refill canon ink carts?

[jacky54]

Is there anywhere that does it, can't seem to recall seeing anywhere or the refill kits that you can DIY with. Mine are 741 col and 740 bw. As it's about 1200 baht now for the 2 i'd like to do it a bit cheaper, never seem to go for long without one or the other saying it's running out

[RichCor]

You can have the cartridges converted over to a tank system.

Go to any place they sell the printers and they'll have a external-ink 'system' you can purchase.

Usually they hot-glue or epoxy the ink-tank and delivery tubes to the side of the printer.

[jacky54]

never knew that thanks

[draftvader]

I did it myself. A little messy and had to follow a rather weirdly edited YouTube video. Only reason I did it myself is because it is a pain carrying something like that on the motorbike. Most the shops do it as a free service.

Make sure you pay attention to the instructions about pressure in the tanks, etc.

[lopburi3]

Are you asking about the UK or Thailand? Here in Thailand it is done in every supermarket/mall/computer corner. Any simple needle type injection system will work if you want to DIY (can be messy but really easy) - just make hole with simple drill in the locations below and fill - cover with old label or transparent tape (after cleaning with tissue to remove excess ink).

I use kits like this from Ebay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-X-27ml-Bottle-Color-Ink-Jet-Cartridge-Refill-Kit-for-HP-Canon-Printer-Set-/271259498570?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item3f2853784a

[RichCor]

So you have a choice. Buy a 'kit' and refill the existing cartridges, or by the tank 'system' that modifies the cartridges so they pull ink from an external ink reserve tank.

Either way, the replacement ink is a lot cheaper than purchasing overpriced OEM cartridges.

Be aware that you may run into are printer errors that need to be cleared when using either system:

'artificial' expiration programmed into the physical printer cartridge (some can be reset)

dried ink clogging the reused cartridge printhead (dabbing the printhead with a wet tissue may clear most of the jet ports)

external tank tube lines causing printer jams (sometimes the IV type lines bend the wrong way and cause a jam)

[jacky54]

I am in Thailand, think I'll go for the kit if I can find one, or get one off ebay. Tanks are a good idea but I don't do that much printing, they are handy for the immigration trips though.

[JustinCredible]

I am in Thailand, think I'll go for the kit if I can find one, or get one off ebay. Tanks are a good idea but I don't do that much printing, they are handy for the immigration trips though.

Nearly all BigC or Tesco have the kits. Just look around the 'Ink' area.

[lopburi3]

So you have a choice. Buy a 'kit' and refill the existing cartridges, or by the tank 'system' that modifies the cartridges so they pull ink from an external ink reserve tank.

Either way, the replacement ink is a lot cheaper than purchasing overpriced OEM cartridges.

Be aware that you may run into are printer errors that need to be cleared when using either system:

'artificial' expiration programmed into the physical printer cartridge (some can be reset)

dried ink clogging the reused cartridge printhead (dabbing the printhead with a wet tissue may clear most of the jet ports)

external tank tube lines causing printer jams (sometimes the IV type lines bend the wrong way and cause a jam)

On my Canon printer holding the reset down for about 3 seconds will clear the printing no ink lock and allow it to continue. Happened about half way through first refill as I recall.

If you refill and use current cart do not believe will have the dry ink problem - but if you leave for later use you may will have.

[DickS]

I have been looking at both Canon and HP ink tank printers as alternatives to cartridge refill. I have periods of non use of up to two months when I am away from Thailand. It has been suggested by saleswoman that I may have problems with clogging from non use for such a long time. (????) It was suggested a laser would not suffer same problems. It is an option and the cost per page is quite low.

[lopburi3]

Several months would indeed be likely to cause issues with inkjet drying out from my understanding - even a week or two can be an issue for some.

Laser is indeed down enough in price to be a reasonable alternative and would probably suit you better unless you need glossy color printing (if photos must better and cheaper to use a photo service after you edit to what you want anyhow). For black/white price will be cheap but for color laser will be a lot higher price - but ink jet is still in the running if you are willing to clean cart or replace as needed - probably will not see a price advantage with laser - but perhaps less frustration waiting for good copy.

[draftvader]

Yep. If you are away and using a Canon printer you can set up a DDNS, leave the printer on and make it run a print clean every week through any browser. A touch extravagant but if you are running a DDNS for security reasons (monitoring visitors, etc) then this is an option to stop the jets drying out. It is also a lot of fun to start playing music when out of the house. Drives my wife potty

[laislica]

So you have a choice. Buy a 'kit' and refill the existing cartridges, or by the tank 'system' that modifies the cartridges so they pull ink from an external ink reserve tank.

Either way, the replacement ink is a lot cheaper than purchasing overpriced OEM cartridges.

Be aware that you may run into are printer errors that need to be cleared when using either system:

'artificial' expiration programmed into the physical printer cartridge (some can be reset)

dried ink clogging the reused cartridge printhead (dabbing the printhead with a wet tissue may clear most of the jet ports)

external tank tube lines causing printer jams (sometimes the IV type lines bend the wrong way and cause a jam)

On my Canon printer holding the reset down for about 3 seconds will clear the printing no ink lock and allow it to continue. Happened about half way through first refill as I recall.

If you refill and use current cart do not believe will have the dry ink problem - but if you leave for later use you may will have.

Please say what the model number is and where the reset is.

I have an all in one, 5510 and I have been told that the printer remembers the serial number of two ink carts in CMOS.

When you use a third cart, it forgets the ser no. of the first one.

I bought some carts from the earlier model on ebay but the printer "knows" that they are from a previous model and will not work with them. They are identical as far as I can see, just a different chip installed.

I have been refilling the carts but the printer occasionally prints very badly, as if there is no ink, but it's full.

I run the head clean and realign and swear a lot! After a while it starts printing properly again.

It really is a swizz. the inks can cost more than the original printer!

I started to look into tanks but since we are away for 6 months at a time, I was advised that they would not be suitable.

[4u2mad]

Off topic a bit. I just retired my 9yo Epson CX5500. The cost of org carts (4) almost the same as printer. As an added money spinner, if the cart was removed for any reason, it would then show as empty. I then bought refillable carts, a bit messy, but hey ho, very cheap and chip never shows as empty when there is ink remaining. The older Epson ink jets remain in the printer, and when they clog, which they will, I cleaned with windowlene or nail polish remover. Use a syringe and motorcy gas tube. Fold a strip of blotting paper and slide under print heads to catch the excess or you will fill up the big sponge drain in printer.

Just bought an HP, For colour printing it's not a patch on the old Epson, its photo programe is v. basic

[ozyjon]

I would buy a new printer because you would start with

new printer heads, get to know who sold it to you, buy

your ink from them, if you have a problem they will

look after you, doing it yourself is slightly messy.

[lopburi3]

Please say what the model number is and where the reset is

My printer is Canon MP258 and reset is held then color together as explained in below video.

[dotpoom]

You can have the cartridges converted over to a tank system.

Go to any place they sell the printers and they'll have a external-ink 'system' you can purchase.

Usually they hot-glue or epoxy the ink-tank and delivery tubes to the side of the printer.

I have the above and I have to say my heart is broken with it. One or other of the heads are constantly getting blocked (I use the printer on few occasions but run off a few prints and clean it at least once a week). I have paid a small fortune on new heads, at least 5 times what I paid for the printer and this is my second one, the first one was the same. I was beginning to think that it was the tanks that were causing the problems with their long pipes or I was just unfortunate (a friend of mine said he never has a problem with his which is the same as mine). The shop where I go to says he is getting in Laser Printers next month at a cost of 5,000 Baht so I told him to call me as soon as their in. As a matter of curiosity I Goggled up on the subject last night ........what a surprise and relief was in store for me....it described ink jet printers as "Machines from Hell" sent here to drive the users crazy (and I thought it was only happening to me). It went on to explain all the causes of the blockages and that Laser was the only solution. I slept well last night........Still, at the end of the day...it's a "luxury "problem compared to some I've had in the past.

PS. 3 days ago I got 2 new heads and new color done and today the prints are mostly all green with a notice coming up "ink running low"......the tanks are full.

Edited February 12, 2015 by dotpoom

[Nuddy]

The printer companies make more money from the ink cartridges than they do from the printer sales.

Buy a new printer every year instead

Its cheaper

[Nuddy]

The printer companies make more money from the ink cartridges than they do from the printer sales.

Buy a new printer every year instead

Its cheaper

[Nuddy]

Opps sorry about double post

However buy a new printer every year with the tanks bodied onto the outside

Cheap as guys

If you use it a lot it will work fine

If you use it only a little bit then it will mess up and so buy a new one every year ...cheap as.

[RichCor]

There are at least Four or Five types of printers on the market now, each with their own pros and cons.

Direct Thermal (aka Fax Machine)

Physical Strike (Daisy Wheel, Dot Matrix)

Thermal Ribbon

Hot wax dye transfer

Inkjet

Laser (or LED) where ground plastic 'beads' are attracted to charged paper and melted into place.

If you were just interested in printing on thin paper, I think Laser is the most efficient and cost effective and provides best archival lifespan.

But if the paper thickness increases, like printing on card or coated photo stock then you'll have issues with the heat rollers.

If you want to print card or coated stock then you'd best way with Inkjet. Itinerant users would be better off with Hot Wax dye transfer / Thermal Ribbon technology but the cost is high and availability poor.

I have friends who just stick things on a USB Thumb Drive and go to their local Print Shop and just get it done. They don't even bother having printers anymore. Lucky them. But then I think they're stupid. What do I know.

Edited February 12, 2015 by RichCor

[Sandman77]

I refill tanks only one time and then my printer head was gone never again

When my tanks used up I sale the printer on eBay buy a new one!

Some order it on amazon print 3 weeks non stop send it back and got full money back!

[mikecat]

I had a canon and used to refill myself but was for ever having to reset the printer for error messages, clean the cartridge head ect. I purchased an external refillable tank system and then had continuous problems with airlocks and ink not getting through to the cartridge ( This i am told is a common problem) and eventually damaged the print head. The last straw was I got an ink overflow pad is full message all the time. I went out and bought an Epson L210 printer that has a built in refillable tank system with the tank sitting on the side. When the ink is low you just open the lid and poor the ink into the appropriate color tank. It works like a dream, prints quicker than my Canon did and is truly clean and economical ( I do heaps of printing). I believe this may only be available in Asia. I bought it at Macro and if I remeber correctly it was 4900 Baht.

[bendejo]

Was recently in a store in the US looking at printers (Walmart). I don't need color, but there were no black ink only models.

One model looked good, was around US$70, comes with a black ink cartridge and the three colored ink cartridges.

Right there on the same shelves were the replacement cartridges, and the four of them cost close to $50.

Huh?

But back to the hardly-ever-use-it situation: how about taking the cartridges out, putting them in a sealed plastic bag?

Can someone tell me if I remove the color cartridges but keep the black one in will the printer still function?

BTW I hate printers, developed this animosity back in the days of parallel printer port connections.

[dotpoom]

Was recently in a store in the US looking at printers (Walmart). I don't need color, but there were no black ink only models.

One model looked good, was around US$70, comes with a black ink cartridge and the three colored ink cartridges.

Right there on the same shelves were the replacement cartridges, and the four of them cost close to $50.

Huh?

But back to the hardly-ever-use-it situation: how about taking the cartridges out, putting them in a sealed plastic bag?

Can someone tell me if I remove the color cartridges but keep the black one in will the printer still function?

BTW I hate printers, developed this animosity back in the days of parallel printer port connections.

Might work bendejo, personally I'm so fed up with it that I'm going for the Laser, although after reading the posts here that may not be the best option for me because I mainly use the printer for printing photos, and they certainly look better on glossy paper which, according to the posts here, I may have problems with the heated rollers.

Taking out the heads would have been a problem for me also as I have the tanks attached on the outside. It would mean disconnecting the tubes from the head, that is easy enough but then the hole left would have to be blocked.

In my earlier post I mentioned my printer was not printing in green only (after just purchasing two new heads, it only has two). On closer inspection I noticed the black ink had only travelled half way along the tube up to the head, I put it down to an air lock possibly, I pulled the tube off the head, topped it and the head itself up with ink by means of a injection needle. Didn't make a blind bit of difference.....still green. To add to my frustration the tube now won't fit tightly back into the hole I pulled it from, I think a jacked piece has dropped off the end of the tube,,,,it's tiny so no chance of locating it. When I used to be a drinker my solution to problems such as this was to throw the thing through the window. My tolerance has improved since those days but sometimes I think it was the right solution. Ha! Ha! Ha! (555)

Happy printing to all.

[dotpoom]

I refill tanks only one time and then my printer head was gone never again

When my tanks used up I sale the printer on eBay buy a new one!

Some order it on amazon print 3 weeks non stop send it back and got full money back!

I wouldn't like to have been the person who bought it, strange that they would want it with all it's problems. I used to buy useless stuff for parts but I don't think that would apply here.

[kkerry]

If you don't print photos, then B&W is all most people really require (documents, airline tickets don't usually need to be in color). A simple laser does the job economically. For light use, you no longer have an ink jet using more ink for cleaning than for printing. A laser just works, and a generic refill at a local print shop is cheap and easy.

For basic printing requirements get a laser printer rather than throwing money away on inkjets. If sometimes you need color then copy your work to a flash drive, take it to any local print shop and they will do it cheaply. If you print a lot of photos then an ink jet may still be the answer but for most people the costs are not worth it, get a laser.

[lopburi3]

If you print a lot of photos then an ink jet may still be the answer but for most people the costs are not worth it, get a laser.

The ink just fades out too fast - cheaper to print at photo shop and will last much longer in my experience. And yes I was using brand ink that touted long life. Not long at all unless you count in seconds.

[Nuddy]

Re filling is a waste of time

Companies like Cannon for instance are on to that.

They set it up so if you refill it will mess up, yes you can be real clever, but in the end the Manufacturer of the printer wins over your feeble and messy attempts to extend the life of something that is not meant to last more than its warranty.

A printer costs about a 100 bucks us average. The ink cartridges cost about 50 to 100 average

When the ink runs out buy a more better later model printer with ink included.

Its so easy its a no brainer.

[lopburi3]

Have different idea of no brainier I fear. Is is not that hard to refill carts and it is definitely worthwhile. That is why so many people and shops do it.