Canon IP4000 vs HP Deskjet 6540 (I plan to refill my cartridges)

[techman41973]

I need a new printer and I am currently deciding between HP and Cannon.
I plan to refill my cartridges, so ease of refilling is my utmost
importance. I also care about speed. I print mostly black and white
text, rarely any photos. Lasers may theoretically cost less per page,
but refilled ink costs even less and refilling toner is too much of a
pain. I would appreciate some advice.

 

[Dan G]

Canon is WAY easy and fast to refill, also a very fast and quiet printer.
Takes me about 2 min per tank to refill and put back in the printer.

 

[Bob Ward]

I need a new printer and I am currently deciding between HP and Cannon.
I plan to refill my cartridges, so ease of refilling is my utmost
importance. I also care about speed. I print mostly black and white
text, rarely any photos. Lasers may theoretically cost less per page,
but refilled ink costs even less and refilling toner is too much of a
pain. I would appreciate some advice.

So you'd rather get ink all over your hands twice a week than pour a
bottle of toner into the cartridge every other month?

I get approximately 4,000 pages from an $18 bottle of toner. No way
you xcan match that with inkjet.

 

[SleeperMan]

Canon is WAY easy and fast to refill, also a very fast and quiet
printer. Takes me about 2 min per tank to refill and put back in the
printer.

and these 2 min includes one beer in between...

 

[Bill]

I need a new printer and I am currently deciding between HP and Cannon.

Both models will produce similar results with text, graphics, and
photos. Print quality is not an issue.

I plan to refill my cartridges, so ease of refilling is my utmost
importance.

Canon is the obvious choice there - easiest to refill.

I also care about speed.

Both print at about the same speed...it's not an issue.

I print mostly black and white
text, rarely any photos. Lasers may theoretically cost less per page,
but refilled ink costs even less and refilling toner is too much of a
pain. I would appreciate some advice.

The Canon is easier to refill due to the ink tanks being easy to
maintain. However, the printheads are not very durable and replacements
cost almost as much as a new printer. If printhead life isn't a major
factor, the Canon is the easier choice.

I bought a Canon i850 two years ago because it was the easiest to
refill. It printed well, but it failed FAR too early (just outside the
warranty period) and was replaced with an HP 6540 that I expect to last
much longer.

 

[Andrew White]

I need a new printer and I am currently deciding between HP and Cannon.
I plan to refill my cartridges, so ease of refilling is my utmost
importance. I also care about speed. I print mostly black and white
text, rarely any photos. Lasers may theoretically cost less per page,
but refilled ink costs even less and refilling toner is too much of a
pain. I would appreciate some advice.

If you need to print in black & white, then there is NO WAY you can
beat the cost per page of a laser printer! Using OEM cartridges with a
typical HP printer would normally cost you no more than 2 cents per
page.

As far as Canon iP4000 vs HP, I would take Canon over HP any day of
the week.

 

[measekite]

(e-mail address removed) wrote:




Both models will produce similar results with text, graphics, and
photos. Print quality is not an issue.

The edge goes to Canon IP4000 for Photos.

Canon is the obvious choice there - easiest to refill.




Both print at about the same speed...it's not an issue.

Canon IP4000 the fastest, by far



The Canon is easier to refill due to the ink tanks being easy to
maintain. However, the printheads are not very durable and replacements
cost almost as much as a new printer.

Strong possibility many 3rd party ink shortens print head life.

 

[Jon von Leipzig]

If you need to print in black & white, then there is NO WAY you can
beat the cost per page of a laser printer! Using OEM cartridges with a
typical HP printer would normally cost you no more than 2 cents per
page.

As far as Canon iP4000 vs HP, I would take Canon over HP any day of
the week.

trivia: just about all the major companies buy their printer engines
(inkjet & laser) from Canon.

My trusty old Epson prints for less than that, I paid $4-5 per 24ml
cart, but now they're even cheaper, for black. At the std 5% coverage,
Epson site sez I should print 4-500 pages, forgot the exact no., cuz
it's unrealistic anyway, the 5% coverage. The average filled-out tax
form is at least 10% coverage.

If I were really ambitious, could drive 30 mi to the burbs, buy a whole
pint (470ml) that's 19+ complete fills, for $21.95. (oddparts.com)

my latest cheapie: 5 carts, black

http://tinyurl.com/47cox
private.abacus24-7.com

189EVP5 Valu 5-Pak / S020189 black $5.95 5 Pack

 

[Bob Ward]

trivia: just about all the major companies buy their printer engines
(inkjet & laser) from Canon.

My trusty old Epson prints for less than that, I paid $4-5 per 24ml
cart, but now they're even cheaper, for black. At the std 5% coverage,
Epson site sez I should print 4-500 pages, forgot the exact no., cuz
it's unrealistic anyway, the 5% coverage. The average filled-out tax
form is at least 10% coverage.

If I were really ambitious, could drive 30 mi to the burbs, buy a whole
pint (470ml) that's 19+ complete fills, for $21.95. (oddparts.com)

my latest cheapie: 5 carts, black

http://tinyurl.com/47cox
private.abacus24-7.com

189EVP5 Valu 5-Pak / S020189 black $5.95 5 Pack

But they still smear when they get wet.

My experience has been that it's far cleaner to refill a laser toner
cartridge thanit is to refill an ink cartridge. I've done both, and
there is no comparison. Of course, when the only tool you have is a
hammer, all problems look like nails.

How long does it take you to clean the print heads if the printer sets
for a couple of weeks? My lasers are always ready.

 

[Rob]

But they still smear when they get wet.

My experience has been that it's far cleaner to refill a laser toner
cartridge thanit is to refill an ink cartridge. I've done both, and
there is no comparison. Of course, when the only tool you have is a
hammer, all problems look like nails.

How long does it take you to clean the print heads if the printer sets
for a couple of weeks? My lasers are always ready.

More or less have to agree with Bob. I've got both and tho it takes
me longer to replace my toner cartridge, I rarely do it (that is
probably why it takes me longer because I forget how to do it just
right). I may have to replace my toner cartridge once every 3 or 4
years (of course it depends on how many pages you print). And if
print quality counts my laserjet 4 is still better in text than my 3
other canon inkjets (one is a ip3000). I don't plan on giving up my
laserjet4 till it goes bad (heavy and built like a tank). In that
case I expect to replace it with another laserjet tho I'm at a loss
which model as I'm not educated on the new ones.

 

[Jon von Leipzig]

But they still smear when they get wet.

I have a roof over my head, plus, I'll be in an a/c'd clubhouse at the
track, no worries about moisture. 90% of mine is black throw-away
stuff, so no concern w/quality.

My experience has been that it's far cleaner to refill a laser toner
cartridge thanit is to refill an ink cartridge.

True. That is interesting....going 4000 pages w/out having to stop,
refll,etc. Really need to update this snail (3ppm), but have no idea how
durable these cheaper lasers are. With lots of practice, I can now fix
mine quickly, if it has a problem.

How long does it take you to clean the print heads if the printer sets
for a couple of weeks? My lasers are always ready.

Got it down to a science......
have my own concoction of de-clogging juice, plus special syringe w/tube
to feed nozzle.

trivia: if ink ever goes up (unlikely) like gas prices, can always
tinker with making my own. Only need some oil-based offset ink, glycol,
hi-grade alcohol, and water. Preferably, but maybe not necessary,
triple-distilled & de-ionized water.
One poster at Frugal once claimed he just used stamp pad ink, with a few
drops of glycerine. Another, in UK, sez she uses a good quality fountain
pen ink.

 

[Angelo Campanella]

trivia: if ink ever goes up (unlikely) like gas prices, can always
tinker with making my own. Only need some oil-based offset ink, glycol,
hi-grade alcohol, and water. Preferably, but maybe not necessary,
triple-distilled & de-ionized water.

I have used Windex liquid (window cleaner from it spray-bottle) as a
solvent-cleaner and for dilution for my HP6122 and Cannon BJ cartridge
refills. I also have retrieved the black gunk-ink from the drip-pad.
There is a lot of black ink in them that can be retrieved that way. A
bit messy, but you can be creative in salvaging.. sort of like
dumpster-diving...

Likewise for the toner cartridges for my Konica copier. The powder
refuse collector chamber of the toner cartridge can be opened. Dump
toner there onto the center of a sheet of paper, Carefully reassemble
the refuse chamber onto the cartridge. Use paper as a carrier to refill
the toner bin of the cartridge, then use "like new"... About a 30%-50%
retrieval rate...

One poster at Frugal once claimed he just used stamp pad ink, with a few
drops of glycerine. Another, in UK, sez she uses a good quality fountain
pen ink.

The ink needs to be all soluble stuff.. zero particulates.

Angelo Campanella