[Mulderator]

I bought this for photo printing at New Egg. I think it was on sale but even now its only $74, but the damn cartridges for it (5 of them) are like $75 total (about $15 each). I'd be better off to keep buying a new printer!

What are you guy using for photo printing?

Any ideas or sites for cheaper cartridges or a photo printer that does a good job with cheaper cartridges?

[buck52]

If you are just printing 6x4...5x3... snaps... then just take them to CVS or the like...

If you want to print one offs... something like the Cannon 5200 slipe suggested in another thread would be good for you....http://forums.techguy.org/digital-ph...inter-buy.html

[Mulderator]

Originally Posted by buck52

If you are just printing 6x4...5x3... snaps... then just take them to CVS or the like...

If you want to print one offs... something like the Cannon 5200 slipe suggested in another thread would be good for you....http://forums.techguy.org/digital-ph...inter-buy.html

Wouldn't I be in the same boat? Having to purchase new ink cartridges for this?

[Dunko9]

http://www.rubberfrog.com/default.php?cPath=17_1596

http://www.cartex.co.uk/cgi-bin/cartridge.asp?r=1

both its uk but try that!

[PopPicker]

I used to use an Epson or two, but honestly I don't have the time to sit there and wait for things to print.

I develoed a great relationship with a camera store and they do all my stuff now.

Time is money too.

PP

[slipe]

I’ve read for years that printer makers sell their lower end printers at or near cost planning to make up the money selling ink. Until the Chromalife inks the Canon carts didn’t even have a chip – just plastic tanks with a sponge. They probably cost 15c to manufacture including the ink at their bulk costs. They are probably up to 25c now with the chip.

Canon usually comes out best for ink cost in comparative tests followed by Epson, HP and Lexmark. You could have done worse.

HPs ink is pricey because nobody can compete with them as they put the print heads in the cartridge. You get a new print head every time you change carts. You have found an even better deal. You get a new printer every time you change carts – you won’t even ever have to dust it.

The cost of the Chromalife ink might be worth it for photos you plan to hang on the wall. I doubt any of the aftermarket ink makers will be able to duplicate the fade resistance. But for photos that will be in albums and normal graphics it is hard to tell the difference. Canon tanks are very easy to refill and there is good ink available.

[Mulderator]

Originally Posted by slipe

Canon tanks are very easy to refill and there is good ink available.

Yes, but the problem is that if you do that, it turns off the low ink warning, then you burn up your print heads. Correct? Is there a way around this?

[slipe]

Originally Posted by Mulder

Yes, but the problem is that if you do that, it turns off the low ink warning, then you burn up your print heads. Correct? Is there a way around this?

No there isn’t a way around that – at least that anyone has yet discovered. I have a pre-chip general purpose and wide format photo printers from Canon and they work fine.

There are quite a few people filling the new chipped carts with good luck. You wouldn’t want to go off and leave a large print job running though if you refilled and didn’t have the low ink warning. But if you catch it as soon as a color quits you probably won’t do any harm.

[woodrow]

I have a canon mp 390 that prints excellent photos and I order my ink online from 123 inkjets. About one third the cost of name brand ink. Works great for me.

[Mulderator]

Originally Posted by slipe

I have a pre-chip general purpose and wide format photo printers from Canon and they work fine.

Would it be better to get one of those? What are you using?

[slipe]

Originally Posted by Mulder

Would it be better to get one of those? What are you using?

The new Chromlife inks are better. And the iP4200 has smaller droplets than the older version. The iP5000 has the one picolitre dots though and is quite good, but the ink still fades faster. And you can’t find them anymore.

I have an iP4000 for general purpose work and an older S9000 wide format for photos. I still have the S9000 because it can be jerry-rigged to print panoramas on photo paper. Canon doesn’t make roll or panorama paper and they limit all of their printers to 24 inches width. That is OK for narrow format but not for wide format.

A Canon executive told someone at a trade show that they could rewrite the firmware in ten minutes to bypass the 24 inch limit, but weren’t about to until they made panorama paper. That is a good precaution because I use a lot of Red River paper so I am familiar with the same stuff I use for panoramas. They make a lot of money on their pro paper as well as the ink.

All of the Canons are easy to refill. If you decide to try it start a thread.

[PopPicker]

"....and I order my ink online from 123 inkjets. About one third the cost of name brand ink. Works great for me."


One would hope that the generic after-market ink manufacturers spend as much time and money testing their products as the brand names do... I doubt it though.

[chrisholgate1]

As director of of a cartridge distributor I thought I would just add my little bit to this thread.

Unfortunately due to severe copyright problems when creating generic cartridges for this machine it is looking doubtful that any (legal) compatibles will come to maket in the near future. The first company to make a legal version of the CLI range of cartridges would do very well indeed.

If any of you live in Europe check out http://www.refreshcartridges.co.uk for good price on the OEM units. Sorry, had to add the plug

[slipe]

Originally Posted by chrisholgate1

As director of of a cartridge distributor I thought I would just add my little bit to this thread.

Unfortunately due to severe copyright problems when creating generic cartridges for this machine it is looking doubtful that any (legal) compatibles will come to maket in the near future. The first company to make a legal version of the CLI range of cartridges would do very well indeed.

If any of you live in Europe check out http://www.refreshcartridges.co.uk for good price on the OEM units. Sorry, had to add the plug

I always appreciate information from someone who knows what’s going on.

Why is it that the aftermarket cartridge makers were so quickly able to defeat and duplicate the Epson chips but can’t do it with Canon? Surely Epson patented and copyrighted their chips.

[MysticEyes]

Although your specific model isn't listed folks seem to like this outfit.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Canon-ink-CIS...QQcmdZViewItem