Using the black

[Giancarlo]

On the Canon MX870 there is of course the smaller BK221 & the larger PGBK220 black cartridges. Two questions: first; is there any difference in these two cartridges as far as purpose, functionality or quality goes? and second; if either of these cartridges goes empty does the printer then automatically use up the other one? Reason I ask is my smaller one reads nearly empty (and has for a while) but keeps on printing, and it seems that the larger cartridge is doing down instead?
Thanks in advance, Giancarlo

 

[PeterBJ]

The larger PGBK220 cartridge is used only for printing plain paper documents. It gives a sharper and more waterproof print than the smaller CLI-221 dye black cartridge. Pigment black is only suitable for plain paper, so for other printing media like photo paper, high resolution paper and printable disks the dye black is used instead.

 

[Giancarlo]

Very informative. So if i'm almost always simply printing PDF docs or articles from the web on standard quality or fast and at greyscale settings it would seem I would seldom be using the cli-221cartridge. If so, I wonder why I go thu them with some degree of regularity? I never print photos or pictures and rarely anything in color. Lastly, when I look into the cli-221 cartridge it seems empty but keeps on printing. I have learned in the past that a low warning from canon might still be good for another 50 pages of type. Should I not worry about the near empty cartridge as far as drying out anything in the nozzles?

 

[The Hat]

I reckon you stop all of your colour printing immediately at least till you can refill or replace the smaller BK 221 black cartridge; otherwise you’ll run the risk of damaging your print head.

 

[Łukasz]

Adding something to PeterBJ, in x20/x21 ink type printers and newer, using one on more of following options forces CLI-BK instead of PGBK:
- auto duplex printing
- borderless printing
- photo printing (see media type mentioned by PeterBJ)
- cd printing

Also some quirks in Windows can force CLI-BK instead of PGBK, no matter of other options enabled.

Ł.

P.S.
Dried/clogged nozzles in CLI-BK printhead (narrow black ink tank) are by far most common reason for dreaded errors: U052 (1403), B200 and 5200.

 

[PeterBJ]

Also some quirks in Windows can force CLI-BK instead of PGBK, no matter of other options enabled.

I have sometimes noticed text printed from a .pdf file in dark grey instead of black, so I think some .pdf files can also force the use of dye black instead of pigment black in plain paper documents.

 

[turbguy]

I have sometimes noticed text printed from a .pdf file in dark grey instead of black, so I think some .pdf files can also force the use of dye black instead of pigment black in plain paper documents.

I've never been satisfied WHAT .pdf documents are...at times they act more like an image rather than text..it's like a mix of text and image.

 

[Smile]

I've never been satisfied WHAT .pdf documents are...at times they act more like an image rather than text..it's like a mix of text and image.

PDF can be raster (image) and vector.

 

[turbguy]

PDF can be raster (image) and vector.

Yes...types of IMAGE files...but with text elements potentially embedded. At times you can highlight the text and copy/paste it. If you were working with a PURE image file, I don't see how that task is possible (unless there's OCR going on in the background).

If it's an IMAGE file, then the printer driver could use photo-black (dye) ink for the purpose.

 

[The Hat]

You are both right PDF’s are a law onto themselves and can use dye ink solely or a mixture of both dye/pigment, it really depend on what type of PDF it is and how it was generated..