i9900 is currently available for $411 + S/H from Newegg.
It now appears that owning an i9900 seems to be more cost-effective.
If you plan to refill manualy, and you don't plan to buy refillable
cartridges, then the new chipped printers are an option. They will
accept more ink, you just need to use OEM cartridges. You do have to
disable the ink meter, it will pop up and ask "warning continuing
printing will possibly cause damage" or something to that effect. But
if you plan to use non-oem cartridges... like refillable or
prefilled... there presently isn't a solution that i'm aware of.
But it's possible you absolutly must have the 8 color printer. As
Measekite has pointed out the i9900 doesn't have some features that the
ip8500 would. CD printing is handy is the only real feature that i9900
totally lacks. But $425 is totally worth it. Claiming warranty status
from newegg seems to be easy as pie, I didn't have to submit my
paperwork for my mp760 that was defunct.
The new printers are chipped, and are not presently out.
http://www.steves-digicams.com/pr/canon_02212006_pixmapro_pr.html
Most notable is the pro9500 which offers pigment ink. This I will keep
a close eye on to see if it's the same ink they sell in their 125ml
cartridges for their new wide printers. If so there would be an option
to use OEM at only 1/2 the cost, but that data is presenly unavailable
as these printers have not hit the market yet. But to be clear, the
pro9000 is chipped with cli-8 tanks, and the pro9500 is likely chipped
with PGI-?i tanks.
I have a question for Frank. Any opinion on the performance of MSI ink
(from Costco) vs. Hobbicolor? Craig
I'll jump in like burt.
MSI - does not exist
MIS -
www.inksupply.com
IMS - Costco
MIS sells Image Specalists ink. It's OK stuff. According to the tests
i've seen it's not as fade resistant as OEM.
IMS from costco is generic ink and simply is not reccomended. There is
a visiable difference in print quality from OEM or even MIS on an older
canon... BJ-2000 IIRC. I'll work.. but will fade *so fast* from my
experence. In all fairness it's 1/2 the price of MIS. Near as i'm
aware they don't offer Red or Green ink.
Hobbicolors I know nothing about personaly, though I do plan to order
some as the price of the ink and blank cartridges is as low as a set of
blanks from elsewhere.