Question re Canon iP1500

[Mary]

Hi, I have a Canon iP1500 for the last year and so far its been working
fine till last week.
Its more of an all purpose printer and not a great printer but OK for
me. Last week, I got a
new color cart, Staples brand which I use and it has always printed
photos fine. But they had a
little too much pink in them and some were a bit dark. Not terrible, but
I've printed the same photos previously, and they were better before.
I went back to Staples with the color cart and got a Canon color cart.
But photos have an even more pink cast to them. I tried several
cleanings and it says "waste ink absorber is almost full, press Resume
button". It said this when I got the Staples new cart as well. I also
notice after
printing quite a few photos, that the ink level still shows full which
should be down a little by now.
I don't know if the cart is the problem, though seems unlikely, or is
blue and yellow clogged up in the printer? I cleaned the printer as much
as I could taking out the printhead and cleaning it gently,
according to suggestions I saw on this NG, but nothing helped. Is my
printer finished?

MaryW

 

[Davy]

The paper and ink type will have a lot to do with the 'greyscale', i
you print a b&w picture you'll find some paper brands will have
purple cast and some with a greeny cast, same when you change in
brands and printing on Canon paper for example, this tends t
colourise a coloured photograph

You may be able to counteract this somewhat in the printer's drive
window, I have a ip5000 if like mine go to the printer and righ
click Canon, click printing preferances, clicking colour managemen
to manual and then click set where a window will open and there yo
will be able to set the individual colours

For some pictures the Canon likes to have the ICM box ticked and th
intensity control set to +10, you'll get to this in the above settin
- if like mine

Your aim is to get a decent b&w greyscale as it's called then th
you'll rid that colour cast, this means experimenting with differen
brands of ink and paper if other than Canon

One question you could ask is what ink's and paper gives a decen
'output' other than OEM, stay 'tuned' and you may get some usefu
advice in this respect

Dav

 

[measekite]

Hi, I have a Canon iP1500 for the last year and so far its been working
fine till last week.
Its more of an all purpose printer and not a great printer but OK for
me. Last week, I got a
new color cart, Staples brand which I use and it has always printed
photos fine. But they had a
little too much pink in them and some were a bit dark. Not terrible, but
I've printed the same photos previously, and they were better before.
I went back to Staples with the color cart and got a Canon color cart.
But photos have an even more pink cast to them. I tried several
cleanings and it says "waste ink absorber is almost full, press Resume
button". It said this when I got the Staples new cart as well. I also
notice after
printing quite a few photos, that the ink level still shows full which
should be down a little by now.
I don't know if the cart is the problem, though seems unlikely, or is
blue and yellow clogged up in the printer? I cleaned the printer as much
as I could taking out the printhead and cleaning it gently,
according to suggestions I saw on this NG, but nothing helped. Is my
printer finished?

MaryW

YOU FURTHER COMPLICATED YOUR PIECE OF TRASH PRINTER BY PUTTING IN A
GREATER PIECE OF TRASH INK AND YOU GOT WHAT YOU DESERVED. IF YOU FEEL
YOU LEARNED YOUR LESSON THEN GO OUT AND BUY A CANON IP5200.

 

[Mary]

YOU FURTHER COMPLICATED YOUR PIECE OF TRASH PRINTER BY PUTTING IN A
GREATER PIECE OF TRASH INK AND YOU GOT WHAT YOU DESERVED. IF YOU FEEL
YOU LEARNED YOUR LESSON THEN GO OUT AND BUY A CANON IP5200.

What kind of newsgroup is this? I came for some help for a printing
problem, not for some jerk to insult me. And is your caps lock key
stuck? Don't you know it means shouting and is bad netiquette? Don't
bother replying if this is your best advice.

Mary

 

[Mary]

The paper and ink type will have a lot to do with the 'greyscale', if
you print a b&w picture you'll find some paper brands will have a
purple cast and some with a greeny cast, same when you change ink
brands and printing on Canon paper for example, this tends to
colourise a coloured photograph.

I don't print b&w photos. But I am using Kodak photo paper for my Canon
printer. I always used Kodak double sided semi-gloss photo paper with
Staples brand carts and photos printed were always ok.

You may be able to counteract this somewhat in the printer's driver
window, I have a ip5000 if like mine go to the printer and right
click Canon, click printing preferances, clicking colour management
to manual and then click set where a window will open and there you
will be able to set the individual colours.

On my printer, color adjustment can be set in another area. Not under
colour management.
When I put a jpg on the screen and click on print then Properties, under
Main Tab there is a setting Automatic or Manual and you can set for
Manual and there are color adjustments you can make for magenta,blue and
yellow. I could try reducing magenta and see if that reduces the pinkish
cast on my colour photos.

For some pictures the Canon likes to have the ICM box ticked and the
intensity control set to +10, you'll get to this in the above setting
- if like mine.

There is an ICM box ticked in the same area where the colour adjustments
are, but by default its not checked so didn't put a check there as I
don't know what its for.

Your aim is to get a decent b&w greyscale as it's called then the
you'll rid that colour cast, this means experimenting with different
brands of ink and paper if other than Canon.

I am not sure what you mean by greyscale. I only know greyscale is for
b&w photos.

One question you could ask is what ink's and paper gives a decent
'output' other than OEM, stay 'tuned' and you may get some useful
advice in this respect.

Davy

I wonder if the printer has a problem, because of the message "waste ink
absorber is almost full, press Resume button". I've never seen that
message before. Also, I've used same Staples cart and Kodak photo paper
and my prints were always OK with no pinkish cast till now. I only
tried Canon cartridge to see if my photos still had the same pinkish
cast as they had with the Staples brand cart, which it did.
Thanks for your suggestions.

MaryW

 

[Burt]

(snipped Measekite's mean-spirited, unhelpful response to Mary)

What kind of newsgroup is this? I came for some help for a printing
problem, not for some jerk to insult me. And is your caps lock key
stuck? Don't you know it means shouting and is bad netiquette? Don't
bother replying if this is your best advice.

Mary

Mary - you've just encountered our resident obnoxious troll. I can't recall
the last time he was anything but mean spirited and rude. He has a real
thing about aftermarket inks and constantly snipes at anyone who mentions
them. Yes, your canon ip1500 is a low end printer, but if it does
everything you need it to do, there's nothing wrong with your enjoying it.
You have two problems.

One is probably some clogging of the jets which has caused one or more
colors to partially print and results in a color shift. Genuine Canon inks
(OEM) can clog the printhead also. Otherwise there would be no reason for
all inkjet printers to have built in cleaning routines. Clogs usually
happen from letting the printer sit idle for a period of time without
printing. Clogging also can occur after some months or years of use. ;You
can also have a failure of the printhead or the printer circuitry. I've
never used this printer, but it probably has a nozzle check. Run it to see
if you are getting a perfect pattern. The cleaning routine in the printer
software works for very minor clogs. It also uses up ink quickly,
especially with the small volume of ink in the ip1500 carts. Since you know
how to remove the printhead, go on to the Nifty-stuff forum, click on the
FAQ section, and read the first thread about what to do if your printer
doesn't print properly. Lots of info on cleaning a removable Canon
printhead. If, however, you are still under warranty, just contact Canon
and they will send you a new printhead.

The other problem is the nearly full waste ink tank. It isn't really a
tank - it is an absorbent pad inside the bottom of the printer. If you keep
printing now that you've gotten the warning, your printer will absolutely
shut down and you will have to take it to a repair facility to have them
replace the pad and reset the printer internal operating system. Again, on
the Nifty-stuff forum you can find the control codes for some of the Canon
priners that the technicians use to reset the counter that tells you the pad
is full. From what I've read, one reset without replacing the pad doesn't
generally cause the printer to leak ink. Unfortunately, these printers cost
more for the technician to replace the pad and reset them than it would cost
to buy a replacement! This is certainly an anti-consumer bit of technology
that Canons and Epsons employ. The printer doesn't actually measure how
much ink it has accumulated in the pad. It estimates it based on the number
of pages printed plus the number of cleaning cycles that it does, both
automatically and by you when there is a clog.

If you do have to replace the printer, Measekite's advice to get the ip 4200
or ip5200 isn't bad. It's just the mean quality of his message that is
totally inappropriate. Most of us have killfiled him and never see his
posts unless they are repeated by your response. So --- delete his garbage
with any future replies. Unfortunately, the newest pixma printers have
carts with computer chips built in and there are no aftermarket carts
available yet. Hopefully they will become available. The previous
generation pixmas - the ip4000 and ip5000 - have separate color carts and a
ready supply of aftermarket prefilled carts and refill inks. If you can
find one to buy, your replacement inks will be much cheaper. I have found
that businesses like Staples charge almost as much as OEM carts for their
aftermarket inks. Your best buys are on the internet and Nifty-stuff forum
and Neil Slade's info on papers and inks are good guides for which of these
products are safe and effective.

If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, Fry's electronics in San Jose has
the Canon MP780, a multipurpose unit, that has, as its basic printer engine,
the ip4000. It is on sale for $100 after reduction and Canon rebate. It is
also on sale at their outpost.com for $150. It is actually worth the price
for the printer function alone. As I mentioned for the ip4000 and ip5000,
there are lots of sources for prefilled carts of good quality.

 

[Tony]

What kind of newsgroup is this? I came for some help for a printing
problem, not for some jerk to insult me. And is your caps lock key
stuck? Don't you know it means shouting and is bad netiquette? Don't
bother replying if this is your best advice.

Mary

Mary
Sorry you got the diatribe from the low life here.
Just to re-inforce what Burt has said about the waste absorber.
There are two of them in this printer but the printer does not report which one
is nearly full. Unfortunately I know of no codes to reset the counters, you
have to use a special piece of Canon software to reset the counters. This
software also tells you which of the waste ink counters is nearing full.
If you would like to have a go at that please e-mail me and I will see if I can
help.
Tony

 

[Mary]

(snipped Measekite's mean-spirited, unhelpful response to Mary)

Mary - you've just encountered our resident obnoxious troll. I can't recall
the last time he was anything but mean spirited and rude.

I kind of figured that, but fell in the trap anyway

He has a real

thing about aftermarket inks and constantly snipes at anyone who mentions
them.

Actually, my photos printed much better with the "trash ink" which was
Staples compatible carts if thats what he means by aftermarket inks,
than it now does with brand name Canon ink cart.

Yes, your canon ip1500 is a low end printer, but if it does

everything you need it to do, there's nothing wrong with your enjoying

it.

Exactly my point. I've had it a year and it has worked fine during that
time till I got a new Staples compatible but that is what I have always
used, so I couldn't figure out why my colored photos would have a
pinkish cast, when they never had that before and I only got the Canon
brand to see if it showed the same pinkish cast as the Staples
compatible, which it does, so that leaves me thinking maybe its
something to do with the printer.

You have two problems.

One is probably some clogging of the jets which has caused one or more
colors to partially print and results in a color shift. Genuine Canon inks
(OEM) can clog the printhead also. Otherwise there would be no reason for
all inkjet printers to have built in cleaning routines. Clogs usually
happen from letting the printer sit idle for a period of time without
printing. Clogging also can occur after some months or years of use.

The printer is not used every day but pretty frequently and this is the
first time I've had any kind of color problem with photos. Its not
terrible, but a light pinkish cast is there that was never there before.
Just enough to not look quite right when compared to a previous print of
the same photo from when I printed it a month ago.

You
can also have a failure of the printhead or the printer circuitry. I've
never used this printer, but it probably has a nozzle check. Run it to see
if you are getting a perfect pattern. The cleaning routine in the printer
software works for very minor clogs.

I did a nozzle check and some of the color lines look ok except for the
second lighter blue which has lines a little broken up, but the red
which is the color I seem to have a little too much of in the prints,
looks ok. The yellow looks ok, but the lighter yellow below that is
quite hard to see.

It also uses up ink quickly,
especially with the small volume of ink in the ip1500 carts.

Thats another thing you reminded me off. I have the printer monitor on
to check to see how much ink is left in the carts, and they both still
show them as being full. By this time after printing quite a few photos
in my experiments (wasted ink of course), the carts usually suddenly dip
down to about half after what seems a very short time.

Since you know
how to remove the printhead, go on to the Nifty-stuff forum, click on the
FAQ section, and read the first thread about what to do if your printer
doesn't print properly. Lots of info on cleaning a removable Canon
printhead. If, however, you are still under warranty, just contact Canon
and they will send you a new printhead.

I've never heard of Nifty stuff forum, but I'll do a search for it. The
warranty for my printer is up sometimes this month, but since I bought
it at Staples. I am in Toronto, Canada, so things might be done a little
different than in the US with Staples. I got an extended warranty for
$10.00 when I bought the printer as I thought it was worth it. I had an
Epson a few years ago and it conked out during the second year, and
Staples took my old one back and said to take another one and thats how
I got the Canon I now have. Anything that cost under $200, they dont
send for repair. They just replace it with same printer or one a little
more money and you pay the difference. So I am not sure if I would just
get another printer since I could get one the same price and not have to
pay anything more than I paid for the printer I have, or pay a little
more if I saw something else.
I saw advertised an iP 1600 which would be similar to what I have and
about the same price. I don't want to pay a lot for a printer. I don't
print photos that often. I go on photo printing binges. We probably
don't have all the varieties of printers you have in the US though we
have enough for most people. I seem to manage to buy enough stuff

The other problem is the nearly full waste ink tank. It isn't really a
tank - it is an absorbent pad inside the bottom of the printer.

When I checked the printer, I notice on the right side where you can't
get at inside the printer (where they don't want you to get at), there
is a white plastic cup thing with small dividers, don't know what you
call them, and a lot of blue and red ink smeared around, and two small
pad things. I guess thats what you mean.

If you keep
printing now that you've gotten the warning, your printer will absolutely
shut down and you will have to take it to a repair facility to have them
replace the pad and reset the printer internal operating system.

I would take it to Staples and they will replace it with another printer
as that one is not in production now, or I would pay a little more for
difference in price from what I paid and get another printer.
Theoretically, during the first year, its under warranty by the
manufacturer, but often Staples will give you a new one even without
extended warranty. The extended warranty is for the second year. I've
never had to take a printer or anything for repair when buying at
Staples. I have found them good to deal with.

Again, on
the Nifty-stuff forum you can find the control codes for some of the Canon
priners that the technicians use to reset the counter that tells you the pad
is full. From what I've read, one reset without replacing the pad doesn't
generally cause the printer to leak ink.

I will see if I can find that information on Nifty-stuff though I've
never been there,.

Unfortunately, these printers cost

more for the technician to replace the pad and reset them than it would cost
to buy a replacement!

That is true, and thats why Staples just replace them and don't send
them for repair. But if you pay more than $200.00 for something, Staples
will send it for repair for you, though thankfully that has not happened
to me yet. Most things I buy are not more than $200.00 unless a digital
camera I bought there last year.

This is certainly an anti-consumer bit of technology
that Canons and Epsons employ. The printer doesn't actually measure how
much ink it has accumulated in the pad. It estimates it based on the number
of pages printed plus the number of cleaning cycles that it does, both
automatically and by you when there is a clog.

From what you say and from the message I got about wasted ink absorber,
I figured something is clogged.

If you do have to replace the printer, Measekite's advice to get the ip 4200
or ip5200 isn't bad.

It depends on if they are available here and how much they cost. They
probably cost more here than you would pay though some here are fairly
cheap. I saw the iP1600 but it would be similar to the one I have.

It's just the mean quality of his message that is
totally inappropriate. Most of us have killfiled him and never see his
posts unless they are repeated by your response. So --- delete his garbage
with any future replies. Unfortunately, the newest pixma printers have
carts with computer chips built in and there are no aftermarket carts
available yet. Hopefully they will become available.

So you have to use the brand name carts. Thats not what I want to do.
They are too expensive. Staples brand has been ok for me though they
have gone up in price recently and are not all that much cheaper than
brand name.

The previous
generation pixmas - the ip4000 and ip5000 - have separate color carts and a
ready supply of aftermarket prefilled carts and refill inks.

I thought my iP 1500 was a previous generation? it does not have
separate color carts. To tell you the truth, I really don't want
separate color carts, if you mean the three separate colors plus black.
I had an Epson like that and it is marketed as supposedly you save
money, but I found I spent more money. If the blue was half way down,
and the red was three quarters, and if I got a new blue, by another week
or so I had to get red and was always running back and forth and went to
an ink refiller which was ok, but I would not buy separate color
cartridges again. I want the three in one which is fine for my purposes.

If you can

find one to buy, your replacement inks will be much cheaper. I have found
that businesses like Staples charge almost as much as OEM carts for their
aftermarket inks. Your best buys are on the internet and Nifty-stuff forum
and Neil Slade's info on papers and inks are good guides for which of these
products are safe and effective.

I've never bought ink carts online, as I use my printer steadily but not
every day. I like to buy them and get them right away. Thats just me
though. Staples OEM carts used to be a lot cheaper, but recently they
have gone up in price and not as much of a bargain any more.

If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, Fry's electronics in San Jose has
the Canon MP780, a multipurpose unit, that has, as its basic printer engine,
the ip4000. It is on sale for $100 after reduction and Canon rebate. It is
also on sale at their outpost.com for $150. It is actually worth the price
for the printer function alone. As I mentioned for the ip4000 and ip5000,
there are lots of sources for prefilled carts of good quality.

I am a few thousand miles from San Francisco though I would like to
visit it but I am about an hour and a half to Buffalo, though I haven't
been there in 10 years. I think I can manage to find something a little
closer.
Thanks a lot for your information. I am going to see if I can find the
codes to re-set the ink absorber, or might end up going to Staples and
see what printers they have that I can get.
Too bad, I like the printer I have. I had a Canon before, the 2100. It
was a good printer,
better made than the ip1500. It lasted for 3 years with no problems.
Finally the printhead went and it was separate and it was going to cost
some ridiculous amount to replace and was cheaper to buy a new printer,
so I did.

Mary

 

[Mary]

Mary
Sorry you got the diatribe from the low life here.

Yeah, I should have checked his previous replies to people and I
wouldn't have bothered to answer. It always mystifies me why people want
to be trolls. Such a useless pursuit.

Just to re-inforce what Burt has said about the waste absorber.
There are two of them in this printer but the printer does not report which one
is nearly full.

Are they the two square pad things in the white plastic container thing
with dividers at the bottom right side of the printer where you can't
get at very well?

Unfortunately I know of no codes to reset the counters, you
have to use a special piece of Canon software to reset the counters. This
software also tells you which of the waste ink counters is nearing full.
If you would like to have a go at that please e-mail me and I will see if I can
help.

But would re-setting the counters help my situation if my problem is
clogged colors?
What does "waste ink absorbers almost full" mean? Do you have a hotmail
or yahoo or other email address?
Thanks.

Mary

 

[zakezuke]

I cleaned the printer as much

as I could taking out the printhead and cleaning it gently,
according to suggestions I saw on this NG, but nothing helped. Is my
printer finished?

First, pay no attention to measekite. He harasses anyone who makes the
choice to use non-oem ink. I know nothing about staples ink, never
used it personaly.

Secondly, Burt's advice is sound. I have the mp760 which is rather
like the mp780. Good printer and infact sold for close to $300 just
last month. $150 plus the vast supply of aftermarket ink might be a
wise investment. The ip4200 seems to fetch as little as $90ish. The
ip5200 I just ordered for $120. This is less than the mp780 for higher
resolution, but there are not any easy aftermarket cartridges for them
yet.

Do as Burt sugests, do a nozzle check and make sure the issue is the
nozzles. There is a technique using windex, toilet paper, and pushing
on nifty forums, assuming your warranty has expired. If not, don't
muck about, call canon and get that printhead replaced for free.

The ip1500 is not their best egg. My niece has an older generation BJ
that is similar in many ways, perfectly acceptable for her needs but
not the sort of printer i'd invest money in parts on. I say this
because the replacement printhead costs $50ish QY6-054-000 if i'm not
mistaken, shared with the i450 i470 iP1500 MP390. Keep in mind that
these printheads do have a limited life, and it's very likely it's
simply burnt out, esp since you've reached a full inkpad.

So we have worst case of $50 to fix, assuming your issue is the
printhead, not to speak of the diaper. The ip1600 costs $29.00 on
amazon.com using their slugish super saver shipping. Not that i'd
reccomend the ip1600 as unlike your ip1500 it doesn't use a seperate
head, but rather heads on the cartridge adding to the cost per refill.
I'd have to check to see if it's onpar with the cost of the old ip1500.
But it sounds like you print enough to justify something above and
beyond a $50 model.

Given that your waste ink pad is "almost full" after 1 year of use, I
would reccomend you at least consider upgrading to a model more geared
tward your use, either that or stick with $50 models and make sure to
use it so much that your waste ink full warnings come before the
warranty expires.

-older generation- Cheap easy aftermarket tanks
*-ip3000 Base model, $100 range on e-bay
-ip4000 Same thing but with an extra black for photos.
**-mp780 Same as above, but a beast of a multifuction, bargin at $150
-ip5000 HIgher resolution, same as the new models but take the old
cartridges

-current generation- Not so easy to refill
-ip4200 Good entry level printer $90ish to $120
***-ip5200 Heavier, faster, more nozzles, more money. $120ish to
$150ish

* I own
** I have something damn close
*** I'm waiting for

I picked the ip5200 because I print a heck of alot of CDs. While my
ip3000 is just peachy, I wanted something with higher resolution and
the price was right.

Do checkout nifty regarding cleaning, and alternative cartridges for
your printer that are cheaper than the store brand you bought.

 

[Tony]

Yeah, I should have checked his previous replies to people and I
wouldn't have bothered to answer. It always mystifies me why people want
to be trolls. Such a useless pursuit.


Are they the two square pad things in the white plastic container thing
with dividers at the bottom right side of the printer where you can't
get at very well?


But would re-setting the counters help my situation if my problem is
clogged colors?
What does "waste ink absorbers almost full" mean? Do you have a hotmail
or yahoo or other email address?
Thanks.

Mary

Mary
You can e-mail me at

(e-mail address removed)

The waste ink counter problem is not related to the poor quality print.
The waste pads are actually deep inside the printer on the base plate, or near
enough. Don't worry about the ink sitting in the capping station that is normal.
It is likely that the pads are not full yet and that if you reset them you
would be OK until the next time you get the message, at that time pad
replacement is a must or you may get ink spillage.
The symptoms you describe (poor print quality) indicates to me that the
printhead is failing so I strongly suggest that you get it in for warranty
replacement as soon as you can. They may just provide you with a new printhead
which is simple to replace (it comes with full instructions), it does not come
with new ink cartridges.
Compatible ink does not damage printheads whatever our low life says, he knows
next to nothing about printers, Burt and I and many others here know heaps.
The ip1600 uses cartridges with integrated print heads so you get one black and
one tricolour cartridge and when they run out of ink you get a new printhead as
well, unfortunately there are no compatible cartridges for that model yet but
they can be refilled (I don't know how easy or effective it is).
If you do want to try the reset I will send you the utility but cannot post it
to a non-binary newsgroup so I would need your e-mail address, if you prefer
not to do that I will post it to a free server and post the url here.
Tony

 

[Burt]

"Burt" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:ct1Yf.65766

The best news of all is that you are still under warranty. I did buy three
i5000 printers a few months ago at two staples stores in our area. They
were unadvertised and just happened to be on a closeout for $100 US each.
Don't reject the separate color carts idea yet - if you can find an ip4000,
ip5000, or the mp printer I mentioned in a previous post, you can buy
prefilled aftermarket carts online for $3 US or less and they hold a lot
more ink than your present printer carts. I don't remember the exact
volume, but I think that your present cart only has something like 7 ml. of
ink per color and when one runs out you throw the whole thing away. The
bci-6 carts have 13 to 14 ml of ink each - about double, and the aftermarket
ones I'll mention below are less than $3 US each (plus shipping, of course.)
For Canadian sources of aftermarket inks or for info on which companies ship
to Canada, send an email to Taliesyn - you can find some of his posts on
this newsgroup.

Look at the following sites for more information:

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/

http://www.neilslade.com/papers/badink.html

G&G and Procolor carts from Alotofthings.com were tested by Neil Slade and
his test photos are on his site. You will save considerably more money on
these inks with the five separate cart printers if you can find one
available. You might have your staples store check their warehouse facility
for a stray ip5000 if they don't have one in stock and you may just be able
to have them give it to you to satisfy the extended warranty. If
aftermarket carts were currently available I would then suggest the ip4200
or ip5200.

 

[Burt]

I kind of figured that, but fell in the trap anyway

He has a real

Actually, my photos printed much better with the "trash ink" which was
Staples compatible carts if thats what he means by aftermarket inks,
than it now does with brand name Canon ink cart.

Yes, your canon ip1500 is a low end printer, but if it does
it.

Exactly my point. I've had it a year and it has worked fine during that
time till I got a new Staples compatible but that is what I have always
used, so I couldn't figure out why my colored photos would have a
pinkish cast, when they never had that before and I only got the Canon
brand to see if it showed the same pinkish cast as the Staples
compatible, which it does, so that leaves me thinking maybe its
something to do with the printer.



The printer is not used every day but pretty frequently and this is the
first time I've had any kind of color problem with photos. Its not
terrible, but a light pinkish cast is there that was never there before.
Just enough to not look quite right when compared to a previous print of
the same photo from when I printed it a month ago.


I did a nozzle check and some of the color lines look ok except for the
second lighter blue which has lines a little broken up, but the red
which is the color I seem to have a little too much of in the prints,
looks ok. The yellow looks ok, but the lighter yellow below that is
quite hard to see.


Thats another thing you reminded me off. I have the printer monitor on
to check to see how much ink is left in the carts, and they both still
show them as being full. By this time after printing quite a few photos
in my experiments (wasted ink of course), the carts usually suddenly dip
down to about half after what seems a very short time.


I've never heard of Nifty stuff forum, but I'll do a search for it. The
warranty for my printer is up sometimes this month, but since I bought
it at Staples. I am in Toronto, Canada, so things might be done a little
different than in the US with Staples. I got an extended warranty for
$10.00 when I bought the printer as I thought it was worth it. I had an
Epson a few years ago and it conked out during the second year, and
Staples took my old one back and said to take another one and thats how
I got the Canon I now have. Anything that cost under $200, they dont
send for repair. They just replace it with same printer or one a little
more money and you pay the difference. So I am not sure if I would just
get another printer since I could get one the same price and not have to
pay anything more than I paid for the printer I have, or pay a little
more if I saw something else.
I saw advertised an iP 1600 which would be similar to what I have and
about the same price. I don't want to pay a lot for a printer. I don't
print photos that often. I go on photo printing binges. We probably
don't have all the varieties of printers you have in the US though we
have enough for most people. I seem to manage to buy enough stuff


When I checked the printer, I notice on the right side where you can't
get at inside the printer (where they don't want you to get at), there
is a white plastic cup thing with small dividers, don't know what you
call them, and a lot of blue and red ink smeared around, and two small
pad things. I guess thats what you mean.


I would take it to Staples and they will replace it with another printer
as that one is not in production now, or I would pay a little more for
difference in price from what I paid and get another printer.
Theoretically, during the first year, its under warranty by the
manufacturer, but often Staples will give you a new one even without
extended warranty. The extended warranty is for the second year. I've
never had to take a printer or anything for repair when buying at
Staples. I have found them good to deal with.


I will see if I can find that information on Nifty-stuff though I've
never been there,.

Unfortunately, these printers cost

That is true, and thats why Staples just replace them and don't send
them for repair. But if you pay more than $200.00 for something, Staples
will send it for repair for you, though thankfully that has not happened
to me yet. Most things I buy are not more than $200.00 unless a digital
camera I bought there last year.


From what you say and from the message I got about wasted ink absorber,
I figured something is clogged.


It depends on if they are available here and how much they cost. They
probably cost more here than you would pay though some here are fairly
cheap. I saw the iP1600 but it would be similar to the one I have.


So you have to use the brand name carts. Thats not what I want to do.
They are too expensive. Staples brand has been ok for me though they
have gone up in price recently and are not all that much cheaper than
brand name.


I thought my iP 1500 was a previous generation? it does not have
separate color carts. To tell you the truth, I really don't want
separate color carts, if you mean the three separate colors plus black.
I had an Epson like that and it is marketed as supposedly you save
money, but I found I spent more money. If the blue was half way down,
and the red was three quarters, and if I got a new blue, by another week
or so I had to get red and was always running back and forth and went to
an ink refiller which was ok, but I would not buy separate color
cartridges again. I want the three in one which is fine for my purposes.

If you can

I've never bought ink carts online, as I use my printer steadily but not
every day. I like to buy them and get them right away. Thats just me
though. Staples OEM carts used to be a lot cheaper, but recently they
have gone up in price and not as much of a bargain any more.


I am a few thousand miles from San Francisco though I would like to
visit it but I am about an hour and a half to Buffalo, though I haven't
been there in 10 years. I think I can manage to find something a little
closer.
Thanks a lot for your information. I am going to see if I can find the
codes to re-set the ink absorber, or might end up going to Staples and
see what printers they have that I can get.
Too bad, I like the printer I have. I had a Canon before, the 2100. It
was a good printer,
better made than the ip1500. It lasted for 3 years with no problems.
Finally the printhead went and it was separate and it was going to cost
some ridiculous amount to replace and was cheaper to buy a new printer,
so I did.

Mary

Mary - I forgot to answer another of your questions. If you are getting a
color shift to pink or red it is not the magenta jets that are clogged, it
would be one of the others. Probably Cyan. With flesh tones, if as an
experiment you back off of the cyan in the printer software you will shift
to a redder skin tone and visa versa. In essence, you get the opposite
color shift to the jet that is partially clogged.

 

[Davy]

But they had a little too much pink in them and some were a bi
dar
I know you are know printing coloured photos but I thought you wer
complaining of a coloured cast...this will show up more easily in
b&w photo where the mixture of the colours ought to produce
reasonable black to white images and the grey's in between....this i
greyscale

There should be no colour cast only black or white and the in between
which should be gray

Getting rid of the colour 'tinge' as we'll call it is easier done I'
say in a b&w photo, it only needs to be a small one and not o
full blown size

Dont think any comments where made about the ink and paper brand, i
this could be the cause

Dav

 

[measekite]

I kind of figured that, but fell in the trap anyway

He has a real



Actually, my photos printed much better with the "trash ink" which was
Staples compatible carts if thats what he means by aftermarket inks,
than it now does with brand name Canon ink cart.

Yes, your canon ip1500 is a low end printer, but if it does


it.

Exactly my point. I've had it a year and it has worked fine during that
time

till I got a new Staples compatible

THATS WHAT I MEAN.

 

[Burt]

You had to quote the whole message just to say 4 words?

If you had read what I said below this paragraph I am typing you would
have noticed that I said that I had ALWAYS used Staples compatibles. I
have never used Canon brand name cartridges since I got the computer a
year ago. When I said my printer worked fine since I got the printer
tilll I got a new Staples compatible, I meant to emphasize the word
"NEW" meaning it was a new cartridge. It was not meant to be that
STaples cartridge was new to me. I used Staples compatible cartridges
ever since I had the printer. I only tried a Canon name brand because
the Staples cartridge had this pink tinge to my photos and I wanted to
see if the Canon carts did the same and they did. The Staples carts
which I've used all along, never had that pink cast before and I've used
tons of Staples cartridges.

Mary - you are new to this newsgroup and feel compelled to try to reason
with our troll. Don't waste the keystrokes! You'll just get more of the
same back from him. Killfile him in your newsgroup reader.

 

[Burt]

I will email you from my hotmail account in a little while. I would like
to try the reset though I am not sure it will work. This is what I get
for printing too many photos lately. I broke my printer
Actually, I don't use the printer all that often to print photos.
But when I do, I get a bit carried away, but maybe I will have to stop
printing so many photos.Its just since I got a digital camera 5 months
ago.
I really dont want a printer that is more than I want to pay.

Mary

Mary - The printer companies sell their lower end printers at a low price to
assure themselves of a customer who will spend a great deal over the life of
the printer on their high priced ink. If you can find the printers I
mentioned and spend a bit more on one of them than the ip1500 or the ip1600
you will reap the benefit of REALLY cheap ink instead of the very modest
savings you had with the Staples carts. Also, if you have a Costco store
where you live you can buy excellent glossy photo paper, either 4x6 (about
five cents US a sheet) or 8.5x11 (125 sheets for $19 US), and cut the price
of your printing down so much that you will enjoy your digital camera even
more. If you really want to save money you can learn to refill your
cartridges with bulk inks especially formulated for your printer at a cost
of about $1 US per refill. At that rate it is almost free! With the money
you will save you can buy another printer and not even worry about the old
one failing.

 

[Burt]

I'll have to see what printers are available here and go from there. We
are more limited for variety of printers you have. You have 10 times the
population we have, so you have more competition, which means cheaper
prices, and more variety. I have 4 Staples stores not too far away from
where I live, and notice that in different Staples they have some
different models that other stores don't have on display. I don't know
if they would have iP 5000 or not, but if iP 4000 is more than I want to
pay, iP 5000 would be even more money. From my experience with Epson, I
vowed never to get 4 different cartridges again. I really don't want to
buy carts online if I don't have to. I am not sure what I am going to
get yet and would have to look around. Staples in Canada have an online
site and have iP 4000 advertised there but its about twice the price I
paid for the one I have, so I would have to pay about $60.00 Can. plus
15% tax which is what we pay, so thats $80.00 Can. =$68.30 US. I can't
really afford that right now, and may have to stop printing photos at
home. The cartridges are too expensive, and I need to start using the
Kodak machines you get at Walmart and other places.

Mary

Of course, this is your decision to make. I just answered a previous post
by you and it is also the best answer to this one. If that ip4000 is new
and not a refurbished unit that is an absolutely great price! Believe me
when I tell you that you will save a ton of money with that printer and
aftermarket inks that I mentioned. I've purchased a lot of things on the
internet and have never had a problem. Alotofthings is an extremely
reliable vendor. Not to worry. I just don't know if they ship to Canada.
There was a time when they didn't. I think that Hobbicolors does ship to
Canada, but that would be for bulk ink and empty cartridges for you to
refill yourself. Simple once you get the hang of it.

 

[Mary]

Mary wrote:
Burt:


THATS WHAT I MEAN.

You had to quote the whole message just to say 4 words?

If you had read what I said below this paragraph I am typing you would
have noticed that I said that I had ALWAYS used Staples compatibles. I
have never used Canon brand name cartridges since I got the computer a
year ago. When I said my printer worked fine since I got the printer
tilll I got a new Staples compatible, I meant to emphasize the word
"NEW" meaning it was a new cartridge. It was not meant to be that
STaples cartridge was new to me. I used Staples compatible cartridges
ever since I had the printer. I only tried a Canon name brand because
the Staples cartridge had this pink tinge to my photos and I wanted to
see if the Canon carts did the same and they did. The Staples carts
which I've used all along, never had that pink cast before and I've used
tons of Staples cartridges.

 

[Mary]

(e-mail address removed)

I thought that was a spamblocked address

The waste ink counter problem is not related to the poor quality print.
The waste pads are actually deep inside the printer on the base plate, or near
enough.

So you mean you can't see it from just looking inside the printer. its
not the two square things in the white plastic container.

Don't worry about the ink sitting in the capping station that is normal.

It is likely that the pads are not full yet and that if you reset them you
would be OK until the next time you get the message, at that time pad
replacement is a must or you may get ink spillage.

Thats when I would get another printer.

The symptoms you describe (poor print quality) indicates to me that the
printhead is failing so I strongly suggest that you get it in for warranty
replacement as soon as you can. They may just provide you with a new printhead
which is simple to replace (it comes with full instructions), it does not come
with new ink cartridges.

Thats not how its done at Staples here. If its a cheaper printer, if it
breaks down in the first year while under warranty with the
manufacturer, Staples gives you a new printer, either the same if the
model is still around, or you can pay a little extra and get a different
printer. For more expensive printers, you probably have to go to the
manufacturer or an authorized dealer to get it repaired. As far as I
know, you can't just order a new printhead, as they want to have the
authorized dealer check to make sure thats what it is since it might be
also something else. I am not positive about that though.

Compatible ink does not damage printheads whatever our low life says, he knows
next to nothing about printers, Burt and I and many others here know heaps.
The ip1600 uses cartridges with integrated print heads so you get one black and
one tricolour cartridge and when they run out of ink you get a new printhead as
well, unfortunately there are no compatible cartridges for that model yet but
they can be refilled (I don't know how easy or effective it is).

The cartridges no doubt would be more money than if you had a built in
printhead. I already complain about the price of cartridges, even
compatibles. Its ridiculous. Its too bad the iP1600 needs a new
printhead every time. The printer is a good price but the carts will
cost a lot.
I guess Canon didn't make enough money on their printers with printheads
you can take out.
I have a thing against printer manufacturers and their high cost of
cartrdiges. I would rather they made the printers more money and the
cartridges a lot less money.

If you do want to try the reset I will send you the utility but cannot post it
to a non-binary newsgroup so I would need your e-mail address, if you prefer
not to do that I will post it to a free server and post the url here.
Tony

I will email you from my hotmail account in a little while. I would like
to try the reset though I am not sure it will work. This is what I get
for printing too many photos lately. I broke my printer
Actually, I don't use the printer all that often to print photos.
But when I do, I get a bit carried away, but maybe I will have to stop
printing so many photos.Its just since I got a digital camera 5 months
ago.
I really dont want a printer that is more than I want to pay.

Mary