Canon PIXMA ip4300 inkjet printer

[Ruth]

Hi -- Can anyone tell me how to successfully refill the ink cartridges for the Canon PIXMA ip4300 inket printer? I refilled my Epson cartridges for years, but I don't have any good luck refilling Canon cartridges for the ip4300 printer. I put electrical tape on the back of the ports as I did for the Epson cartridges, but when I take the tape off to put the cartridge back into the printer, the ink just flows freely and rapidly out of the cartridge ports, making a huge mess. Many thanks for any help.

 

[fotofreek]

Ruth - how did you make a fill hole? It is critical that you have a complete air-tight seal for the fill hole as soon as you finish filling the cart. See the thread on sealing the fill hole. It describes the bci-6 cart, but the carts for the ip4300 work just the same except for the chip and ink monitor disabling when using refilled carts.

 

[Ruth]

I made the little holes with the tool in the refill kit. Do I have to seal those holes on top of the cartridge? I didn't with the Epson. Maybe that's what my trouble is? Thanks for your reply. I'll see if I can find the thread on sealing the fill hole.

 

[drc023]

Ruth, the refill hole you made must be sealed once you've finished filling the reservoir. Remember how a soda straw will hold water as long as you have one end sealed by putting your finger over the end - but the water runs out immediately if you break the seal. The ink cartridge is the same. There are quite a few postings here about how to seal the refill hole. Most of us use either nylon or stainless steel screws, but tape also works, as does hot melt glue, plasti-tac and probably silly putty. The main point is that once the refill is done, an air tight seal must be made.

 

[avolanche]

All that drc023 said is true.The Canon BCI-6 and CLI-8 cartridges have only 2 holes as they come from the factory.One is the large hole on the bottom where the ink exits the cartridge to enter the printhead.The other is a tiny(so small an 18 ga needle wont fit through it) hole(the vent).It's under the tape.When you peel away the yellow piece of tape,a channel is uncovered that ends at this tiny vent-hole.
I believe that the vent hole is there to allow air into the sponge area to replace ink used in printing,cleaning,etc.So,when you refill,you must seal the refilling hole air-tight or it upsets the equilibrium of the cartridge.Only the small vent and main exit hole should remain open.
Using the method of cleaning out cartridges with water(a tutorial is here on this site) is a must,IMO,to keep the flow correct.You may get away with a few refills without purging with water,but cleaning with this method ensures a more complete fill and no chance of dried up ink in the sponge.

 

[InkMon]

I still swear by the hot melt method to seal a cartridge, It fills any size hole, its quick and it does not leak and it is easily removed.