Looking for a printer that you can refill yourself

[Arthur Entlich]

Since a CIS is a costly investment, often as much as the printer, I
would suggest against the R300 because it isn't a very robust machine,
and has relatively small capacity for waste ink, and I'm not sure the
protection numbers can be reset without use of an Epson service depot.

You could replace the printer if it reaches the waste ink limits, but
eventually the printer will become unavailable and the CIS may not fit
another printer easily, or at all. I would therefore suggest going with
a better quality and large model, like the R800, which has larger waste
ink pads and can have the waste ink pads renewed by a service depot at
"reasonable" cost, if required.


Art

 

[wizzzer]

I use a Lexmark Z22 inkjet printer which only cost $40 and it came with
a color cartridge. The bad thing with lexmark is that cartridges cost
about $30. So I have been using refill kits ever since the original ink
ran out. It is easy and not too messy to replace the ink. Who cares
about a little bit of mess. You can clean it up.

I unclog the printer head by dipping it in hot water for about half a
minute or so, until I see some ink flowing. If you haven't used the
cartridge in a long time and there is a lot of dried ink inside it, as
a last resort you can pump hot water into it with a syringe and then
suck it out. Also you can try blowing into the cartridge with your
mouth to force ink out.

I get rid of the air bubbles by putting the cartridge in a sock with
the print head facing the end of the sock and I swing it around very
hard about 15 or 20 times. The centrifugal action forces out the air
bubbles.

As for the print quality, I just use generic refill ink and it works
fine. The color photos look OK on regular paper and they look GREAT on
photo paper. I've tried Universal ink and Nu-Kote ink. I think
Universal is nicer looking, but Nu-Kote is adequate for functional
uses.

The Nu-Kote instructions say to let the cartridge sit for 30 minutes to
allow the sponge to absorb the ink after you fill it and put it on a
wet paper towel if it's clogged. I'm going to try that next time and
see if it works, since it would be easier than the method I've been
using.

I don't think you need to avoid cartridges that have sponges, because
inkjet inks are water soluble and they can be easily dissolved no
matter how long they've been dry. The sponge is necessary to keep the
ink from sloshing around.

Don't listen to measekite. He's a stupid jackass. Or maybe he works for
a printer cartridge manufacturer. You don't need to buy brand new OEM
cartridges and OEM ink, unless you're an idiot with a lot of money to
burn or you're too stupid to figure out how to refill and reuse
cartridges.

It costs me about 1/4th as much to use refill ink as it does to buy new
cartridges. I like to save money and I'm not going to throw away all
that money on new cartridges. I could buy a couple of books for that
amount!

 

[wizzzer]

I use a Lexmark Z22 inkjet printer which only cost $40 and it came with
a color cartridge. The bad thing with lexmark is that cartridges cost
about $30. So I have been using refill kits ever since the original ink
ran out. It is easy and not too messy to replace the ink. Who cares
about a little bit of mess. You can clean it up.

I unclog the printer head by dipping it in hot water for about half a
minute or so, until I see some ink flowing. If you haven't used the
cartridge in a long time and there is a lot of dried ink inside it, as
a last resort you can pump hot water into it with a syringe and then
suck it out. Also you can try blowing into the cartridge with your
mouth to force ink out.

I get rid of the air bubbles by putting the cartridge in a sock with
the print head facing the end of the sock and I swing it around very
hard about 15 or 20 times. The centrifugal action forces out the air
bubbles.

As for the print quality, I just use generic refill ink and it works
fine. The color photos look OK on regular paper and they look GREAT on
photo paper. I've tried Universal ink and Nu-Kote ink. I think
Universal is nicer looking, but Nu-Kote is adequate for functional
uses.

The Nu-Kote instructions say to let the cartridge sit for 30 minutes to
allow the sponge to absorb the ink after you fill it and put it on a
wet paper towel if it's clogged. I'm going to try that next time and
see if it works, since it would be easier than the method I've been
using.

I don't think you need to avoid cartridges that have sponges, because
inkjet inks are water soluble and they can be easily dissolved no
matter how long they've been dry. The sponge is necessary to keep the
ink from sloshing around.

Don't listen to measekite. He's a stupid jackass. Or maybe he works for
a printer cartridge manufacturer. You don't need to buy brand new OEM
cartridges and OEM ink, unless you're an idiot with a lot of money to
burn or you're too stupid to figure out how to refill and reuse
cartridges.

It costs me about 1/4th as much to use refill ink as it does to buy new
cartridges. I like to save money and I'm not going to throw away all
that money on new cartridges. I could buy a couple of books for that
amount!

 

[measekite]

I use a Lexmark Z22 inkjet printer which only cost $40 and it came with
a color cartridge. The bad thing with lexmark is that cartridges cost
about $30. So I have been using refill kits ever since the original ink
ran out.

AFTERMARKET INK IS RECOMMENDED FOR ALL LEXMARKS. THEY ARE NOT WORTH
ANYMORE.