Attn: Bob Headrick

[Monica]

Bob, I was hoping you would weigh in on a HP Officejet 8500 duplexing
question. I remember you from WAY back, on this printing forum, always
having such good advice for my various Deskjets printing needs. I asked
this question on the HP user support forum but only got one answer. I'd
like your opinion please
Monica

Is it possible to have my INcoming faxes print on both sides of the paper
(duplex printing)? My duplexer is installed. Duplex printing works when
printing a doc via the computer when I set it up to do so, but, when I get
multiple page faxes (they print automatically when received) I'd like for
them to print on front and back. They don't and I don't know how to set it
up to do so. Surely it's possible. This machine brags about being "green"
so it seems like a two page incoming fax could print front and back on one
piece of paper. Again, the duplexing works, but just not in fax mode.
Thanks,
Monica

 

[Monica]

Thanks for answering Bob. I feel confident now that I can stop trying to
get this to work <g> since you've explained it to me but it would sure be
nice if the printer was a little more "green" and I could save the paper
Monica

 

[GSalisbury]

Thanks for answering Bob. I feel confident now that I can stop trying to
get this to work <g> since you've explained it to me but it would sure be
nice if the printer was a little more "green" and I could save the paper

Monica

Does your "fax" have Receive Software? (my Brother AIO does.)
If yes have you tried letting it capture faxes and printing from the capture
folder as a print task (instead of having the machine do an immediate fax
print).
Might be different result plus you could select what to print etc...
Just a thought.

 

[Monica]

Sounds like Bob and you are saying the same thing. Yes, my model does save
incoming faxes to a designated folder. It even has a pop up notice that an
incoming fax has been saved to such-in-such folder. The AiO is set to "auto
answer" for faxes. It "auto" prints as well. I'll look in the manual to
see if there is a way to keep them from automatically printing...auto
printing would be optimal if it supported duplex printing in fax mode).
Thanks guys.
Monica

 

[Mary]

Recently I bought an HP Photosmart C4345 all-in-one printer which scans,
copies prints and faxes. It uses one tri color and one black cartridge
(numbers 74 and 75). I have been using a Canon IP4000 for the past 3 years
which is not printing as well as it used to but could be that it needs a new
printhead. The Canon takes 4 color and 2 black cartridges. I've always used
compatible ink cartridges. The IP400 is a good printer, but I saw the HP
C4345 at a very good price, and thought I would get a 4 in 1 printer, though
I don't need a scanner.

Because the C4345 used one tri color and one black cartridge, will it use
less ink in general than the Canon which uses 6 cartridges? Also will the
C4345 use more ink because of having a scanner,printer, copier and faxer (I
won't be using a fax much, nor a copier). Also, the C4345 has a higher
resolution than the Canon (I'm not sure just how much higher) but wouldn't
that mean the C4345 would use more ink? I haven't taken it out of the box
yet, but I hope the C4345 is a good printer. Do you know much about that
model? As far as I know, its fairly new (at least in Canada). HP have come
out with a lot of models in the last year which all seem very similar.

Just wondering, can HP cartridges be refilled? They don't have any
compatibles as far as I know. I would appreciate any comments you might
have.

Mary

 

[Burt]

Recently I bought an HP Photosmart C4345 all-in-one printer which scans,
copies prints and faxes. It uses one tri color and one black cartridge
(numbers 74 and 75). I have been using a Canon IP4000 for the past 3 years
which is not printing as well as it used to but could be that it needs a
new
printhead. The Canon takes 4 color and 2 black cartridges. I've always
used
compatible ink cartridges. The IP400 is a good printer, but I saw the HP
C4345 at a very good price, and thought I would get a 4 in 1 printer,
though
I don't need a scanner.

Because the C4345 used one tri color and one black cartridge, will it use
less ink in general than the Canon which uses 6 cartridges? Also will the
C4345 use more ink because of having a scanner,printer, copier and faxer
(I
won't be using a fax much, nor a copier). Also, the C4345 has a higher
resolution than the Canon (I'm not sure just how much higher) but wouldn't
that mean the C4345 would use more ink? I haven't taken it out of the box
yet, but I hope the C4345 is a good printer. Do you know much about that
model? As far as I know, its fairly new (at least in Canada). HP have come
out with a lot of models in the last year which all seem very similar.

Just wondering, can HP cartridges be refilled? They don't have any
compatibles as far as I know. I would appreciate any comments you might
have.

Mary

Mary - I remember answering some of your questions regarding the ip4000 a
few years ago when you were planning to buy it. It uses four dye-based
inks, Magenta, Cyan, Yellow, and Black, and a pigment-based black large
cartridge for text. Total of five cartridges. I also recall that you were
not interested in refilling but were using Staples bci-6 and bci-3ebk carts.
Those are the easiest carts to refill if that is what you now want to do.
Go to http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/ and describe the printer problem
you are having. Someone there might be able to tell you how to clean the
printhead if that is the problem. Sometimes that is all it will take. You
will have to accurately describe the problem you are having. Also there can
be problems with aftermarket cartridges in that they sometimes don't feed
the ink as efficiently and give the appearance of a clogged printhead
nozzle. Continued use of a faulty cartridge can ultimately burn out a
heating element in the printhead and ruin it. if all you need is a new
printhead and the printer is OK you will probably get more years of service
out of the ip4000 printer. I am using an i960 Canon printer that is about
six years old. I've changed the printhead once and it still works perfectly
and produces excellent prints. Refilling the carts costs a bit more than $1
US and the prints are excellent. I've given it a lot of heavy use and it is
still worth it even if I have to buy another printhead for it.

Also, Mary - don't pay any attention to our resident troll, Measekite, who
always follows my posts with his anti aftermarket cart and ink diatribe.

 

[Mary]

Mary - I remember answering some of your questions regarding the ip4000 a
few years ago when you were planning to buy it. It uses four dye-based
inks, Magenta, Cyan, Yellow, and Black, and a pigment-based black large
cartridge for text. Total of five cartridges. I also recall that you were
not interested in refilling but were using Staples bci-6 and bci-3ebk

carts.

I remember you Burt. Yes, I was using Staples compatible carts which worked
fine, then I changed to another compatible cartridge company in the US who
were fine for a while, and around this time I was having trouble what I
thought was the printhead, and you gave me detailed instructions how to
clean it, which I did but it didn't make much difference, then Chris on this
group sent me one that was used but still in good conditiion.He didn't need
it any more, and I've been using it for a while now and it was working ok.
Then the company in the US I had been using for compatibles changed their
distributor and I started to have some problems with some ink carts printing
streaks, which I thought might be the printhead, but when I put in a new
cart of the same color, there were no streaks and it was ok again. Even if I
get this problem solved, I dont know how long the printhead will last since
it was already used, but I was glad to get it and its lasted quite a while.

I am still not interested in refilling but just wanted to know if HP carts
can be refilled in case I find out with this new printer that it runs out of
ink a lot more often than the Canon, but I am fed up with all the carts the
Canon uses though the company I bought them from was very reasonable priced.
At least with a two cart system its only two carts you need to worry about
instead of 5, and the total of the 5 was a lot higher than the HP two carts.
I was just curious about refilling 2 carts. Can you refill a tri color cart?

Those are the easiest carts to refill if that is what you now want to do.
Go to http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/ and describe the printer problem
you are having. Someone there might be able to tell you how to clean the
printhead if that is the problem. Sometimes that is all it will take.

You gave me great instructiions around a year ago when I was having trouble
with my old printhead. So I already know and have tried it recently but
didn't seem to make much difference. I think its the ink that could be the
problem. Just a guess.

You
will have to accurately describe the problem you are having. Also there can
be problems with aftermarket cartridges in that they sometimes don't feed
the ink as efficiently and give the appearance of a clogged printhead
nozzle.

It could be that. The old batches I got from the company I was using did not
cause clogs.

Continued use of a faulty cartridge can ultimately burn out a

heating element in the printhead and ruin it. if all you need is a new
printhead and the printer is OK you will probably get more years of service
out of the ip4000 printer. I am using an i960 Canon printer that is about
six years old. I've changed the printhead once and it still works perfectly
and produces excellent prints. Refilling the carts costs a bit more than $1
US and the prints are excellent. I've given it a lot of heavy use and it is
still worth it even if I have to buy another printhead for it.

Well, I don't feel like buying a new printhead at the moment. I intend to
keep the IP400, and maybe will fix it up but I think I would rather have 2
carts, not 5. The colors often go around the same time and I find 5 carts is
a nuisance. But maybe two carts, one tri color and one back is just as bad
as far as getting ink frequently. But maybe I could refill 2 carts if I had
to, but not 5 carts. But my post was really to ask Bob Headrick about the HP
model I bought and ask his opinion of that model.

Also, Mary - don't pay any attention to our resident troll, Measekite, who
always follows my posts with his anti aftermarket cart and ink diatribe.

I remember him from before. I don't listen to him. He's like a broken record
saying the same things over and over. You would think he would be tired of
saying the same things and start on some new rants.

Mary

 

[IntergalacticExpandingPanda]

Recently I bought an HP Photosmart C4345 all-in-one printer which scans,
copies prints and faxes. It uses one tri color and one black cartridge
(numbers 74 and 75). I have been using a Canon IP4000 for the past 3 years
which is not printing as well as it used to but could be that it needs a new
printhead.

We've covered this before. You're printhead is kauput, why not buy a
new printhead? The cost of ink is rather trivial in contrast to the
cost of the printer or print head. While this is an older model canon
still has printers that are comparable to it but the new printers take
cartridges with chips.

The printhead life is limited to about 10 cartridge changes according
to the numbers in the manual, reality is 15-20 or more. Given similar
use, that printer is going to cost an extra $80 CAD or so every 3
years, or think about $1.60 CAD hidden charge per cartridge change.

Because the C4345 used one tri color and one black cartridge, will it use
less ink in general than the Canon which uses 6 cartridges?

http://h10060.www1.hp.com/pageyield/us/en/PSC4340/index.html

Your canon you can expect about 500p (25ml)big black, and about 280
(13ml) pages color.

HP claims 750pages black, 510p color for their 74xl and 75xl
cartridges. Presuming OEM the black is 4.6c/page vs your canon at
2.5c/page. I'm not sure on prices up north, but if you buy OEM
cartridges, black costs more.

The actual amount of ink used is going to be less, as in the HP can
print more pages with 15ml of ink than the canon can with 25ml of
ink.

I'm sure you could refill the #74/75, but AFAIK there is no meter that
tells you the cartridge is empty, so if you print without ink you're
likely to screwup your cartridge's print head. Not such a big deal
since you can buy #74/75 cheaply enough.

Ease of refilling, you can check out google cache's page from
inksupply.com

http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cach...+refill+instructions&cd=9&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

There is also the cartridge priming tool for the #74/75
http://www.inksupply.com/partnumber.cfm?action=search&search_part_number=MIS-PRIME2

It's hard to be accurate since I don't know this printer, but a rule
of thumb is these budget priced printers are going to be like spiffy
printers from 3 years ago. As such the ip4000 might be on par with
psc4300.

I'm not seeing a source for refilled #74/75 tanks.

But if you want to continue using Staples cartridges, buying a print
head is really the way to go. If you want to bulk fill your
cartridges, the ip4000 is easier and it'll blink at you when the
cartridge is empty.

 

[measekite]

Recently I bought an HP Photosmart C4345 all-in-one printer which scans,
copies prints and faxes. It uses one tri color and one black cartridge
(numbers 74 and 75). I have been using a Canon IP4000 for the past 3 years
which is not printing as well as it used to but could be that it needs a ne
printhead. The Canon takes 4 color and 2 black cartridges. I've always used
compatible ink cartridges. The IP400 is a good printer, but I saw the HP

My IP4000 is printing just as good as when I bought but of course I used
the ink Canon recommends and get the results that Canon says I should get.

Now you will use inferior ink in an inferior printer. But that is ok
since I own stock in HP also.

C4345 at a very good price, and thought I would get a 4 in 1 printer,
though I don't need a scanner.

Because the C4345 used one tri color and one black cartridge, will it
use less ink in general than the Canon which uses 6 cartridges? Also

That is old technology and when one color runs out you throw the remainder
away. Makes a lot of sense huh?

will the C4345 use more ink because of

having a scanner,printer, copier

and faxer (I won't be using a fax much, nor a copier). Also, the C4345
has a higher resolution than the Canon (I'm not sure just how much
higher) but wouldn't that mean the C4345 would use more ink? I haven't
taken it out of the box yet, but I hope the C4345 is a good printer. Do
you know much about that model? As far as I know, its fairly new (at
least in Canada). HP have come out with a lot of models in the last year
which all seem very similar.

Just wondering, can HP cartridges be refilled? They don't have any

I am sure you can put the same crap in them that you can in any other
printer you would like to ruin and get results that the mfg does not
promise.

 

[measekite]

carts.

I remember you Burt. Yes, I was using Staples compatible carts which worked
fine, then I changed to another compatible cartridge company in the US who
were fine for a while, and around this time I was having trouble what I
thought was the printhead, and you gave me detailed instructions how to
clean it, which I did but it didn't make much difference, then Chris on this
group sent me one that was used but still in good conditiion.He didn't need
it any more, and I've been using it for a while now and it was working ok.
Then the company in the US I had been using for compatibles changed their
distributor and I started to have some problems with some ink carts printing
streaks, which I thought might be the printhead, but when I put in a new
cart of the same color, there were no streaks and it was ok again. Even if I
get this problem solved, I dont know how long the printhead will last since
it was already used, but I was glad to get it and its lasted quite a
whil

Just like I said and have been saying. You never know what you get from
the junk ink retailers because they will not tell you. They also will not
tell you when they change their supplier either so when they buy even more
crap from who knows where and will not tell you you never know what you
are using and then your printhead goes bad.

At least when you use recommended ink you know what you are getting even
though it costs more but you also get much better results especially if
you print photos.


e.

 

[measekite]

We've covered this before. You're printhead is kauput, why not buy a
new printhead? The cost of ink is rather trivial in contrast to the
cost of the printer or print head. While this is an older model canon
still has printers that are comparable to it but the new printers take
cartridges with chips.

But the newer ink formulations should produce better photos and the risk
of fading is less. The cost of a new printhead and a new set of ink may
be more than getting a new printer with the latest technology.

 

[IntergalacticExpandingPanda]

Just like I said and have been saying.  You never know what you get from
the junk ink retailers because they will not tell you.  They also will not
tell you when they change their supplier either so when they buy even more
crap from who knows where and will not tell you you never know what you
are using and then your printhead goes bad.

http://www.hp.com/sbso/product/supplies/supplies_reliability_ink.pdf

According to this Quality Logic report, Staples at the time was
reselling Dataproducts cartridges. The bci-3eBK has the Dataproducts
ID of DPCBCI3BK

http://www.printgrc.com/detail.asp?b=D&c=5&offset=10&col=18&ID=62

Staples could have changed. One can often checkout the barcode and
lookup the first few digits to see who manufactured it.

I know nothing about this brand other than it exists.

 

[TJ]

Recently I bought an HP Photosmart C4345 all-in-one printer which scans,
copies prints and faxes. It uses one tri color and one black cartridge
(numbers 74 and 75). I have been using a Canon IP4000 for the past 3 years
which is not printing as well as it used to but could be that it needs a new
printhead. The Canon takes 4 color and 2 black cartridges. I've always used
compatible ink cartridges. The IP400 is a good printer, but I saw the HP
C4345 at a very good price, and thought I would get a 4 in 1 printer, though
I don't need a scanner.

Because the C4345 used one tri color and one black cartridge, will it use
less ink in general than the Canon which uses 6 cartridges? Also will the
C4345 use more ink because of having a scanner,printer, copier and faxer (I
won't be using a fax much, nor a copier). Also, the C4345 has a higher
resolution than the Canon (I'm not sure just how much higher) but wouldn't
that mean the C4345 would use more ink? I haven't taken it out of the box
yet, but I hope the C4345 is a good printer. Do you know much about that
model? As far as I know, its fairly new (at least in Canada). HP have come
out with a lot of models in the last year which all seem very similar.

Just wondering, can HP cartridges be refilled? They don't have any
compatibles as far as I know. I would appreciate any comments you might
have.

Mary

Hello, Mary.

I can't help much with your decision, because I have never used either
of the printers you mention. However, I can give you some information on
HP ink carts that's based on the ones I do use.

The HP carts your printer uses have the printhead in the cart. While
this means you get a fresh printhead every time you buy a new cart, it
also means that "compatible" carts can't be made without violating HP
patents. What you will find are "remanufactured" carts. Supposedly,
these are used carts that have been cleaned, refilled, and checked out
by the remanufacturer. The truth of the matter is that some are more
meticulous at the process than others, and all many do is simply refill
them. I used remanufactured carts for several years, and I had a lot of
trouble sometimes getting a good tricolor cart. The black cart seems
much easier to get right.

I used a different tactic with the cart I'm using now. I bought it on
Ebay. (Don't cringe like that! If you're careful and learn what you're
doing, you won't have problems.) I searched for "genuine HP 57" (My
printer uses #56 and #57 carts) and bought a slightly expired cart for
about half the cost of retail. It's been working fine, unlike the last
half-dozen remanufactured carts I bought.

I also refill my carts. I've had great luck with refilling the black
cart, being able to refill several of them over two dozen times each.
I've had less luck with the remanufactured tricolors, but I once had an
original that I also refilled over two dozen times. I haven't had the
present cart long enough to refill it yet, so I don't know if that one
tricolor was a freak or not. Using Google to find refilling
instructions, the process looks the same for your carts as for mine.
It's easy, with just a bit of practice. The best way to prevent clogs is
to refill BEFORE you run dry of one color or another. If you want to go
that route, I would recommend buying an Inktec refill kit, which will
come with all you need to refill a few times. Thereafter, all you would
need is more ink, rather than a whole new kit.

I hope this was helpful, and good luck!

TJ

 

[measekite]

http://www.hp.com/sbso/product/supplies/supplies_reliability_ink.pdf

According to this Quality Logic report, Staples at the time was
reselling Dataproducts cartridges. The bci-3eBK has the Dataproducts
ID of DPCBCI3BK

In general, the dataproducts stuff I have used in the past have not been
high quality products.

 

[measekite]

Hello, Mary.

I can't help much with your decision, because I have never used either
of the printers you mention. However, I can give you some information on
HP ink carts that's based on the ones I do use.

The HP carts your printer uses have the printhead in the cart. While
this means you get a fresh printhead every time you buy a new cart, it
also means that "compatible" carts can't be made without violating HP
patents. What you will find are "remanufactured" carts. Supposedly,
these are used carts that have been cleaned, refilled, and checked out
by the remanufacturer. The truth of the matter is that some are more
meticulous at the process than others, and all many do is simply refill
them. I used remanufactured carts for several years, and I had a lot of
trouble sometimes getting a good tricolor cart. The black cart seems
much easier to get right.

I used a different tactic with the cart I'm using now. I bought it on
Ebay. (Don't cringe like that! If you're careful and learn what you're
doing, you won't have problems.) I searched for "genuine HP 57" (My
printer uses #56 and #57 carts) and bought a slightly expired cart for
about half the cost of retail. It's been working fine, unlike the last
half-dozen remanufactured carts I bought.

TRANSLATION:

Most are crap and you never know what you get. There is also the risk of
leakage. And you never know how much the printhead is used. Plus TJ
usually prints throw away flyers where quality matters little.

I also refill my carts. I've had great luck with refilling the black
cart, being able to refill several of them over two dozen times each.
I've had less luck with the remanufactured tricolors, but I once had an
original that I also refilled over two dozen times. I haven't had the
present cart long enough to refill it yet, so I don't know if that one
tricolor was a freak or not. Using Google to find refilling
instructions, the process looks the same for your carts as for mine.
It's easy, with just a bit of practice. The best way to prevent clogs is
to refill BEFORE you run dry of one color or another. If you want to go
that route, I would recommend buying an Inktec refill kit, which will
come with all you need to refill a few times. Thereafter, all you would
need is more ink, rather than a whole new kit.

My opinion is that this is just more crap and refilling is a big mess.
But one thing is certain, other than leakage you cannot ruin the printer
using integrated carts but you can still get lousy quality.

 

[Mary]

"IntergalacticExpandingPanda" <[email protected]>
wrote in message

Recently I bought an HP Photosmart C4345 all-in-one printer which scans,
copies prints and faxes. It uses one tri color and one black cartridge
(numbers 74 and 75). I have been using a Canon IP4000 for the past 3 years
which is not printing as well as it used to but could be that it needs a new
printhead.

We've covered this before. You're printhead is kauput, why not buy a
new printhead? The cost of ink is rather trivial in contrast to the
cost of the printer or print head. While this is an older model canon
still has printers that are comparable to it but the new printers take
cartridges with chips.

Printheads here in Canada are about $70.00 or maybe $80.00 by the time
shipping is included. Can. $ and are not commonly sold in any stores that
I've seen, but they can be bought from Canon website last time I looked.
Even if I got a new printhead, how can I be sure the printer will last to
make it worthwhile to buy a new printhead?

The printhead life is limited to about 10 cartridge changes according
to the numbers in the manual, reality is 15-20 or more. Given similar
use, that printer is going to cost an extra $80 CAD or so every 3
years, or think about $1.60 CAD hidden charge per cartridge change.

Because the C4345 used one tri color and one black cartridge, will it use
less ink in general than the Canon which uses 6 cartridges?
http://h10060.www1.hp.com/pageyield/us/en/PSC4340/index.html

Your canon you can expect about 500p (25ml)big black, and about 280

(13ml) pages color.

HP claims 750pages black, 510p color for their 74xl and 75xl

cartridges. Presuming OEM the black is 4.6c/page vs your canon at
2.5c/page. I'm not sure on prices up north, but if you buy OEM
cartridges, black costs more.

The actual amount of ink used is going to be less, as in the HP can

print more pages with 15ml of ink than the canon can with 25ml of
ink.

You mean if you buy the larger yield HP carts compared to the small regular
Canon carts which I think are 16ml.
I would have to look at prices of 74XL and 75XL next time I go to Staples as
they are about the only store that has a lot of variety of brands of ink
carts. XL carts last longer but are expensive. Regular 74 and 75 are about
$50.00 for combo

I'm sure you could refill the #74/75, but AFAIK there is no meter that

tells you the cartridge is empty, so if you print without ink you're
likely to screwup your cartridge's print head. Not such a big deal
since you can buy #74/75 cheaply enough.

Ease of refilling, you can check out google cache's page from
inksupply.com

http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cach...+refill+instructions&cd=9&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

There is also the cartridge priming tool for the #74/75
http://www.inksupply.com/partnumber.cfm?action=search&search_part_number=MIS-PRIME2

It's hard to be accurate since I don't know this printer, but a rule
of thumb is these budget priced printers are going to be like spiffy
printers from 3 years ago. As such the ip4000 might be on par with
psc4300.

I'm not seeing a source for refilled #74/75 tanks.

But if you want to continue using Staples cartridges, buying a print
head is really the way to go. If you want to bulk fill your
cartridges, the ip4000 is easier and it'll blink at you when the
cartridge is empty.

It doesn't blink when the cartridge is empty, but the status monitor shows
you when the ink is out.
Thanks for info. I am only exploring possibilities. I am not sure yet what I
am going to do.

Mary

 

[Mary]

Hello, Mary.

I can't help much with your decision, because I have never used either
of the printers you mention. However, I can give you some information on
HP ink carts that's based on the ones I do use.

I am only asking about the HP printer. I've had the IP4000 Canon for a few
years.

The HP carts your printer uses have the printhead in the cart. While
this means you get a fresh printhead every time you buy a new cart, it
also means that "compatible" carts can't be made without violating HP
patents. What you will find are "remanufactured" carts. Supposedly,
these are used carts that have been cleaned, refilled, and checked out
by the remanufacturer. The truth of the matter is that some are more
meticulous at the process than others, and all many do is simply refill
them. I used remanufactured carts for several years, and I had a lot of
trouble sometimes getting a good tricolor cart. The black cart seems
much easier to get right.

I would think the black cart would be easier to get right, but I suspect tri
colors would be more tricky even if they could be filled, though I really
don't know.

I used a different tactic with the cart I'm using now. I bought it on
Ebay. (Don't cringe like that! If you're careful and learn what you're
doing, you won't have problems.) I searched for "genuine HP 57" (My
printer uses #56 and #57 carts) and bought a slightly expired cart for
about half the cost of retail. It's been working fine, unlike the last
half-dozen remanufactured carts I bought.

Ebay is OK as far as my experieces. I've bought and sold quite a few things
though not for a few years.

I also refill my carts. I've had great luck with refilling the black
cart, being able to refill several of them over two dozen times each.
I've had less luck with the remanufactured tricolors, but I once had an
original that I also refilled over two dozen times. I haven't had the
present cart long enough to refill it yet, so I don't know if that one
tricolor was a freak or not. Using Google to find refilling
instructions, the process looks the same for your carts as for mine.
It's easy, with just a bit of practice. The best way to prevent clogs is
to refill BEFORE you run dry of one color or another. If you want to go
that route, I would recommend buying an Inktec refill kit, which will
come with all you need to refill a few times. Thereafter, all you would
need is more ink, rather than a whole new kit.

I don't know if they sell Inktec refill kits in Canada where I am. If you
are in the U.S. its easier for you to have more access to refill kits, and
to many products in fact.
So you have refilled the color cart of your present HP printer successfully?
I am not saying I would even refill carts for any printer. I just thought if
it was going to be very expensive for HP carts (and it usually is because
there are no compatibles for them), then I was investigating the
possibility. For me, everything depends on price. I have a tight budget.
That was all.

I hope this was helpful, and good luck!

Thanks for the info. I'll have to see.

Mary

 

[Mary]

Hello, Mary.

I can't help much with your decision, because I have never used either
of the printers you mention. However, I can give you some information on
HP ink carts that's based on the ones I do use.

The HP carts your printer uses have the printhead in the cart. While
this means you get a fresh printhead every time you buy a new cart, it
also means that "compatible" carts can't be made without violating HP
patents. What you will find are "remanufactured" carts. Supposedly,
these are used carts that have been cleaned, refilled, and checked out
by the remanufacturer. The truth of the matter is that some are more
meticulous at the process than others, and all many do is simply refill
them. I used remanufactured carts for several years, and I had a lot of
trouble sometimes getting a good tricolor cart. The black cart seems
much easier to get right.

I used a different tactic with the cart I'm using now. I bought it on
Ebay. (Don't cringe like that! If you're careful and learn what you're
doing, you won't have problems.) I searched for "genuine HP 57" (My
printer uses #56 and #57 carts) and bought a slightly expired cart for
about half the cost of retail. It's been working fine, unlike the last
half-dozen remanufactured carts I bought.

I checked Future Shop cart prices. They are chain stores and online sales. I
found 74XL(black) for $52.99 and 75XL(color) for $56.99 , so thats $110.00
total so thats too much. The regular #74 is $24.99 and 75 is $29.99 =$54.00.
The regular combo 74/75 is $49.00 so saves a few dollars to buy the combo.
Of course, there may be other places who sell carts a little cheaper. All
carts of all brands are high prices. thats why everybody buys new printers
and why landfills are stacked with used printers.

Mary

 

[Mary]

"IntergalacticExpandingPanda" <[email protected]>
wrote in message

Recently I bought an HP Photosmart C4345 all-in-one printer which scans,
copies prints and faxes. It uses one tri color and one black cartridge
(numbers 74 and 75). I have been using a Canon IP4000 for the past 3 years
which is not printing as well as it used to but could be that it needs a new
printhead.

We've covered this before. You're printhead is kauput, why not buy a
new printhead? The cost of ink is rather trivial in contrast to the
cost of the printer or print head. While this is an older model canon
still has printers that are comparable to it but the new printers take
cartridges with chips.

The printhead life is limited to about 10 cartridge changes according
to the numbers in the manual, reality is 15-20 or more. Given similar
use, that printer is going to cost an extra $80 CAD or so every 3
years, or think about $1.60 CAD hidden charge per cartridge change.

I am not convinced the problem with the Canon is the printhead. I have been
using compatible carts I got from an online company in the U.S. since last
Fall. I printed a few pages in color this morning, but the yellow cart which
I had put in about a week ago, was streaky. That status monitor showed it as
being full. I did some cleaning, then deep cleaning and a nozzle print, and
yellow was very pale and hardly showed up. When I examined the yellow cart,
the sponge part was half dry. I checked the ink cart and it showed plenty
yellow ink. I put in a new yellow cart and it worked fine. So if it was the
printhead, how would a new cart make any difference? I've had this same
problem with magenta not long ago. I use the printer about once a week,
sometimes do a lot of printing in all colors, sometimes not. The batch I got
from the online company consisted of 2 each of all colors and 2 each of
black.

I contacted this company a couple of months ago to tell them about the
problem of a magenta cart drying up too quickly, but that when I put a new
magenta in the printer, it worked OK. The company told me they were buying
from another distributor whose cartridges are designed a bit different. I
had noticed the sponge in the new carts was a lot smaller than the old carts
from the old distributor but whether that would cause some drying up of the
cart I don't know. I have not been using Staples compatibles since last
Fall. The online company in the US sold compatibles much cheaper than I
could buy in Canada. And like I said, the first batches I bought were no
problem, but with the last batch some carts have been dry not long after I
put them in the printer.

Just trying to explain.

Mary

Because the C4345 used one tri color and one black cartridge, will it use
less ink in general than the Canon which uses 6 cartridges?

http://h10060.www1.hp.com/pageyield/us/en/PSC4340/index.html

Your canon you can expect about 500p (25ml)big black, and about 280
(13ml) pages color.

HP claims 750pages black, 510p color for their 74xl and 75xl
cartridges. Presuming OEM the black is 4.6c/page vs your canon at
2.5c/page. I'm not sure on prices up north, but if you buy OEM
cartridges, black costs more.

The actual amount of ink used is going to be less, as in the HP can
print more pages with 15ml of ink than the canon can with 25ml of
ink.

I'm sure you could refill the #74/75, but AFAIK there is no meter that
tells you the cartridge is empty, so if you print without ink you're
likely to screwup your cartridge's print head. Not such a big deal
since you can buy #74/75 cheaply enough.

Ease of refilling, you can check out google cache's page from
inksupply.com

http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cach...+refill+instructions&cd=9&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

There is also the cartridge priming tool for the #74/75
http://www.inksupply.com/partnumber.cfm?action=search&search_part_number=MIS-PRIME2

It's hard to be accurate since I don't know this printer, but a rule
of thumb is these budget priced printers are going to be like spiffy
printers from 3 years ago. As such the ip4000 might be on par with
psc4300.

I'm not seeing a source for refilled #74/75 tanks.

But if you want to continue using Staples cartridges, buying a print
head is really the way to go. If you want to bulk fill your
cartridges, the ip4000 is easier and it'll blink at you when the
cartridge is empty.

 

[TJ]

I checked Future Shop cart prices. They are chain stores and online sales. I
found 74XL(black) for $52.99 and 75XL(color) for $56.99 , so thats $110.00
total so thats too much. The regular #74 is $24.99 and 75 is $29.99 =$54.00.
The regular combo 74/75 is $49.00 so saves a few dollars to buy the combo.
Of course, there may be other places who sell carts a little cheaper. All
carts of all brands are high prices. thats why everybody buys new printers
and why landfills are stacked with used printers.

Mary

I just had a look at Ebay Canada, and all prices I'm about to quote are
Canadian and include shipping...

I searched for "Genuine hp 74xl" and found some black carts listed for
around $34, as well as some 74xl/75xl combo packs for around $50. I see
one 75xl for $28, but $30-32 is probably more common. These carts are
all listed as in the USA, but the shipping cost is to Canada.

From what I read, the xl carts have triple the page yield of the non-xl
carts.

As far as the Inktec kits are concerned, I don't see any on Ebay for
your printer. But look around. Aren't there some places here in the US
that will ship to Canada?

TJ