refilling Canon I series carts.

  • Thread starter Thread starter WeInk
  • Start date Start date
Recently purchase a Canon i series and was going to refill myself. Would be
refilling as soon as the low ink indicator is noted and not wait until signs of
running out of ink is seen on prints.

Looking at the way the printer and carts. are designed, I was wondering if it
was possible or had anyone tried to refill without removing the carts from the
printer. Seems like once the carts have a refill hole in them, they could be
filled while still in position and resealed quickly (< min/ea). The thing I
don't know is how quick ink might start flowing through the system and begin to
leak via the printhead nozzles. Would the "sponge" in the cart. resist this
flow long enough for this approach to work.

If not doable, what is the likelihood of air entrapment between the cart and
printhead when the cart was reinserted? Is it required to go through a clean
cycle or two to purge out any entrapped air.

Have noted some but not all refill instructions saying to drill a hole in the
sponge area and leave this hole open after refilling. Anyone doing this and is
this step necessary for successful refill? Again refill would take place before
running out of ink.

Just looking for the most successful way to refill and not find out later I
should have done something differently.

Mickey
 
Recently purchase a Canon i series and was going to refill myself. Would be
refilling as soon as the low ink indicator is noted and not wait until signs of
running out of ink is seen on prints.

Looking at the way the printer and carts. are designed, I was wondering if it
was possible or had anyone tried to refill without removing the carts from the
printer. Seems like once the carts have a refill hole in them, they could be
filled while still in position and resealed quickly (< min/ea). The thing I
don't know is how quick ink might start flowing through the system and begin to
leak via the printhead nozzles. Would the "sponge" in the cart. resist this
flow long enough for this approach to work.

If not doable, what is the likelihood of air entrapment between the cart and
printhead when the cart was reinserted? Is it required to go through a clean
cycle or two to purge out any entrapped air.

Have noted some but not all refill instructions saying to drill a hole in the
sponge area and leave this hole open after refilling. Anyone doing this and is
this step necessary for successful refill? Again refill would take place before
running out of ink.

Just looking for the most successful way to refill and not find out later I
should have done something differently.

Mickey
Click to expand...


Theres nothing special about it to be honest. If you want the best
quality ink and blank/empty refilling cartridges that are made
specially for refilling, check out these sites.

www.inkjetgoodies.com
www.alotofthings.com

You will not get better quality guaranteed ink that is a perfect match
to original canon ink in all aspects.

as far as when to refill..... You can wait till the indicator comes
on when it tells you. I would not wait any longer than that. As a
matter of fact, by the time the indicator comes on, the top of the
sponge is actually dry, which is not a good thing.

Just manually check them once in a while. When mine reach about 1/3
full, I refill it. You may consider getting two blank refill sets.
Have one set full and on hand and then rotate all of them out at the
same time when u feel like it.

But the blanks I suggested, All that is required is pulling the
rubber plug, inject the ink, pop the plug back in. Thats about it.
The exit port comes with its own cap that snaps on so theres no
leaking.

The printer will prime its self so dont worry about running it dry or
worry about air blocking.

Basically, with the blank cartridge refilling, there is virtually no
way to mess up. Its as clean and efficient as installing fresh new
cartridges. If you appempt to refill your existing tanks, Make sure
you have a new set on hand because its tough sometimes and also time
consuming to refill them and seal them in an efficient manner.

get the blanks and no worries
 
I forgot to comment on this....

I highly suggest not trying to refill while the cartridge is
installed.. As per your concerns, Ink will start gushing as soon as
the sponge gets resoaked and gets heavily saturated. This would not
be a problem if the fill hole was perfectly sealed when refilling, But
if that were the case, You would be forcing ink through the exit hole
via the pressure..

So no, Do not fill while its installed. Remove and make sure the exit
hole is plugged with its proper cap. The refill blanks I mentioned
have their own caps that snap on perfectly and never leak.

good luck
 
So no, Do not fill while its installed. Remove and make sure the exit
hole is plugged with its proper cap. The refill blanks I mentioned
have their own caps that snap on perfectly and never leak.

good luck
Click to expand...

You do not have to block the exit hole if you hold the cartridge
at a 45 degree angle while refilling. The geometry keeps the
exit hole higher than the liquid ink.
 
Mickey said:
Recently purchase a Canon i series and was going to refill myself. Would be
refilling as soon as the low ink indicator is noted and not wait until signs of
running out of ink is seen on prints.
Click to expand...

That's a good way to do it. The sponge doesn't dry out and you can just
top up the reservoir.
Looking at the way the printer and carts. are designed, I was wondering if it
was possible or had anyone tried to refill without removing the carts from the
printer.
Click to expand...

DO NOT do this...as soon as the refill hole is opened, the ink will flow
easily through the cartridge. Not a good thing.

The refill kits come with a clip that seals off the exit hole to prevent
any ink leakage during the refill process. Once you re-seal the
cartridge, remove the clip and pop it back in the printer.
If not doable, what is the likelihood of air entrapment between the cart and
printhead when the cart was reinserted? Is it required to go through a clean
cycle or two to purge out any entrapped air.
Click to expand...

I've never had to do anything after topping up the ink tanks, just pop
them in and go. Since the sponge is still saturated with ink, it's not
an issue. But if you let the ink tank run dry, you may have to run a few
cleaning cycles to get the ink flowing through the printhead again.
Have noted some but not all refill instructions saying to drill a hole in the
sponge area and leave this hole open after refilling. Anyone doing this and is
this step necessary for successful refill? Again refill would take place before
running out of ink.
Click to expand...

There is no need to do any drilling in the sponge area at all. The
easiest method is to remove the plastic ball seal which is at the top of
the reservoir under the Canon branded "tape". After refilling, use the
rubber plugs that you can get from most of the ink suppliers.
Just looking for the most successful way to refill and not find out later I
should have done something differently.
Click to expand...

The hardest part is the first refill because you have to "figure it out"
so to speak. Once you do the first ink tank, refills will only take you
a few minutes. The second time you refill an ink tank, it's even faster
since you don't have to remove the ball seal.

The Canon i-series ink tanks are arguably the easiest cartridges to
refill.
 
Mickey said:
Recently purchase a Canon i series and was going to refill myself.
Would be refilling as soon as the low ink indicator is noted and not
wait until signs of running out of ink is seen on prints.

Looking at the way the printer and carts. are designed, I was wondering
if it was possible or had anyone tried to refill without removing the
carts from the printer. Seems like once the carts have a refill hole in
them, they could be filled while still in position and resealed quickly
(< min/ea). The thing I don't know is how quick ink might start flowing
through the system and begin to leak via the printhead nozzles. Would
the "sponge" in the cart. resist this flow long enough for this approach
to work.

If not doable, what is the likelihood of air entrapment between the cart
and printhead when the cart was reinserted? Is it required to go
through a clean cycle or two to purge out any entrapped air.

Have noted some but not all refill instructions saying to drill a hole
in the sponge area and leave this hole open after refilling. Anyone
doing this and is this step necessary for successful refill? Again
refill would take place before running out of ink.

Just looking for the most successful way to refill and not find out
later I should have done something differently.

Mickey
Click to expand...
Thanks to all that replied.

Mickey
 
Looking at the way the printer and carts. are designed, I was wondering if it
was possible or had anyone tried to refill without removing the carts from the
printer.
Click to expand...


I have refilled these many times and I think you are asking for
trouble if you try to refill while still in the printer. As soon as
you put a hole in the ink side of the tank, ink will come out and go
all over the printer. I don't think it could be done. If anyone has
succeeded doing this I would like to know how. After filling and
sealing the fill hole, a fairly large amount of ink comes out until
the air pressure stabilizes. I guess that is the best way to explain
it.
 
You do not have to block the exit hole if you hold the cartridge
at a 45 degree angle while refilling. The geometry keeps the
exit hole higher than the liquid ink.
Click to expand...

perhaps not but why take the chance on a mess and wasted ink. I fill
at an angle myself and then i lay it down on its side for a bit so the
sponge completely saturates and releaves the gathering at the exit
hole.

after a few mins on its side I then remove the cap and hold it upright
and sometimes it still requires a little blotting to keep it from
dripping when its upright.

anyway, it stopps quickly and its ready to be installed or stored.

Im just trying to give this guy a clue as what to expect. I wouldnt
want him to expect what experienced refillers do as you may know it
would take a time or two of filling to see exactly what you need.

Every cartridge and color is just a bit diffrent. some flow more
freely than others. My yellow for instance, never needs blotting. My
cyan on the other hand needs a little.
 
i have found the easiest way to seal the cartridges afterwards is using a
hot glue gun to make a removeable but secure plug.
 
BF said:
I have refilled these many times and I think you are asking for
trouble if you try to refill while still in the printer. As soon as
you put a hole in the ink side of the tank, ink will come out and go
all over the printer. I don't think it could be done. If anyone has
succeeded doing this I would like to know how. After filling and
sealing the fill hole, a fairly large amount of ink comes out until
the air pressure stabilizes. I guess that is the best way to explain
it.
Click to expand...

That's odd...you must be over-filling the tanks or not sealing them
properly or something because I've never spilled a drop.

After topping up the reservoir, I re-seal the fill hole, remove the exit
hole clip and I'm done. No drips or leaks at all. Granted, the exit hole
is wet, but it's supposed to be wet. I just dab it on a paper towel to
dry it and I'm ready to go.
 
Lee B. Brown said:
i have found the easiest way to seal the cartridges afterwards is using a
hot glue gun to make a removeable but secure plug.
Click to expand...


That seems to be the way..........IF you refill a few at a time, but at a
local computer show, a vendor showed me how to use a stainless steel self
taping screw to do the job, I wasn't convinced, but it might work....OH, and
as everyone commented, DON'T refill them in the printerhead.....

Good luck,...it's worth it.....But as I say, buy a set of original
cartridges every 3rd refill....it keeps your system clean and somewhat
ensures Canon of the needed income to keep producing these magnificent
printers!

Joe
 
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