Canon ip4200 Ink Warnings

This isn't really a request for information, more a comment. I bought
an canon ip4200 in the spring, as a replacement for an ip1000 that i
had got really cheap, and which clogged up badly after I used about 3
sets of Staples own brand cartridges.

I am very happy with the ip4200, it does everything I want, I find the
CD/DVD printing very handy, the duplex sounded great but I don't seem
to use it that much. The cassette is handy, it means that the sheet
feeder can stay shut, and Zebda the plush zebra can sit on top of the
printer and supervise things. (Boy does he rock about when it's in
action).

In early September, I got a warning that the magenta tank was running
low. A couple of days later I got warnings about the yellow and cyan,
and after another week, the pigment black.

I posted on here to find out if i would get further warning before the
ink ran out, and was told that the printer would refuse to print if it
decided a cartridge had actually run out. I dutifully went to Staples
and bought a set of 5 cartridges. Maybe I don't print much, (perhaps
the cost put a fright into me) but it took another 2 months before the
first cartridge (magenta) to run out was signalled. A fortnight later
the yellow ran out, and last week, the pigment black finally went. Four
months after the first warning, the cyan is still going strong.

I wonder if Canon deliberately make the running-out warnings happen
very early indeed? Hoping people will just buy and replace the
cartridges? I mean, I went out and bought new ink thinking that I had
a day or two in hand, but four months!

Does this suggest that I am a very light user? My girlfriend prints a
lot of college stuff in black, and I do the the odd photo on glossy
card.

If you look at the cartridges you will notice they have a liquid side and a
sponge side.
The low ink occurs when the liquid part is gone.The catch is there is still
25% more ink in the sponge side.
You can continue printing until the printer stops.You then add the
appropriate cartridge and it will continue from where the last drop was
placed.

<mike.j.harvey@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1167580329.222410.225640@n51g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
> This isn't really a request for information, more a comment. I bought
> an canon ip4200 in the spring, as a replacement for an ip1000 that i
> had got really cheap, and which clogged up badly after I used about 3
> sets of Staples own brand cartridges.
>
> I am very happy with the ip4200, it does everything I want, I find the
> CD/DVD printing very handy, the duplex sounded great but I don't seem
> to use it that much. The cassette is handy, it means that the sheet
> feeder can stay shut, and Zebda the plush zebra can sit on top of the
> printer and supervise things. (Boy does he rock about when it's in
> action).
>
> In early September, I got a warning that the magenta tank was running
> low. A couple of days later I got warnings about the yellow and cyan,
> and after another week, the pigment black.
>
> I posted on here to find out if i would get further warning before the
> ink ran out, and was told that the printer would refuse to print if it
> decided a cartridge had actually run out. I dutifully went to Staples
> and bought a set of 5 cartridges. Maybe I don't print much, (perhaps
> the cost put a fright into me) but it took another 2 months before the
> first cartridge (magenta) to run out was signalled. A fortnight later
> the yellow ran out, and last week, the pigment black finally went. Four
> months after the first warning, the cyan is still going strong.
>
> I wonder if Canon deliberately make the running-out warnings happen
> very early indeed? Hoping people will just buy and replace the
> cartridges? I mean, I went out and bought new ink thinking that I had
> a day or two in hand, but four months!
>
> Does this suggest that I am a very light user? My girlfriend prints a
> lot of college stuff in black, and I do the the odd photo on glossy
> card.
>

Michael Grey wrote:
> If you look at the cartridges you will notice they have a liquid side and a
> sponge side.
> The low ink occurs when the liquid part is gone.The catch is there is still
> 25% more ink in the sponge side.

When I eventually needed to replace each cartridge, the sponge appeared
to be roughly 30%-50% saturated with ink, yet the printer was adamant
that no more printing was possible.

<mike.j.harvey@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1167586274.178410.292450@42g2000cwt.googlegroups.com...
>
> Michael Grey wrote:
>> If you look at the cartridges you will notice they have a liquid side and
>> a
>> sponge side.
>> The low ink occurs when the liquid part is gone.The catch is there is
>> still
>> 25% more ink in the sponge side.
>
> When I eventually needed to replace each cartridge, the sponge appeared
> to be roughly 30%-50% saturated with ink, yet the printer was adamant
> that no more printing was possible.
>
If you were to run the cartridge dry you would risk frying the printhead
nozzles for that color. That is why Canon will not let you print beyond the
point where there is still some ink in the sponge.

On 12/31/2006 9:52 AM, mike.j.harvey@gmail.com wrote:
> This isn't really a request for information, more a comment. I bought
> an canon ip4200 in the spring, as a replacement for an ip1000 that i
> had got really cheap, and which clogged up badly after I used about 3
> sets of Staples own brand cartridges.
>
> I am very happy with the ip4200, it does everything I want, I find the
> CD/DVD printing very handy, the duplex sounded great but I don't seem
> to use it that much. The cassette is handy, it means that the sheet
> feeder can stay shut, and Zebda the plush zebra can sit on top of the
> printer and supervise things. (Boy does he rock about when it's in
> action).
>
> In early September, I got a warning that the magenta tank was running
> low. A couple of days later I got warnings about the yellow and cyan,
> and after another week, the pigment black.
>
> I posted on here to find out if i would get further warning before the
> ink ran out, and was told that the printer would refuse to print if it
> decided a cartridge had actually run out. I dutifully went to Staples
> and bought a set of 5 cartridges. Maybe I don't print much, (perhaps
> the cost put a fright into me) but it took another 2 months before the
> first cartridge (magenta) to run out was signalled. A fortnight later
> the yellow ran out, and last week, the pigment black finally went. Four
> months after the first warning, the cyan is still going strong.
>
> I wonder if Canon deliberately make the running-out warnings happen
> very early indeed? Hoping people will just buy and replace the
> cartridges? I mean, I went out and bought new ink thinking that I had
> a day or two in hand, but four months!
>
> Does this suggest that I am a very light user? My girlfriend prints a
> lot of college stuff in black, and I do the the odd photo on glossy
> card.
>
Yes, it suggests that you are a light user. I would classify myself as
a light user too, but from the time I receive the first warning until it
won't print is much less than four months. I can't say what the
timeframe is because the volume, and type, of printing I do varies
greatly over time. But it has never been anything approaching four
months. Sounds like your printer is doing a great job of not drying out
and no clogging.

mike.j.harvey@gmail.com wrote:
> This isn't really a request for information, more a comment. I bought
> an canon ip4200 in the spring, as a replacement for an ip1000 that i
> had got really cheap, and which clogged up badly after I used about 3
> sets of Staples own brand cartridges.
>
> I am very happy with the ip4200, it does everything I want, I find the
> CD/DVD printing very handy, the duplex sounded great but I don't seem
> to use it that much. The cassette is handy, it means that the sheet
> feeder can stay shut, and Zebda the plush zebra can sit on top of the
> printer and supervise things. (Boy does he rock about when it's in
> action).
>
> In early September, I got a warning that the magenta tank was running
> low. A couple of days later I got warnings about the yellow and cyan,
> and after another week, the pigment black.
>
> I posted on here to find out if i would get further warning before the
> ink ran out, and was told that the printer would refuse to print if it
> decided a cartridge had actually run out. I dutifully went to Staples
> and bought a set of 5 cartridges. Maybe I don't print much, (perhaps
> the cost put a fright into me) but it took another 2 months before the
> first cartridge (magenta) to run out was signalled. A fortnight later
> the yellow ran out, and last week, the pigment black finally went. Four
> months after the first warning, the cyan is still going strong.
>
> I wonder if Canon deliberately make the running-out warnings happen
> very early indeed? Hoping people will just buy and replace the
> cartridges? I mean, I went out and bought new ink thinking that I had
> a day or two in hand, but four months!
>
> Does this suggest that I am a very light user? My girlfriend prints a
> lot of college stuff in black, and I do the the odd photo on glossy
> card.
>

The answer is YES, you are a light user. I don't
have the 4200 but have the 4000 which is quite
similar. If you print photos or use higher
quality paper, the mere selecting of those papers
will result in the use of much more ink because
the printing is much higher quality. You can
print lots of stuff (color or black) on regular
paper using one set of cartridges; printing on
higher quality paper or at higher quality settings
will use much more ink.