I've had it with my Epson. I spent more on new
tanks trying to unclog this monster than I did on
the printer itself which was not that cheap. I
really hated cleaning up the ink running out the
bottom of the printer.
I'm looking for an inkjet printer that will print
directly to CDs as well as the usual paper media.
I'd prefer to be able to effectively use a
constant ink system or generic cartridges. Print
quality is not a real issue I am mainly concerned
with the following:
Reliability. Little to no clogged jets as the
printer will be used infrequently.
Cheap ink use. When the printer is in use it will
be printing a lot of large solids and will consume
a lot of ink.
Can someone point me in the right direction?
Thanks,
Andrew
P.S. The person who provides me the with the best
info gets first crack at watching me destroy the
old Epson "Office Space" style.
Andrew wrote:
> I've had it with my Epson. I spent more on new tanks trying to unclog
> this monster than I did on the printer itself which was not that
> cheap. I really hated cleaning up the ink running out the bottom of
> the printer.
>
> I'm looking for an inkjet printer that will print directly to CDs as
> well as the usual paper media. I'd prefer to be able to effectively
> use a constant ink system or
> generic cartridges.
Why do you think you had problems. Use Epson ink and you should not
have these problems.
> Print quality is not a real issue I am mainly concerned with the
> following:
>
> Reliability. Little to no clogged jets as the printer will be used
> infrequently.
Printers use infrequently should definitely use only OEM ink. The crap
ink will clog your printheads and cause the problems you have.
> Cheap ink use. When the printer is in use it will be printing a lot of
> large solids and will consume a lot of ink.
>
> Can someone point me in the right direction?
>
> Thanks,
> Andrew
>
> P.S. The person who provides me the with the best info gets first
> crack at watching me destroy the old Epson "Office Space" style.
Who cares.
On Jan 17, 5:55*am, Andrew <justaskmefo...@shaw.ca> wrote:
> I've had it with my Epson. I spent more on new
> tanks trying to unclog this monster than I did on
> the printer itself which was not that cheap. I
> really hated cleaning up the ink running out the
> bottom of the printer.
>
> I'm looking for an inkjet printer that will print
> directly to CDs as well as the usual paper media.
> I'd prefer to be able to effectively use a
> constant ink system or generic cartridges. Print
> quality is not a real issue I am mainly concerned
> with the following:
>
> Reliability. Little to no clogged jets as the
> printer will be used infrequently.
> Cheap ink use. When the printer is in use it will
> be printing a lot of large solids and will consume
> a lot of ink.
>
> Can someone point me in the right direction?
>
> Thanks,
> Andrew
>
> P.S. The person who provides me the with the best
> info gets first crack at watching me destroy the
> old Epson "Office Space" style.
Hi Andrew:
Just disregard Measekite. He likes to troll around and spout off
about using only OEM inks, and bad-mouthing anyone who dares
contradict him. Just wait, he'll likely respond with some type of
tirade...
I'm going to try to keep this simple. There are essentially two type
of ink used in inkjets, pigment-based and dye-based.
Pigment-based inks contain microscopic, solid chunks of colour
suspended in a solvent. When the printer lays down the ink, the
solvent dries, leaving the colour behind. Since solids and solvents
are involved, when ink is left to dry in the jets over a period of
non--use, it can render the heads clogged, since the solvent exposed
to the air at the nozzle evaporates, leaving solids behind to "bulk-
up" in the jet. Sometimes an attempt to "flush" out the clog works...
sometimes not. Suffice it to say that pigment-based printers only
perform well when used constantly, or often (i.e. daily).
Dye-based printer ink is exactly that... liquid dye mixed in with a
solvent. During periods of non-use, the solvent will evaporate,
leaving the dye to thicken and clog up a jet. However, they're much
easier to "flush" out than pigment-based, since there are no solids to
flush. Flushing fresh ink, and therefore fresh solvent, through the
jet will usually re-liquify the dye in the jet, and usually you can
get the jet working again.
In both cases, "flushing" is accomplished by running the head cleaning
cycle, which just dumps ink through the jets into the waste inkpad in
the bottom of the printer.
I've had no clogged jets with dye-based inkjets (almost all Canons),
as opposed to frequently clogged jets with pigment-based inkjets (most
Epsons, though they make dye-based inkjets as well). It hasn't made a
whit of difference whether I've used OEM cartridges, or quality third-
party cartridges.... no difference at all.
So my recommendation is that you stick with a dye-based inkjet if you
don't use your printer on a daily basis. Some older Canon printers
(i.e. the IP3000 / IP4000 / IP5000 / IP6000D series or older) can
print on CD's if modified. Note that non-North-American versions of
these printers have CD-printing enabled by default. It's not
difficult to modify the North American versions... (see http://pixma-faq.periastron.com/). CD trays for these printers are
commonly available on eBay. I've got an IP5000 modified per this
site, and with the addition of the rollers and CD Tray, prints
beautifully on printable CDs. Good quality 3rd-party ink is available
as well. I get mine from this source (www.idiya-solutions.com), and
it works great, as I've never had a clog after 3 years of printing
with it.... and it's cheap! I've even got some 8x10 glossies under
glass in a frame that show no signs of fading over 3 years. Mind you,
if they ever do, I'll just reprint another one.
Newer Canon printers (IP4200/5200 and up) use the newer, chipped
cartridges, and some even newer North American models (IP4300 / 5300)
can print on CD/DVDs out of the box. Cheaper 3rd-party cartridges are
available, but be forewarned, it requires disabling the ink level
monitoring system and will void any warranty. You must manually
monitor the ink level, and take care you don't run out of any one
colour, since it will cause the jets to overheat (the ink doubly
serves to "cool" the jet, since the printer works by heating the jet,
causing the ink in the jet to expand and shoot out onto the media).
phineaspaine@yahoo.com wrote:
>
> Hi Andrew:
>
> Just disregard Measekite. He likes to troll around and spout off
> about using only OEM inks, and bad-mouthing anyone who dares
> contradict him. Just wait, he'll likely respond with some type of
> tirade...
>
> I'm going to try to keep this simple. There are essentially two type
> of ink used in inkjets, pigment-based and dye-based.
>
> Pigment-based inks contain microscopic, solid chunks of colour
> suspended in a solvent. When the printer lays down the ink, the
> solvent dries, leaving the colour behind. Since solids and solvents
> are involved, when ink is left to dry in the jets over a period of
> non--use, it can render the heads clogged, since the solvent exposed
> to the air at the nozzle evaporates, leaving solids behind to "bulk-
> up" in the jet. Sometimes an attempt to "flush" out the clog works...
> sometimes not. Suffice it to say that pigment-based printers only
> perform well when used constantly, or often (i.e. daily).
>
> Dye-based printer ink is exactly that... liquid dye mixed in with a
> solvent. During periods of non-use, the solvent will evaporate,
> leaving the dye to thicken and clog up a jet. However, they're much
> easier to "flush" out than pigment-based, since there are no solids to
> flush. Flushing fresh ink, and therefore fresh solvent, through the
> jet will usually re-liquify the dye in the jet, and usually you can
> get the jet working again.
>
> In both cases, "flushing" is accomplished by running the head cleaning
> cycle, which just dumps ink through the jets into the waste inkpad in
> the bottom of the printer.
>
> I've had no clogged jets with dye-based inkjets (almost all Canons),
> as opposed to frequently clogged jets with pigment-based inkjets (most
> Epsons, though they make dye-based inkjets as well). It hasn't made a
> whit of difference whether I've used OEM cartridges, or quality third-
> party cartridges.... no difference at all.
>
> So my recommendation is that you stick with a dye-based inkjet if you
> don't use your printer on a daily basis. Some older Canon printers
> (i.e. the IP3000 / IP4000 / IP5000 / IP6000D series or older) can
> print on CD's if modified. Note that non-North-American versions of
> these printers have CD-printing enabled by default. It's not
> difficult to modify the North American versions... (see
> http://pixma-faq.periastron.com/). CD trays for these printers are
> commonly available on eBay. I've got an IP5000 modified per this
> site, and with the addition of the rollers and CD Tray, prints
> beautifully on printable CDs. Good quality 3rd-party ink is available
> as well. I get mine from this source (www.idiya-solutions.com), and
> it works great, as I've never had a clog after 3 years of printing
> with it.... and it's cheap! I've even got some 8x10 glossies under
> glass in a frame that show no signs of fading over 3 years. Mind you,
> if they ever do, I'll just reprint another one.
>
> Newer Canon printers (IP4200/5200 and up) use the newer, chipped
> cartridges, and some even newer North American models (IP4300 / 5300)
> can print on CD/DVDs out of the box. Cheaper 3rd-party cartridges are
> available, but be forewarned, it requires disabling the ink level
> monitoring system and will void any warranty. You must manually
> monitor the ink level, and take care you don't run out of any one
> colour, since it will cause the jets to overheat (the ink doubly
> serves to "cool" the jet, since the printer works by heating the jet,
> causing the ink in the jet to expand and shoot out onto the media).
>
> Just my opinion...
> Phineas
Thanks for the informative and concise response. I
was looking at the Canons but was a bit confused
by the European and NA models. You cleared that up
nicely.
In my day job I deal with inks on a regular basis
- several hundred kilos per day. I deal with the
ink drying issues with dye and pigment based inks
on a large scale. It looks like a Canon model is
in my future based on the ink formulation.
As for the net kook... Every group has one and
they stand out quite well, vigorously demanding to
be ignored. I tend to do just that.
You might try getting a colo(u)r laser printer instead.
"Andrew" <justaskmeforit@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:7%1kj.37046$wx.25983@pd7urf1no...
> phineaspaine@yahoo.com wrote:
>>
>> Hi Andrew:
>>
>> Just disregard Measekite. He likes to troll around and spout off
>> about using only OEM inks, and bad-mouthing anyone who dares
>> contradict him. Just wait, he'll likely respond with some type of
>> tirade...
>>
>> I'm going to try to keep this simple. There are essentially two type
>> of ink used in inkjets, pigment-based and dye-based.
>>
>> Pigment-based inks contain microscopic, solid chunks of colour
>> suspended in a solvent. When the printer lays down the ink, the
>> solvent dries, leaving the colour behind. Since solids and solvents
>> are involved, when ink is left to dry in the jets over a period of
>> non--use, it can render the heads clogged, since the solvent exposed
>> to the air at the nozzle evaporates, leaving solids behind to "bulk-
>> up" in the jet. Sometimes an attempt to "flush" out the clog works...
>> sometimes not. Suffice it to say that pigment-based printers only
>> perform well when used constantly, or often (i.e. daily).
>>
>> Dye-based printer ink is exactly that... liquid dye mixed in with a
>> solvent. During periods of non-use, the solvent will evaporate,
>> leaving the dye to thicken and clog up a jet. However, they're much
>> easier to "flush" out than pigment-based, since there are no solids to
>> flush. Flushing fresh ink, and therefore fresh solvent, through the
>> jet will usually re-liquify the dye in the jet, and usually you can
>> get the jet working again.
>>
>> In both cases, "flushing" is accomplished by running the head cleaning
>> cycle, which just dumps ink through the jets into the waste inkpad in
>> the bottom of the printer.
>>
>> I've had no clogged jets with dye-based inkjets (almost all Canons),
>> as opposed to frequently clogged jets with pigment-based inkjets (most
>> Epsons, though they make dye-based inkjets as well). It hasn't made a
>> whit of difference whether I've used OEM cartridges, or quality third-
>> party cartridges.... no difference at all.
>>
>> So my recommendation is that you stick with a dye-based inkjet if you
>> don't use your printer on a daily basis. Some older Canon printers
>> (i.e. the IP3000 / IP4000 / IP5000 / IP6000D series or older) can
>> print on CD's if modified. Note that non-North-American versions of
>> these printers have CD-printing enabled by default. It's not
>> difficult to modify the North American versions... (see
>> http://pixma-faq.periastron.com/). CD trays for these printers are
>> commonly available on eBay. I've got an IP5000 modified per this
>> site, and with the addition of the rollers and CD Tray, prints
>> beautifully on printable CDs. Good quality 3rd-party ink is available
>> as well. I get mine from this source (www.idiya-solutions.com), and
>> it works great, as I've never had a clog after 3 years of printing
>> with it.... and it's cheap! I've even got some 8x10 glossies under
>> glass in a frame that show no signs of fading over 3 years. Mind you,
>> if they ever do, I'll just reprint another one.
>>
>> Newer Canon printers (IP4200/5200 and up) use the newer, chipped
>> cartridges, and some even newer North American models (IP4300 / 5300)
>> can print on CD/DVDs out of the box. Cheaper 3rd-party cartridges are
>> available, but be forewarned, it requires disabling the ink level
>> monitoring system and will void any warranty. You must manually
>> monitor the ink level, and take care you don't run out of any one
>> colour, since it will cause the jets to overheat (the ink doubly
>> serves to "cool" the jet, since the printer works by heating the jet,
>> causing the ink in the jet to expand and shoot out onto the media).
>>
>> Just my opinion...
>> Phineas
>
> Thanks for the informative and concise response. I was looking at the
> Canons but was a bit confused by the European and NA models. You cleared
> that up nicely.
>
> In my day job I deal with inks on a regular basis - several hundred kilos
> per day. I deal with the ink drying issues with dye and pigment based inks
> on a large scale. It looks like a Canon model is in my future based on the
> ink formulation.
>
> As for the net kook... Every group has one and they stand out quite well,
> vigorously demanding to be ignored. I tend to do just that.
>
> Thanks again.
> Andrew
You didn't mention which model Epson you are having problems with, which
would have been somewhat helpful, because the Epson line has quite a bit
of variability in reliability.
Also, if I understand correctly, you had problems with the waste ink
pads leaking out the bottom. Obviously, a lot of cleaning cycles puts a
lot of ink down into those pads, but know that all moderately priced
inkjet printers store the waste ink in pads of some type.
Again, not knowing which model was involved it is hard to know what kind
of budget you have in mind for a new printer, how fast the printer need,
and what quantities of CD printing you can foresee.
Generally, the more you pay for the printer, the less costly the
replacement inks are, and older printers have a greater chance of there
being bulk inks and inking systems for.
Art
Andrew wrote:
> I've had it with my Epson. I spent more on new tanks trying to unclog
> this monster than I did on the printer itself which was not that cheap.
> I really hated cleaning up the ink running out the bottom of the printer.
>
> I'm looking for an inkjet printer that will print directly to CDs as
> well as the usual paper media. I'd prefer to be able to effectively use
> a constant ink system or generic cartridges. Print quality is not a real
> issue I am mainly concerned with the following:
>
> Reliability. Little to no clogged jets as the printer will be used
> infrequently.
> Cheap ink use. When the printer is in use it will be printing a lot of
> large solids and will consume a lot of ink.
>
> Can someone point me in the right direction?
>
> Thanks,
> Andrew
>
> P.S. The person who provides me the with the best info gets first crack
> at watching me destroy the old Epson "Office Space" style.
Since we don't print often this unit has given us
trouble since it was fairly new. I knew that the
constant flushing would eventually cause leaks. If
I could keep the jets from drying out I would have
modified the printer to hold more waste ink.
I would prefer to buy another printer that is less
prone to this problem. As Steve Dell suggested I
was considering a colour laser printer. I assume
though, that the price of ink would be even higher
than an inkjet.
Ah well. There's no rush. I'm still looking at the
Canons you mentioned.
Thanks again,
Andrew
Arthur Entlich wrote:
> You didn't mention which model Epson you are having problems with, which
> would have been somewhat helpful, because the Epson line has quite a bit
> of variability in reliability.
>
> Also, if I understand correctly, you had problems with the waste ink
> pads leaking out the bottom. Obviously, a lot of cleaning cycles puts a
> lot of ink down into those pads, but know that all moderately priced
> inkjet printers store the waste ink in pads of some type.
>
> Again, not knowing which model was involved it is hard to know what kind
> of budget you have in mind for a new printer, how fast the printer need,
> and what quantities of CD printing you can foresee.
>
> Generally, the more you pay for the printer, the less costly the
> replacement inks are, and older printers have a greater chance of there
> being bulk inks and inking systems for.
>
> Art
>
>
>
>
> Andrew wrote:
>> I've had it with my Epson. I spent more on new tanks trying to unclog
>> this monster than I did on the printer itself which was not that
>> cheap. I really hated cleaning up the ink running out the bottom of
>> the printer.
>>
>> I'm looking for an inkjet printer that will print directly to CDs as
>> well as the usual paper media. I'd prefer to be able to effectively
>> use a constant ink system or generic cartridges. Print quality is not
>> a real issue I am mainly concerned with the following:
>>
>> Reliability. Little to no clogged jets as the printer will be used
>> infrequently.
>> Cheap ink use. When the printer is in use it will be printing a lot of
>> large solids and will consume a lot of ink.
>>
>> Can someone point me in the right direction?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Andrew
>>
>> P.S. The person who provides me the with the best info gets first
>> crack at watching me destroy the old Epson "Office Space" style.
Andrew wrote:
> My printer is the Epson RX300.
>
> Since we don't print often this unit has given us trouble since it was
> fairly new. I knew that the constant flushing would eventually cause
> leaks. If I could keep the jets from drying out I would have modified
> the printer to hold more waste ink.
>
> I would prefer to buy another printer that is less prone to this
> problem. As Steve Dell suggested I was considering a colour laser
> printer. I assume though, that the price of ink would be even higher
> than an inkjet.
>
> Ah well. There's no rush. I'm still looking at the Canons you mentioned.
>
> Thanks again,
> Andrew
>
>
In general, the per page costs of operating a laser printer are lower
than that of an inkjet, especially if you only use OEM ink in the
inkjet. The toner cartridges cost more, but they last longer. Laser
printers also cost more than inkjet printers when it comes to the
original purchase price. One more thing - While I don't have any
personal experience with them, I've often seen posts in this newsgroup
that say that in general laser printers are not as good as inkjets at
printing photos.
So your selection comes down to more than how often you use your printer
- it also depends on what you use it for.
If I print photos then
get Canon IP4500
otherwise
get a laser
Since you do not print much I would stick with whatever ink the printer mfg recommends. In the long run it is cheaper even though you spend more per unit than the crap.
Andrew wrote: My printer is the Epson RX300.
Since we don't print often this unit has given us trouble since it was fairly new. I knew that the constant flushing would eventually cause leaks. If I could keep the jets from drying out I would have modified the printer to hold more waste ink.
I would prefer to buy another printer that is less prone to this problem. As Steve Dell suggested I was considering a colour laser printer. I assume though, that the price of ink would be even higher than an inkjet.
Ah well. There's no rush. I'm still looking at the Canons you mentioned.
Thanks again,
Andrew
Arthur Entlich wrote:
You didn't mention which model Epson you are having problems with, which would have been somewhat helpful, because the Epson line has quite a bit of variability in reliability.
Also, if I understand correctly, you had problems with the waste ink pads leaking out the bottom. Obviously, a lot of cleaning cycles puts a lot of ink down into those pads, but know that all moderately priced inkjet printers store the waste ink in pads of some type.
Again, not knowing which model was involved it is hard to know what kind of budget you have in mind for a new printer, how fast the printer need, and what quantities of CD printing you can foresee.
Generally, the more you pay for the printer, the less costly the replacement inks are, and older printers have a greater chance of there being bulk inks and inking systems for.
Art
Andrew wrote:
I've had it with my Epson. I spent more on new tanks trying to unclog this monster than I did on the printer itself which was not that cheap. I really hated cleaning up the ink running out the bottom of the printer.
I'm looking for an inkjet printer that will print directly to CDs as well as the usual paper media. I'd prefer to be able to effectively use a constant ink system or generic cartridges. Print quality is not a real issue I am mainly concerned with the following:
Reliability. Little to no clogged jets as the printer will be used infrequently.
Cheap ink use. When the printer is in use it will be printing a lot of large solids and will consume a lot of ink.
Can someone point me in the right direction?
Thanks,
Andrew
P.S. The person who provides me the with the best info gets first crack at watching me destroy the old Epson "Office Space" style.
The R300 is a mid-level printer with dye colorant inks, so it should be
less clog prone than the Durabrite C and CX series printers which use a
pigment fast drying ink.
But, you are correct that inkjet printers can tend to clog if left
unused for a long time. The major advantage of laser is that the toner
in the cartridge pretty much lasts indefinitely in terms of shelf life.
Color lasers are improving all the time and the cost of acquisition has
dropped quite a bit, but they get you on the consumables (which can vary
from cartridges containing the drum and such to separate drums, toner
cartridges, fuser oil and wipers, or transfer belts, etc. The designs
differ quite a bit.
Most laser printers, color or monochrome offer starter cartridges which
contain one half to one third the toner that the replacement cartridges
do. That can make them costly to run, especially if you are printing
graphics or large photo images with high toner coverage.
If you do decide to look into color laser, look at several models within
a brand, because, for instance, HP has two models, the economy model (I
think it is called the 1600) is about $100 cheaper, but it has starter
cartridges. The other model (the 2600) for only about $100 more has
complete full cartridges, a higher duty cycles, and a ethernet card. If
you can afford the difference, the value is much better for the higher
capacity cartridge printer, since it supplies the equivalent of two
extra toner cartridges of toner worth over $200 if bought as HP cartridges.
Art
Andrew wrote:
> My printer is the Epson RX300.
>
> Since we don't print often this unit has given us trouble since it was
> fairly new. I knew that the constant flushing would eventually cause
> leaks. If I could keep the jets from drying out I would have modified
> the printer to hold more waste ink.
>
> I would prefer to buy another printer that is less prone to this
> problem. As Steve Dell suggested I was considering a colour laser
> printer. I assume though, that the price of ink would be even higher
> than an inkjet.
>
> Ah well. There's no rush. I'm still looking at the Canons you mentioned.
>
> Thanks again,
> Andrew
>
>
> Arthur Entlich wrote:
>
>> You didn't mention which model Epson you are having problems with,
>> which would have been somewhat helpful, because the Epson line has
>> quite a bit of variability in reliability.
>>
>> Also, if I understand correctly, you had problems with the waste ink
>> pads leaking out the bottom. Obviously, a lot of cleaning cycles puts
>> a lot of ink down into those pads, but know that all moderately priced
>> inkjet printers store the waste ink in pads of some type.
>>
>> Again, not knowing which model was involved it is hard to know what
>> kind of budget you have in mind for a new printer, how fast the
>> printer need, and what quantities of CD printing you can foresee.
>>
>> Generally, the more you pay for the printer, the less costly the
>> replacement inks are, and older printers have a greater chance of
>> there being bulk inks and inking systems for.
>>
>> Art
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Andrew wrote:
>>
>>> I've had it with my Epson. I spent more on new tanks trying to unclog
>>> this monster than I did on the printer itself which was not that
>>> cheap. I really hated cleaning up the ink running out the bottom of
>>> the printer.
>>>
>>> I'm looking for an inkjet printer that will print directly to CDs as
>>> well as the usual paper media. I'd prefer to be able to effectively
>>> use a constant ink system or generic cartridges. Print quality is not
>>> a real issue I am mainly concerned with the following:
>>>
>>> Reliability. Little to no clogged jets as the printer will be used
>>> infrequently.
>>> Cheap ink use. When the printer is in use it will be printing a lot
>>> of large solids and will consume a lot of ink.
>>>
>>> Can someone point me in the right direction?
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> Andrew
>>>
>>> P.S. The person who provides me the with the best info gets first
>>> crack at watching me destroy the old Epson "Office Space" style.
Need Help Finding a Suitable Printer 
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