Forcing earlier Canon printers to use dye black

telv

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I have been using an MP610 for printing photos on plain paper. This works well except that where the image requires a fair amount of black the print dries too slowly causing one print to smudge the next on the output tray.

I assume that because plain paper is specified the printer is using pigment black which causes the problem. On later Canon models there is the option on the “Commonly used settings” to use a photo setting and dye black appears then to be used irrespective of the paper specified.

Altering the actual paper specified to photo but continuing to use plain paper seems to force the printer to use dye black but this is not an option because of the way it then changes the color rendering.

I am wondering if the only way around the problem is to fill the pigment cartridge with dye.
 

The Hat

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It would seem you have covered all the bases with your own alternatives except one !

Can you not slow down the output by allow more time for the ink to dry before the next sheet falls on it in Custom Setting (Ink drying time) or use Manual setting in (Color/Intensity) lighten ink.

Then if none of these works you’ll have to use your last suggestion on using the dye ink instead of the pigment.
 

PeterBJ

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Have you tried the "High Resolution Paper" media setting? IIRC this will also force the printer to use dye black instead of pigment black, and maybe this doesn't change the colour rendering.
 

stratman

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Are you sure your printer is using Pigment Black to print photos? I thought that the Dye-based inks were used for photos, even on Plain Paper setting.

Please post one of the images you are printing so we can see the file type and content.

An alternative method to force Dye-based ink usage is to select a Photo Paper setting instead of Plain Paper.
 

telv

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Yes, Stratman, the printer uses pigment black irrespective of the type of image where plain paper is specified. This is because the MG610 printer doesn't have the option of later models to specify photo printing. Selecting photo paper does, indeed, force the printer to use dye black but the images when printed on plain paper, as mentioned, show a very different color rendering, and in particular darkens the image.

Thank you very much, PeterBJ for your suggestion to try the High Resolution Paper setting. The results on plain paper are very interesting. It produces a combination of less saturated colors and greater contrast and although doesn't exactly match the image shown on the screen, having tried it out on a few photos the rendering is actually very pleasing. It's a setting I have never used before.

Thanks too to The Hat for your suggestions. I am using the high quality print setting so it takes a fair while for each sheet to be printed. Altering the ink drying time doesn't, therefore, make much difference. To lighten the image manually on the printer settings does get over the darker image problem but color reproduction is unfortunately not good enough.
 
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Łukasz

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Hi, I have some experience in using dye as PGBK.

PGBK filled with dye ink results in both brighter 100% black and darkened overall image, especially in shadows, losing details from 80-90% to 100%.
Also thin lines are thicker than expected.

Also some color cast can be present, violet for example.

I'm not refiller, but performed some experiments in refilling, and concluded, that refilling OEM's x25/x26 is Russian roulette but with clip-feed pistol...

PGBK ink tanks in my printers are cheapest ready-made compatibles, ~1$ (or even less) per unit. At such price, only dye can be found inside PGBK.

If PGBK printhead is externally flushed to remove rests of pigment ink, dye ink can be more clog-resistant than a pigment.

Ł.
 

The Hat

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@Łukasz IF someone switches over to using dye ink in there pigment cartridge, there is no need to flush the pigment ink out before using, and it will perform perfectly.

However if they decide then to go back to using pigment ink once more in that cartridge then they will have to flush out this ink before refilling with new pigment ink.

I ran my printers with dye ink in the pigment cartridge for years with not a single clog in that time, then I found KMP pigment ink, now I wouldn't use anything else.
 

telv

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I agree with Lukasz that if the pigment black is substituted with dye then there can be a slight color cast. This seems to be because dye black isn't actually black but usually very dark brown bordering on red but depending on the manufacturer I have also seen it bordering on blue. Using dye black for photos, especially on plain paper, therefore has the disadvantage of producing prints that are very slightly muddy which would explain why definition is somewhat reduced compared to using pigment black. It isn't my experience that dye black has the effect of darkening prints but that contrast is reduced making them appear duller. Pigment black would therefore be my choice but as discussed earlier, I have found unsuitable for many photos in view of the prolonged drying time.
That is a good tip from The Hat regarding flushing!
 

PeterBJ

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To get the best photo prints from an inkjet printer you need to use photo paper. But the picture quality using plain paper might be improved by tweaking the colour settings in the printer driver. This thread shows how.
 

Paul Verizzo

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Why, in the name of all that is holy, are you using plain paper for photos? And then contorting inks and settings hoping for a good print?

There are so many cheap photo paper options out there. My two favorites are Royal Brites Photo Matte, double sided. Off brand, but there are similar ones from Epson. Surprise, surprise, the color rendition beats many big name papers. Very forgiving, thick.

Most of the high brilliance white papers do better, again, see Epson.

HP has (had?) "Everyday Photo Paper." Thin, one side glossy, I think it's the same emulsion as their more expensive papers.

And both are great with dye inks, using the deep gel emulsion, unlike the quick dry papers.
 

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