Question re Canon iP1500
in [Printers]
|
From: Tony on 3 Apr 2006 01:49 "Mary" <no(a)japamjunk.com> wrote: >"Tony" <TonytheTigurrrrr(a)aim.com> wrote in message >news:part1of1.1.lar1riubL4GB8Q(a)ue.ph... >> "Mary" <no(a)japamjunk.com> wrote: >> >"measekite" <inkystinky(a)oem.com> wrote in message >> >news:Wv0Yf.55031$F_3.20890(a)newssvr29.news.prodigy.net... >> >> >> >> >> >> Mary wrote: >> >> >> >> >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. >> > >> >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. > >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 Mary You can e-mail me at TonytheTigurrrrr(a)aim.com 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
From: Burt on 3 Apr 2006 01:56 "Mary" <no(a)japamjunk.com> wrote in message news:e0qbbh$3fb$1(a)emma.aioe.org... > "Burt" <sfbjgNOSPAM(a)pacbell.net> 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.
From: Burt on 3 Apr 2006 02:03 "Mary" <no(a)japamjunk.com> wrote in message news:e0qbbh$3fb$1(a)emma.aioe.org... > "Burt" <sfbjgNOSPAM(a)pacbell.net> wrote in message news:ct1Yf.65766 > >> "measekite" <inkystinky(a)oem.com> wrote in message >> news:Wv0Yf.55031$F_3.20890(a)newssvr29.news.prodigy.net... > >> >> Mary wrote: >> >> >> >> >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 >> >> > >> >> > >> (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. > > 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 - 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.
From: Davy on 3 Apr 2006 06:33 > But they had a little too much pink in them and some were a bit dark I know you are know printing coloured photos but I thought you were complaining of a coloured cast...this will show up more easily in a b&w photo where the mixture of the colours ought to produce a reasonable black to white images and the grey's in between....this is greyscale. There should be no colour cast only black or white and the in betweens which should be gray. Getting rid of the colour 'tinge' as we'll call it is easier done I'd say in a b&w photo, it only needs to be a small one and not of full blown size. Dont think any comments where made about the ink and paper brand, if this could be the cause. Davy
From: measekite on 3 Apr 2006 12:15
Mary wrote: >"Burt" <sfbjgNOSPAM(a)pacbell.net> wrote in message news:ct1Yf.65766 > > > >>"measekite" <inkystinky(a)oem.com> wrote in message >>news:Wv0Yf.55031$F_3.20890(a)newssvr29.news.prodigy.net... >> >> > > > >>>>Mary wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>>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 >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>(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. >> >> > >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 > THATS WHAT I MEAN. >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 > > > > |