Need two sets of empty CLI-42's

Anyone have any experience with a good vendor on EBay for empties?

USA vendors preferred.

OctoInkjet lists them. I wouldn't go eBay. From a reputable retailer like OctoInkjet the prices are fairly good.

Picard is within the States. The shipping from UK to US is pretty high imo.

If you want cheap price route but you will have to mod and clean. You will have to do this sooner or later so I suggest starting with it to get best quality! I recommend refill German method after mod/cleaning: I strongly believe you will get better ink flow vs top fill. But you will also get option to top fill after a few stabs at the bottom sponge!

Virgin Empty CLI-42: https://www.ebay.com/itm/165635635262?hash=item2690a7383e:g:M9sAAOSws6ZZ87Fd&amdata=enc:AQAIAAAAwJ+l9BztpjapHXKtx+IiP8OE8Q4Mq27HAjMNykqqSJJzbVYANR0cFvd5N+2nuiBp8INoCVeF6h1a94G7MfXqw2dTDSLWJUGuyQcg58miHHX32uUZ2NpD3K3ODBvz4SO0JReh2ulsQsP1GKzt4S+qsZfTLUfli4TJ7/8WbJibNdr8EIYGYG8NGjrdDFdYnYT4w2oDNwj+Me9wVO2BgqdsMrQeSdBE4rN6KSvqKuGCRwlDrH0cDDFWcwvos/eramZDRg==|tkp:Bk9SR5zS0risYw

Clips: https://www.ebay.com/itm/223377502933?hash=item34025632d5:g:ME8AAOSwhQtarAgq&amdata=enc:AQAIAAAAwBFdX3tIARqCstW1JW10z/CkwQ+ukcku8y2sp9z5CGqnFC7Ptsl1VVLtGmr7tK0rf/kNussNeXf8FX6w99p1sKjSfkF5bN0E6JKMHO3kxvp96o6Etbl9O5MZVhCxoDGJOZLQFiaZJ7/1kie50Sk46D6U+uyeD9KZnVcEpfBELcVi1Qkfg00SSgpZJUoMOT/QkmdMb9ZlOfPfBwmtDlxlnr2NLHescwUlgng3NIb5rrjtT1B8CbE+6kxkVDWdbwwC4g==|tkp:Bk9SR_Te5LisYw


Are you planning to use ARC, chip resetter, or ink monitoring?
I use chip resetter with ARC and CLI-42 chip. I like ink accurate ink monitoring. I refill when hit 1/3 on ink monitor.
Pick your self an chip resetter if you want. Ebay will be cheaper than Octo due shipping cost! I got mine from Octo in 2018 and all available on market are originated from Octo. If you want cheap, just turn off ink monitoring. ARC is terrible by itself imo.

Pre-mod route is around $60 per set from ebay!

If you don't mind sharing, what inkset are you going with? Precisioncolors PC42SE looks good to me! PC42 ink set (older verison) durability is around 2 years (laminated photo) with my experience under a skylight! It is a bit hard to noticed after the first year! It fades evenly across the colors so it good for cheap thrill!

https://precisioncolors.com/PC42cref.html

There are various kits including transparent cartridges - PC is shipping to U.S. and Canada

Thanks for replies! I am not so good at finger-peck-typing on the phone so had to wait to fire up the 'puter. Neil Slade taught me how to refill carts decades ago. NEIL SLADE INKJETs Hell I've even painted an old hobby car I had with his great methods and it turned out great! NEIL SLADE I've been refilling for that long.
I purchased a couple Pro-100's back when they were giving them away for like $30. I talked my brother into doing the same. I've been refilling the same two sets of CLI-42's since then, using the 'German' method, refilling with Precision colors and a resetter. My brother, not so much. No amount of preaching could convince him that he needed to use OEM inks, and he fell for the 'these are cheaper cartridges so why not' route. Not only that, he never could understand the reasoning behind removing THE ENTIRE SET of carts after you FIRST NOTICE the tank warning. He was replacing them as they got empty.
Now he is seeing problems, and I am not sure whether he's damaged his printhead or it's just the crappy inks he's putting through his machine yet. He's mailed me some test prints and I will post them here, so...



Red cast in the blacks. Strawberries are really knackered. Skin tones are awful, and totally washed out over all. I however don't think this is his printhead, it's poor ink choices.

And I see no banding, however the black bars have a green cast in them.

Going forward, if he has NOT torched his printhead I want to get him set up with two refilled carts (by me) and get him used to sending the removed set back to me for a refill and I will return it. We're five hours apart. This is why I need to source two complete sets of CLI'42s. I really don't want to go the flush route. I switched to the 'German' method when it was introduced here, I don't want to go back to removing those damn balls anymore, and of course flushing requires this. I know, I know, it's easy, I don't wanna do it. I see those 'kits' on precision colors that come with clear Carts, but they are aftermarket. I do trust precision colors, but still they even discuss third party carts on their website so I dunno. I do like the idea of setting my bro up with one of the kits with ink with resetter however and maybe, just maybe he hasn't bricked his printhead and will learn from all this?

So if anyone has experience with any reputable (GASP) Ebay vendor that sells empty carts that haven't been 'sponge' foamed, or run dry then never capped please advise. Thanks

I do not know what GASP means. So you would like cartridges with sponges that are still wet and has been capped at ink extraction port to prevent dirt accumulation? With this request, I would recommend contact the ebay seller directly or get in touch with your local listing poster. With the right amount of money, you will get what you want! Is there a way to upload your nozzle check in higher quality and without compression? Perhap zip the image? Too hard to determine if there is any clog consider newer AI compression really "enhanced" photo. Anyway, I only see magenta cast on that sample photo and they are primary on Light Gray and Gray. IMO, it looks more like it is fading very very quickly! Does your brother profile his own inkset with his paper or print with a profile?

I have tried to explain profile to my brother, but he just doesn't get it. His 'own inkset' is some generic cheap crap he bought somewhere. I have forbidden him to do any further printing, he has just ordered a full 8 cart set of OEM. Once he gets those we are going to see what kind of prints he can produce. I am pretty certain his only problem at this point is the ink he's using. We'll see.

I don't trust anyone that I see on EBay that the sponges will be still wet and not full of foam, so I have given up on that. We will try as I stated above, then if all is well, we'll get him a refill setup from Precision Colors. I am a little leery of the aftermarket carts they include, but they are reputable so we'll take that. Once he runs the OEM to LOW state, I'll mod them for him so he can then go into his own refill/reset routine.

Profile education will be attempted... He uses some sort of glossy paper, and after attempts to find out the brand, I can only ascertain that it's generic no-name. TBH he has no business printing IMHO, but hey whatever, I'll try my best to get him fixed up. Thanks for the replies.

Ok update and resolution. My brother discovered, upon receiving and installing a fresh set of OEM carts that he had SWITCHED THE MAGENTA AND PM carts! This created the wonky colors in his prints as displayed in submitted images above. At least I have him on the road to 'recovery'.