I am tired buying Ink Cartridges

[Talal Itani]

(snip)

Talal - if you want to refill your carts you can do so for about $1 US per
cart. I use MIS inks, others have used hobbicolors or Formulabs (from
Alotofthings) very successfully. Go onto the Nifty-stuff Forum, check in,
and read all info regarding sealing the fill hole, and other threads on
refilling. All the web sites of the inks I mentioned have instructions on
how to refill the bci-6 and bci-3ebk carts. The first few times will be
somewhat messy and slow until you get the hang of it. Lots of tips and
tricks on the Nifty-stuff Forum.
http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/

Thanks Burt. Another Newsgroup friend also recommended the MIS inks, so I
think I will use them. Do you recommend that I do the refilling, or to buy
after-market pre-filled cartridges? I will also put this question in new
thread. Thank you for all your help.

 

[Talal Itani]

I want to start using after-market ink for my canon i850 printer, which uses
series 3 ink. Two companies were recommended to me: MIS and AlotOfThings.
I do not know if I should fill my cartridges, or buy pre-filled cartridges.
Please tell me about your expreience with this. Thank you very much.

Talal ITani

 

[Burt]

Thanks Burt. Another Newsgroup friend also recommended the MIS inks, so I
think I will use them. Do you recommend that I do the refilling, or to
buy after-market pre-filled cartridges? I will also put this question in
new thread. Thank you for all your help.

If you refill yourself you will know what ink is in the carts. Vendors of
prefilled carts could possibly change inks and you wouldn't know it. Also,
once you have refilled a set of carts and found the ink to be satisfactory,
the rest of the ink in the bottles from which you refilled are absolutely a
known quality, and you will then be assured of uniform results.

 

[Talal Itani]

If you refill yourself you will know what ink is in the carts. Vendors of
prefilled carts could possibly change inks and you wouldn't know it.
Also, once you have refilled a set of carts and found the ink to be
satisfactory, the rest of the ink in the bottles from which you refilled
are absolutely a known quality, and you will then be assured of uniform
results.

Ok, thanks. I conclude from your post that the MIS ink is a good quality
ink. If that is the case, I will order some. I think I also need to order
the kit.

 

[Mickey]

Ok, thanks. I conclude from your post that the MIS ink is a good quality
ink. If that is the case, I will order some. I think I also need to order
the kit.

Another long term satisfied MIS customer here. I think you will find
the prefilled carts you buy from MIS doesn't have the same ink as they
sell in bulk. At least they weren't when I started buying ink from them.

Mickey

 

[measekite]

Now you have a big decision. You see the ink that is in the prefilled
carts is not the same that they sell for refill. They will not disclose
what they are selling so it is impossible for you to know what you are
buying. And nobody will be able to tell you either. Since the vendors
you listed (I have found one to be unprofessional and so have others)
are just refillers you will not find a statistical sample of users to
get any feel on what to buy. And each order you get may not be from the
same real supplier as the one previous.

You gain price but loose consistency.

 

[measekite]

Just like I said, with all of the relabelers you do not really know what
you are buying because they will not tell you. I do not want anybody to
take my word for it. Here is what to do:


Go to 6 of the relabelers websites and see if they predominately
ddisplay who the ink mfg/formulator is. Also see if the name is on the
package.

Then call each one and ask them

Whose ink do you sell. Who is the ink mfg/formulator that you are selling?

Also ask Do you sell the same ink in bulk and in carts?

Then ask How can I be assured that I get the same ink each time I order
and that you will not change suppliers.


I do not think you will get a satisfactory answer as that is what I
did. I too wanted to save money and find some ink that I could track.
I figured that is a generic mfg/formulator would sell bulk or preferable
prefilled carts with their name in all venues like Costco, Staples and
online stores then they would have a huge following and one would be
able to read enough reviews to determine if they would clog the
printhead, have reasonable longevity, and produce decent quality on a
variety of papers.

I still have not found that so I am paying the high price for Canon.
Now the users who use Epson pigmented ink have even a greater problem
since pigmented ink has a higher tgendancy to clog printheads.

 

[Talal Itani]

alotofthings sells ProColor cartridges, pre-filled. Are they good?

 

[measekite]

You do not know what is in them and they will not tell you so the
question is impossible to answer. Call them up and ask them the BRAND
(THE FORMULATOR) of ink that is in them. If they tell you then you can
do some research to find where is falls on the quality non quality chain
but if they will not tell you than beware.

 

[Sam Louis]

You really should go for ip4300. I got one. It's the fastest text printer
I have ever seen yet its text quality is second to none. As someone noted
at $59.95 after rebate the price is also the best. Its text printing performance
will really impress you.

Although the cartridges are chipped it does not prevent you from using 3rd
party inks. I have been using 3rd party refill ink for my ip4300 from an
eBay seller called Hobbicolors. They provide a set of very interesting plugs,
with a few spares, and instruct you how to drill an ink fill hole on the top of
the ink tank. The plugs they supply makes re-sealing so easy and effective.
I have searched other 3rd party ink suppliers' sites. I have not found anyone
providing anything similar at all. Basically their plugs have a enlarged head on
them. They seal the ink fill hole extremely well and easy.

I paid only $16.95 for a set of refill ink with 2 syringes and a set of plugs
with a few spares. With this kit from Hobbicolors my ip4300 has been a super
cheap printer yet its printing quality is 2nd to none. You will not regret it
for getting this printer. You won't spend a fortune in the inks if you use
3rd party inks.

HP printers have good text printing quality too. But I have not seen one that
matches ip4300's speed. The greatest advantage of using this printer is this
3rd party supplier Hobbicolors on eBay. For $16.95, just about for an OEM
PGI-5 cart, Hobbicolors ink supplied me more than a few months of printing.
I am sure you will find other 3rd party suppliers too. You really can't go wrong
to go for a Canon ip4300. You will never need to buy OEM carts any more.

 

[measekite]

You really should go for ip4300. I got one. It's the fastest text printer
I have ever seen yet its text quality is second to none. As someone noted
at $59.95 after rebate the price is also the best. Its text printing
performance
will really impress you.

Although the cartridges are chipped it does not prevent you from using
3rd
party inks. I have been using 3rd party refill ink for my ip4300 from an
eBay seller called Hobbicolors. They provide a set of very interesting
plugs,
with a few spares, and instruct you how to drill an ink fill hole on
the top of
the ink tank. The plugs they supply makes re-sealing so easy and
effective.
I have searched other 3rd party ink suppliers' sites. I have not found
anyone
providing anything similar at all. Basically their plugs have a
enlarged head on
them. They seal the ink fill hole extremely well and easy.

I paid only $16.95 for a set of unbranded generic
refill ink with 2 syringes and a set of plugs
with a few spares. With this kit from Hobbicolors my ip4300 has been a
super
cheap printer yet its printing quality is 2nd to none.

If your judgment on quality is accurate then all of the professional
photographers would be using generic ink. The fact of the matter is
they are not. So in order to achieve professional quality and longevity
one need to use branded OEM factory ink. Most professionals use Epson
UltraChrome pigmented ink that get very good results balanced witgh
longevity. At this point I prefer Canon dye inks because the results
have more pzaaz and so far I have not had an issue with fading. But I
do know dye is currently not archival quality.

You will not regret it
for getting this printer. You won't spend a fortune in the inks if you
use
3rd party inks.

And in order to obtain the savings you have to accept lower quality,
more rapid fading, accept a higher potential of head clogging and have
to do business with vendors that will not properly disclose what they
are selling.

HP printers have good text printing quality too. But I have not seen
one that
matches ip4300's speed. The greatest advantage of using this printer
is this
3rd party supplier Hobbicolors on eBay.

That is not an advantage. Besides nobody has even come close to
formulating anything close to the new Canon Chromalife 100 inks.

For $16.95,

you do not even get ink close to the BCI6. And you also get dye(not
pigment) for the the large cart.

just about for an OEM
PGI-5 cart, Hobbicolors ink supplied me more than a few months of
printing.
I am sure you will find other 3rd party suppliers too.

You really can't go wrong
to go for a Canon ip4300.

That is what I recommended and you cannot go wrong using OEM ink that
the printer is designed to use. But if one values $$$ over highest
quality and longest lasting results and wants to risk a print head then
use the generics. For a $60.00 printer investment quality is the main
issue.

 

[Taliesyn]

You really should go for ip4300. I got one. It's the fastest text printer
I have ever seen yet its text quality is second to none. As someone noted
at $59.95 after rebate the price is also the best. Its text printing
performance
will really impress you.

Although the cartridges are chipped it does not prevent you from using 3rd
party inks. I have been using 3rd party refill ink for my ip4300 from an
eBay seller called Hobbicolors. They provide a set of very interesting
plugs,
with a few spares, and instruct you how to drill an ink fill hole on the
top of
the ink tank. The plugs they supply makes re-sealing so easy and effective.
I have searched other 3rd party ink suppliers' sites. I have not found
anyone
providing anything similar at all. Basically their plugs have a enlarged
head on
them. They seal the ink fill hole extremely well and easy.

I paid only $16.95 for a set of refill ink with 2 syringes and a set of
plugs
with a few spares. With this kit from Hobbicolors my ip4300 has been a
super
cheap printer yet its printing quality is 2nd to none. You will not
regret it
for getting this printer. You won't spend a fortune in the inks if you use
3rd party inks.

Indeed! That's the route I'll be taking again if ever my 3 current
printers die. However, I've still got perfectly operating i860, iP4000,
and iP5000 printers. None of which show any signs of going any time
soon though. Seems they love the inks i'm using from hobbicolors.com
(for color) and atlanticinkjet.com (for pigment black text BCI-3e). My
original i860 was a lemon and conked out after about a month of use
(printhead AND paper feed went simultaneously). The replacement i860 was
fine though. I have upgraded both the iP4000 and the iP5000 with disc
trays to print on CDs/DVDs. The iP5000 seems a bit defective as it
smudges the disc. The iP4000 works perfectly. Not really a problem as
long as 1 of them works. I wouldn't have to buy any disc trays with the
iP4300 as they come with disc printing capability in Canada. I don't
believe that's offered on US versions. That might explain the
considerably higher price in Canada, currently at about $129 CAD ($118
USD). No big deal as I would quickly recoup the money by refilling at
home, currently at about $1.00 a cartridge. My brother was blown away by
my sister's digital photos she printed on an iP4000 (using generic
cartridges from atlanticinkjet.com) and ran out and bought an iP4300
immediately, along with some Costco Kirkland 4x6 Photo Paper. He will
refill with atlanticinkjet.com inks as they don't offer generic
cartridges at this time.

-Taliesyn

 

[measekite]

Indeed! That's the route I'll be taking again if ever my 3 current
printers die. However, I've still got perfectly operating i860, iP4000,
and iP5000 printers. None of which show any signs of going any time
soon though. Seems they love the inks i'm using from hobbicolors.com
(for color) and atlanticinkjet.com (for pigment black text BCI-3e). My
original i860 was a lemon and conked out after about a month of use
(printhead AND paper feed went simultaneously). The replacement i860 was
fine though. I have upgraded both the iP4000 and the iP5000 with disc
trays to print on CDs/DVDs. The iP5000 seems a bit defective as it
smudges the disc.

Try Canon ink

The iP4000 works perfectly. Not really a problem as
long as 1 of them works. I wouldn't have to buy any disc trays with the
iP4300 as they come with disc printing capability in Canada. I don't
believe that's offered on US versions. That might explain the
considerably higher price in Canada, currently at about $129 CAD ($118
USD). No big deal as I would quickly recoup the money by refilling at
home, currently at about $1.00 a cartridge. My brother was blown away by
my sister's digital photos she printed on an iP4000 (using generic
cartridges from atlanticinkjet.com)

Well Canon ink would be like a hydrogen bomb

 

[Taliesyn]

Nothing of value.

-Taliesyn

 

[Frank]

Nothing of value.

And all lies!
Frank

 

[Talal Itani]

Drop on by www.alotofthings.com and pick up some "ProColor" brand
compatible
tanks. They are very good, and also easy to refill.
I would avoid over-the-counter refill kits like the plague. If you like
the
compatible inks, you can also buy bulk ink and refill kits at
Alotofthings,
the ink is top quality.

I did what you recommended. I ordered a set of ProColor cartridges from
alotofthings, and I am positively surprised by the quality of the printing.
I would like to go further and start refilling. You say, that ProColor
cartridges are easy to refill, and you refill them in your printer. Can you
please tell me how you refill them in your printer. Thanks.

T.I.

 

[Dan G]

I did what you recommended. I ordered a set of ProColor cartridges from
alotofthings, and I am positively surprised by the quality of the printing.
I would like to go further and start refilling. You say, that ProColor
cartridges are easy to refill, and you refill them in your printer. Can you
please tell me how you refill them in your printer. Thanks.

T.I.

You need to peel off the plastic label that covers the fill hole on the top
of the tank at the front. Under that you find a silicone plug that will pop
out easily with a push-pin. Fill the tank and replace the plug. There's also
instructions available at allotofthings.com. If you remove the tank from the
printer, you do need to close off the tank with one of the plastic clips
that come on the new tanks, or the ink will run out when you remove the fill
plug. The advantage of filling in the printer is that you don't need to
worry about that. You just center the head by opening the lid, remove the
plug and fill it up. With newer chipped tanks, you avoid the problems
associated with the chips by keeping the tank in the printer and never
letting it register as being empty.

It's claimed that the Procolor tanks will survive more refills than others,
(including Canon). If so, you should be able to refill them 6-10 times. If
you never remove them, the only symptom of an aging tank will be slower ink
flow, as evidenced by banding prints when you print large dark color or
black fields. If you remove an aging tank, you may notice that it doesn't
seal as well and ink drips from it.

Normally, I do remove the tanks for filling, because I'm a slob and I don't
want ink any where near my desk or carpet. But with a syringe and long
needle, filling in the printer is certainly easy enough if you're careful.

 

[Talal Itani]

You need to peel off the plastic label that covers the fill hole on the
top
of the tank at the front. Under that you find a silicone plug that will
pop
out easily with a push-pin. Fill the tank and replace the plug. There's
also
instructions available at allotofthings.com. If you remove the tank from
the
printer, you do need to close off the tank with one of the plastic clips
that come on the new tanks, or the ink will run out when you remove the
fill
plug. The advantage of filling in the printer is that you don't need to
worry about that. You just center the head by opening the lid, remove the
plug and fill it up. With newer chipped tanks, you avoid the problems
associated with the chips by keeping the tank in the printer and never
letting it register as being empty.

It's claimed that the Procolor tanks will survive more refills than
others,
(including Canon). If so, you should be able to refill them 6-10 times. If
you never remove them, the only symptom of an aging tank will be slower
ink
flow, as evidenced by banding prints when you print large dark color or
black fields. If you remove an aging tank, you may notice that it doesn't
seal as well and ink drips from it.

Normally, I do remove the tanks for filling, because I'm a slob and I
don't
want ink any where near my desk or carpet. But with a syringe and long
needle, filling in the printer is certainly easy enough if you're careful.

Thank you.

 

[TJ]

Sam Louis wrote:

If your judgment on quality is accurate then all of the professional
photographers would be using generic ink. The fact of the matter is
they are not. So in order to achieve professional quality and longevity
one need to use branded OEM factory ink. Most professionals use Epson
UltraChrome pigmented ink that get very good results balanced witgh
longevity. At this point I prefer Canon dye inks because the results
have more pzaaz and so far I have not had an issue with fading. But I
do know dye is currently not archival quality.

Ah, yes, I can see it now...Assuming Al Gore is wrong and civilization
still exists by then, future generations will have the chance to examine
Measekite's prints and say, "What the heck is this crap?" before tossing
it into the bin to be recycled into pasteboard boxes, egg cartons, and
containers for McDonald's. Thank you, Measekite, for providing this
all-important service.

TJ

 

[measekite]

Ah, yes, I can see it now...Assuming Al Gore is wrong and civilization
still exists by then, future generations will have the chance to
examine Measekite's prints and say, "What the heck is this crap?"
before tossing it into the bin to be recycled into pasteboard boxes,
egg cartons, and containers for McDonald's. Thank you, Measekite, for
providing this all-important service.

TJ

But Al Gore is right contrary to what the upstate NY hickie republicans
think.