Canon I850 ink consumption question

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J

jkh

I am very impressed with the small amount of ink used to print all the
photos the last couple days. mostly testing and playing..

For text I notice it uses alot of ink on plain paper. I adjusted the
black intensity in the manual color adjustment window all the way to
the left with no noticable printing difference.

Does anyone know if this actually saves or cuts back ink at all, if
so, what would be the approximate percentage of usage saved on the
black?

I appreciate any input.. thanks to the group..
 
jkh said:
I am very impressed with the small amount of ink used to print all the
photos the last couple days. mostly testing and playing..

For text I notice it uses alot of ink on plain paper. I adjusted the
black intensity in the manual color adjustment window all the way to
the left with no noticable printing difference.

Does anyone know if this actually saves or cuts back ink at all, if
so, what would be the approximate percentage of usage saved on the
black?

I appreciate any input.. thanks to the group..
Click to expand...

You see, you got yourself all befuddled, worrying about percentages,
intensity settings, pennies saved. You're not enjoying the freedom of
having a printer. What fun is it if you're afraid to print anything
because of the cost (reducing intensity to save money). I mean, really!

I refill with quality bulk ink - 250 ml for $22.50 ($CDN), enough
ink to refill the larger black cartridge 10 times. 1 black Canon
cartridge in Canada costs about $25 with taxes. For that same money I
can refill about 10 times!

With bulk ink, ink consumption means absolutely NOTHING to me anymore.
I can print out phone books if need be. ;-)

I use inks from www.atlanticinkjet.com
Note: for convenience they have separate divisions in the US and Canada.

Live a little!

-Taliesyn
 
You see, you got yourself all befuddled, worrying about percentages,
intensity settings, pennies saved. You're not enjoying the freedom of
having a printer. What fun is it if you're afraid to print anything
because of the cost (reducing intensity to save money). I mean,
really!

I refill with quality bulk ink - 250 ml for $22.50 ($CDN), enough
ink to refill the larger black cartridge 10 times. 1 black Canon
cartridge in Canada costs about $25 with taxes. For that same money I
can refill about 10 times!

With bulk ink, ink consumption means absolutely NOTHING to me anymore.
I can print out phone books if need be. ;-)

I use inks from www.atlanticinkjet.com
Note: for convenience they have separate divisions in the US and
Canada.

Live a little!

-Taliesyn
Click to expand...

Taliesyn,
Allow me a side question: I spoke with local ink reseller, which have i550
model like me and he said that it's good idea to replace cart every 5-6
refills since in his printer after about 8-10 th refill all ink was spilled
into printer. So i wonder, can really happen that container begin to leak?
I just kind of hesitate since i tried ( unsuccesfully) to refill three
Lexmark inks, probably with (too) cheap ink, but still... this one i'm
considering is of better quality (i hope) since the man says it's not
universal (as it was with Lexmark case), but specific to printer.
THX!
 
Yes, these cartridges eventually have to be replaced, maybe after 8-10
times. What starts to go first is the sponge, it supposedly starts to
break down with age. Don't know if this causes leakage, as I haven't
refilled anywhere near 8 to 10 times yet. In my system I have two
complete sets of genuine Canon cartridges which I refill. When 1
colour
reads low I remove all three colours and replace them with the 2nd
refill set. I then refill the ones I took out and store them. Changing
all three as a unit is more practical as you don't have to worry about
one color going empty while on a print job.

Leakage can also be caused by a bad seal. I use special, very tiny
stainless steel set screws, size 2-56 x 1/8. They look neat on your
cartridge and work perfectly. They are about the size of this letter
"I" (width and height). They are quite impossible to find in stores.
If you need the online dealer where I got mine from, let me know.
I got 20 set screws for $2.90. You'll also need to order the special
matching size Allen key, can't be found in stores).

-Taliesyn
Click to expand...

Aha. SO, basically, you drill a tiny winy hole in the top into plastic, fill
ink and put srew in it. Wise indeed.
How do you store it - i guess you seal bottom with some kind of tape to
prevent drying...or maybe you use original cap, but if i remember correct,
it had to be teared off...So, this whole cart must be totally sealed? Maybe
here is the catch of leaking at that guy.
 
Yes, the drill hole (near the top back corner) has to be a bit smaller
than the set screw in order to have a very tight fit so that no air
gets
in and causes a leak. Also, the set screw should be stainless to
prevent
rust - you don't want rust in your print head!). If anyone wants the
web
site for the screws and special Allen key, go to: microfasteners.com

For filling and storage purposes, fortunately I kept the original
orange break-off caps. Just wrap some tight rubber bands around
the cap and cartridge. After refilling you can store them in a
"Zip-Lock" type bag to further reduce the possibility of drying.

The set-screw/rubber-band-over-cap system works perfectly, didn't lose
a drop in the process of my last refill. When I removed the rubber
bands
and the cap, there wasn't even a loose drop over the exit hole.

-Taliesyn
Click to expand...

Thanks for this info. I guess i'll give it a try soon.
 
These are the easiest ink cartridges to refill. By refilling, ink cost is
minimized to the point where it isn't worth talking about. I also have found
Red River paper is so close to Canon Paper pro that you can cut paper cost
in half. Between the two it is very cheap to use these printers. I have a
i950 that has two additional colors but except for a little time to refill I
don't look at ink cost anymore. You can't enjoy printing pictures if cost is
a concern.
 
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