Advice for buying a new multifunction home printer/scanner suitable for refilling.

[The Hat]

My Maxify only goes up to 600 dpi resolution setting.

There’s no need to be subjected to the 600 dpi limit on any scanner, just make your subject matter bigger, 200, 300 or 400%.. Then reduce the image back to its original size in your editing software and save.. There’s more than one way to skin a cat..

 

[Artur5]

Maxifys ( at least the MB5150) have a max. 600 dpi with direct scanning from the printer LCD screen but, using Canon's 'Scan Gear' on the computer. you can choose 75,100, 150, 200, 300, 400, 600 or 1200 dpi.
Of course 1200 dpi is overkill for documents but Canon put it there for those who like to fill fast their hard disk..

 

[palombian]

Maxifys ( at least the MB5150) have a max. 600 dpi with direct scanning from the printer LCD screen but, using Canon's 'Scan Gear' on the computer. you can choose 75,100, 150, 200, 300, 400, 600 or 1200 dpi.
Of course 1200 dpi is overkill for documents but Canon put it there for those who like to fill fast their hard disk..

Don't forget this model (and higher ones) scans double side in one pass.

 

[stratman]

using Canon's 'Scan Gear' on the computer. you can choose 75,100, 150, 200, 300, 400, 600 or 1200 dpi.

Thanks for the tip.

 

[Treby]

Hello Guru's,

All your comments on scanning have been most helpful as far as looking at things from a real world perspective.


I've been checking out the Canon Maxify range.

From its specifications and your information it looks like it would last me for the rest of my time on this planet and beyond.

I can fully understand why you have so wholeheartedly recommended it.

It's just such a huge lump for my very small flat and more than I feel need.

The cost doesn't put me off as it seems excellent value for money especially if you are going to do any amount of volume printing or scanning, but I feel it's just too big and has more volume capability than I need.

I can happily live without high resolution photo capabilities however, so in most respects, it would be a superb fit.

However I could also happily live without automatic duplex printing or an automatic document feeder... very nice to have but not really necessary for me.



Thank you senor Stratman for your illuminating comments regarding scanning.

In answer to your question, having read your comments & giving it some further thought, I don't feel that I do need a more robust scanner than the Maxify 1200 x 1200 dpi.

Thanks also for your helpful information about 3rd party dye & pigment inks for the TS5050 and your pertinent observations about automatic duplex printing and photo printing.


Thanks Artur5 for adding & enlightening the information about scanning resolutions.

I had a conversation with a friend last night who gave me the exact same advice about the cumbersome file size of a very high resolution image making it impractical, especially for attaching to an email for instance.
I think she advised me that 600 dpi was often more than enough too.


My present MP600 scans up to 2400 X 2400 dpi and prints up to 9600 x 2400.
She advised me that they were just pretty meaningless figures in the real world!


Incidentally, having been away from home since the 7th August, on Saturday I ran a nozzle check print on my ancient Canon MP600.
Despite it not having been used for over 11 weeks, to my disbelief and relief, the print was absolutely flawless.
However, I still feel it is on borrowed time as while I was away from home my friend's MP600 finally gave up the ghost, so she had to get another printer in a hurry.


I have been looking at the Epson XP (expression) home series of printers as well as the Canon TS5050.

The OEM waste ink solutions of the Epson printers really appeal to me, but before I jump into any purchase, I would be really interested to hear your wisdom about the merits / disadvantages of the Epson piezo print heads compared to the Canon print heads.

In particular their vulnerability to blockage, ease of unblocking/cleaning and longevity compared to the Canon print heads...

I am also very interested to hear your thoughts about the quality / reliability of the Epson XP series of home printers compared to something similar from the Canon range...



Treby.

 

[stratman]

I ran a nozzle check print on my ancient Canon MP600.
Despite it not having been used for over 11 weeks, to my disbelief and relief, the print was absolutely flawless.

Awesome!

Cannot advise on Epsons. Sounds like you are narrowing down your new printer. I'll keep reading your thread to find out what you decide and how it works out for you. Good luck.

 

[Treby]

Thank you Senor Stratman.

It would be very rude of me not to let all you gurus and other lurkers know the outcome of my deliberations, especially after all the constructive comments, useful information and suggestions this thread has engendered.
Hopefully it will help others in a similar dilemma if they have the stamina to read through my deliberations!

 

[stratman]

You are very welcome, Treby.

Posting your impressions of your new printer will enrich the forum. We appreciate this.

 

[Treby]

Thank you Senor Stratman.
It would be very rude of me not to let all you gurus and other lurkers know the outcome of my deliberations, especilally after all the constructive comments, usefull information and suggestions this thread has engendered.
Hopefully it will hepl others in a similar dilemma

 

[Treby]

Greetings Gurus,
I have recently remembered reading Palombian's interesting posts about resetting the waste ink counter on his Canon Maxify 5350 with service tool 5204 combined with fitting an external waste ink solution.
So remembering that, I looked into this service tool in the vain hope that it might reset the Canon TS5050 which my friend has.

To my amazement, it does!

One more plus for the Canon TS5050 which I really like.
Her CanonTS5050 happily accepted cartridges with auto-reset chips... only £14.98 on Amazon UK.
On installing them, it even comes up with a message congratulating you on installing a set of genuine Canon cartridges!
Very funny but rather ironic.
As a precaution, I have already disabled firmware updates on it, as well as disabling sending usage information "home" to Canon.
(By contrast, my brother tells me his Epson XP-960 bellyaches constantly about the non-OEM cartridges with ARC chips he has installed in it.)

I think the Canon TS5050 is a really neat little printer if you don't mind something relatively simple.

The final unknown is whether an external waste ink solution is reasonably doable on the Canon TS 5050.
The only way I'm going to find that out is to take the plunge and buy one then dismantle it when its' absorber pads full error comes up, or after the guarantee runs out if I feel keen enough to try to convert it sooner.

In this respect, as I'm sure you Gurus know, this is where the Epson printers really win out as they have an OEM maintenance kit which is a waste ink tank (plastic box) designed to be serviced / removed by the end user.
I believe the wate ink tanks are chipped now, just like the cartridges however,(but surprisingly not particularly costly in the UK from Octoinkjet), which makes fitting an external waste ink solution like a "printer potty" to an Epson rather pointless in future.

Before I jump into purchasing a CanonTS5050, Canon Maxify series or a similar Epson, I would just like to have an indication of the comparative print head issues especially regarding blockage when left idle, then I'm done gathering information!

Treby.