Tom said:
I'm looking for a good printer after the last two HP inkjet had paper feed
problems no more HP for me.
I only need printing and scanning no fax capability. Most printing is
text and Google maps. My printing needs are not that much. I'm looking at
the Canon Pixma MP610 which gets very good reviews on Amazon. I believe
it uses CLi-8 inkjet cartridges four color including black and another
black cartridge for text printing. . My concern is can I refill the
canon cartridges? If so, which refill ink do I use? Aren't the newer
inkjet printers using a different ink? Any comments for Canon mp 610
inkjet users are most welcome. What should I do to stop the inkjet
cartridges from clogging up I don't print that much?
Thanks,
Tom
CLi-8 and PGI-5 cartridges can be refilled easily. Hobbicolors, Precision
Colors, MIS, and Alotofthings are reputable vendors that have ink for these
carts. With each cart that you refill you will get a nag screen that you
are at risk of losing your warranty. You can override it and continue
printing. Canon plays a dirty trick on you at that point and disables the
ink level monitor, so you will have to monitor it visually. No problem as
the carts are clear and removing them all, one at a time, to check the level
takes less than 30 seconds. When you consider that two sets of refills will
save you the cost of a replacement printer, the warranty has little value.
See if you can scounge up a set of empty carts, purge them (info on the
Nifty stuff forum), and refill them to create a spare set so you can
replace a nearly empty one in the printer and refill at your leasure. I
went to a Staples store where they give customers a credit for turning in
certain brand empty carts. The don't refund for Canon carts, but some
customers throw them into the bin anyway. I asked the manager for the empty
canon carts as they weren't part of their return credit policy and she gave
me almost 100 carts. Most were BCI-6, but there were a dozen CLI-8's as
well.
The other issue, however, is more critical. All inkjet printheads can clog
if not used somewhat frequently. With Canon OEM ink carts costing up to $14
per cart, many people are reluctant to print very much. With refill inks
that reduce the price of a refilled cart to about $1 US you should have no
reluctance to print at least one color photo or full color print twice a
week. In addition, if you have access to a Costco store you can use their
Kirkland glossy photo paper which prints color photos beautifully and is
very inexpensive. 4x6 paper is aoburt $14 for a box of 300 , and a 125 box
of 8.5x11 size is about $19.
You will get lots of information on refilling these carts (same as bci-6 and
bci-3ebk), purging them when they start to get some dried ink in the sponge
area, plus tips and tricks on the Nifty stuff forum. Another tip - don't
let the reservoir part of the cart get more than 80% empty before refilling.
You will get more refills this way prior to purging the cart of dried ink,
and you will avoid running a cart dry and damaging the printhead.
Above all, disregard the posts that inevitably follow advice on aftermarket
inks by our resident troll, Measekite. He is the international distributor
of misinformation on all things non-OEM!
http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/