to try a couple more things before i totally give up on it, but i am quite sure that I will be picking up a new printer soon. If I decide to get rid of it once i am sure i can't get it working, I would be willing to sell it to you for $30 plus actual shipping cost if you want. Keep in mind I don't know if it is just the printhead or something else, but with the exception of certain colors not printing, mainly blacks, everything else works. Let me know if you have any questions. I'll keep you updated on my progress with the 4000 and the search for a new printer.

If anyone else has suggestions, please share them, I would like to know what people think of this epson r380 or any other printer you think may be good for my needs.

Thanks, gary

 

[billkunert]

I think the ebay unit includes an awful lot of ink for the price and I can't believe it's of great quality. MIS products are not inexpensive but they do represent decent value for money spent and they will support their customers.

 

[jayjay22]

Billkunert, thanks for taking time to answer. I definitely know what you mean about the value provided, but I really can't afford to spend $240 on a CIS system, especially since I still will have to buy the printer which will be about another $100. I would like to find something that is good quality but a bit less expensive. I have looked at the kyson vista systems at http://www.kyson.yangportal.com/Epson R260 K.htm and they are more reasonably priced at $114 for the system including pigmented ink. It looks quite alot like the system being sold on ebay though. I want to make sure it is not the same system. Does anyone have any experience with Kyson Vista Ink Systems? Please let me know what you think. Thanks again for the replies and keep them coming.

Update: Upon examination of the pics for both systems, the Kyson Vista ink system is indeed different than the one I was looking at on ebay although they do look similar in many ways.

 

[canonfodder]

Jayjay22,

I have no experience with the CIS you are looking at, but I do have a serious suggestion.

Many have reported less than ideal results from the unknown source inks coming from the orient. The low cost of the imported CIS systems is quite attractive, but you should consider this:

Buy a low cost CIS, probably on eBay, but buy an empty one. I have seen empties for sale there at times. If you have setup trouble, seek the seller's help. They will usually try pretty hard to get you satisfied.

Buy your ink from a reliable US source. It wont be as cheap, but it wont be all that expensive either. You should consider:

http://www.inksupply.com/ selling MIS inks(reported to be Ink Specialty inks)

http://www.precisioncolors.com selling Ink Specialty inks

http://hobbicolors.com/ selling Hobbicolors inks

http://www.alotofthings.com/viartshop/index.php selling Formulabs inks

The good suppliers really do have inks formulated especially for your printer and they control their formulations. The low cost import inks can be good or bad, with no consistency.

 

[jonalava]

Hi Gary,

I understand how canons can be frustrating when they stop to print in the great way they did when new. I had a couple of canons from the i and ip series and had problems with all of them when trying to use compatible carts. I find that they prefer refilled canon OEM carts. Anyway, this was too much trouble for me and I decided to try an epson, even if everyone was saying they were clog monsters. And I new this was true because I saw at least 2 clogged epsons in the past. But...

So I went with an R220. Basic, but perfect quality! Sure, you don't have an LCD, an autoduplexing function and it is kinda slow, but at least you can print to CD without modifying the printer (like the first canons which only had this option in Europe). And the newer models (R260 and R280) are supposed to be a lot faster with even smaller dot size. And the 6 colors printing really do a difference when it comes to shading, skin tones and dark areas. You sure SEE the difference! Of course, epson is not as good with text, but it is doing what it can with the photo black.

In 1 year, I only had 1 clog on the Epson R220 (a pretty bad one) after trying some really bad aftermarket carts. But the printer came back to life like a charm only after spraying some Windex on the parking pads. No need to touch some important and fragile parts!

As for ink, you mention pigment. Keep in mind that these printers (R220, R260 and R280) were not made for pigment ink but some people report it is working. I am pretty sure it is more prone to clogging then. I tried many compatible ink brands (MMC, G&G, Colorful and no name ones) and refillable empties (with ink provided as "made by Image Specialists" from Inkjetcarts on ebay; probably not true as I had a lot of bronzing with this product) with no success. I found the miracle cart : made by skyhore but sold under the inkmanufactory brand on ebay. Really cheap, superb color accuracy and I like the 2 parts design (you reset the frame and change the inner tank).

Hope this helps.

 

[jayjay22]

canonfodder, thanks so much for the great suggestion, I will check into ebay and see if I can find a decent empty CIS and then get the INK from one of the sites you gave.
jonalava, I definitely appreciate your comments and suggestions. If I ever decide to get back to using cartridges I will check into them. However I am definitely set on getting a CIS because I don't want to deal with cartridges anymore, because I do too much printing. Thanks very much to everybody for the great input and advice, and if anyone else has something to add, I would like the input. It will be a couple weeks or so before I can buy a new printer so keep the suggestions coming.

 

[tyamada]

jayjay22

Before you trash the ip4000 you should try a new print head, I had problems with mine and destroyed the head by trying to clean it using a ultrasonic cleaner. I ordered a new print head from Canon for about $40.00 plus shipping. Installed it and new Hobby Color ink and cartridges, I now have a working printer that prints a perfect test.