Inkjet printer question

[LCHIEN]

The study of inkjet market dynamics must be a great field for dissertations in the marketing field of study.

With regard to the technical merits of refilling vs. OEM ink cartridges:
The inkjets may fire 5000 times per second or be on and off in about 100 microseconds. This is possible due to the micro-etched heating elements and very timy mass of the ink droplet being heated (ink jet heads are made with integrated circuit type photo technologies) The head literally heats up to boiling and returns equally quickly to near room temperature (cooled by the new ink flowing into the capillary tubing) in this 200 microsecond interval.

I don't think these things really wear out, certainly not from the lifetime of the ink volume. The refillers readily buy used cartridges. THere ave been reports of damaged heaters when run dry and the ink not performing the cooling duy.

To me the real issue of buying OEM vs. refills is the quality of the ink.
If all you do is print off quick documents then the refillers is probably the way to go. If you print photographs for your album of display, that is an enteirly different matter. I think photo specialists like HP and Epson must do a great deal of research into making inks that last and do not fade with time and exposure to light and temperature. The inks will also have truer colors and more consistent flow characteristics leading to better prints. Making critical prints therefore, to me, requires te OEM manufacturer's inks regardless of the extra cost.

I cannot see aftermarket refiller's being able to reproduce the characteristics of the OEM inks to get the maximum performance and print life from the printers.

But less critical prints are easily done with ceap aftermaket refilled carts. If the print head jams or clogs, its easy to replace it with another, you have not risked any real expensive mechanism (like putting cheap oil into your car engine) since the print heads/in reservoir are unitized.

[TheRic]

If you purchase a laser printer, check into the drum and toner replacement costs too. The "rip-off" fever so rampant in the ink jet printer industry has infected the laser printers too......

As with every brand / model you have good ones and bad ones. Having replacement parts separate has been around for years. HAD a laser printer 15 years ago that required about 4 different parts, all on different times frames. As in anything do your homework before you buy. Remember do you want to pay for it now, or later.

... I made up a "made by" stamp and now imprint all my work using this method. But it has to be the ink from a laser, not an inkjet. Good for transfering complicated patterns for inlay work, etc.

Never thought about using it to transfer onto wood. I take it you transfer the "made by" onto the wood before you put a finish coat on? I would think it would wear off if there was no protective coat over the top.

.... At that time, we'll be forced to make a decision to buy another that takes the same cartridges, or throw the unused cartridges away, and buy something else. ....

The problem you might run into, is that model is no longer made, and the new model uses a different type.!! It probably will last thru all 3 cartridges. Yes, the stuff is cheap, and throw away. But they do normally last a little longer than a couple of cartridges.

[Ed62]

To me the real issue of buying OEM vs. refills is the quality of the ink.
If all you do is print off quick documents then the refillers is probably the way to go. If you print photographs for your album of display, that is an enteirly different matter.

If anyone is interested, there is a website that has a lot of information on the different inks and papers used for photos. The key here is the combination of paper and ink used. Here's a link http://www.wilhelm-research.com/

Ed

[LinuxRandal]

Just so all of you know there is class action litigation in the works to sue the printer makers for doing this with the cartridges. The European Union is also looking into passing a law to ban this type of behavior in their respective countries. HP is the worst of them all as they have sued refill companies for disabling the chips or resetting them.

Always do the research on printers and their cartridge costs. This isn't true in all cases, but the cheaper the printer the higher (and more proprietary) the ink.

Epson and Canon are the least likely to have printers with proprietary technology. HP and Lexmark (Dell) are the most likely.

As to HP sueing them for resetting the chips, The Lexmark DCMA precident might be applicable. (Lexmarks case was thrown out)

Refilling ink cartridges are NOT recommended. Yes some of it is because they want to make money off the ink. Mostly because they way the ink cartridges are designed.

The heating elements are designed to last about the length of the cartridge. When you refill the cartridge you are risking the heating element burning out, therefor printing bad.

The print heads your talking about have a longer lifespan then the ink cartridges. Cannon has been selling the cartridges for YEARS, seperate from the print heads/carrier.

[L. D. Jeffries]

Yeah, put the "transfer" on and then put on whatever your finish will be. Works great!

[Slik Geek]

...replacement parts

Which reminds me of another issue that frosted me with HP some years ago: Some inkjet printers cannot be serviced. No replacement parts are available. If a simple part breaks, a "do-it-yourself" type of user can't purchase a replacement part. As printer prices have declined, this isn't as big of an issue, because the manufacturers consider them to be disposable. I don't know if other manufacturers do likewise.