Anyone else buy a (cheap) spare Pro9000 "just in case"

[lowepg]

I LOVE my Pro9000 Mk2 printer. And now that Im refilling my own carts, my wallet loves it even more.

However, I kept looking at these rebate/resale Pro9000's going for <$200....
Also, I see the possible canon future of harder-to-refill carts (opaque 226's) and wonder what the Pro9000 successor will look like....
Then I look again at these super cheap Pro9000's and wonder when they will dry up (no pun intended).

So I bit the bullet and picked up another new-in-the-box one for less than $200..... hell, the OEM carts alone cost nearly half that!

I figure it will be a reasonable insurance policy against the uncertain future.

Maybe Id dead wrong and the next canon will be even better.... if so.... still a pretty damn good investment for $175...

Anyone else buy one cheap.... and put it on the shelf?

 

[stratman]

Don't know how long the manufacturing cycle on the print head will last, but consider buying a spare one day in the future. You probably have many months after Canon stops making the printer, a year or more, but keep it in mind.

Congrats on your new backup printer.

 

[Redbrickman]

On your side of the big pond it's a good investment to buy a second printer given the bargain prices floating around with the rebate. Sadly in rip off Britain there is no equivalent offer from Canon

I may however buy a spare head for the 9000 at some time in the future.

 

[l_d_allan]

A friend has a rarely used 9000-2 and I are thinking of making him an offer. I concur that for a serious printer, it makes sense to either have two or none of a particular inkjet (not necessarily same exact model, but the same print-head for sure).

IMO, it will get really interesting if and when Canon offers factory refurbed 9000-2's with free shipping. Did this happen with the older 8 tank BCI-6 based A3+ printers as they reached end-of-life?

The otherwise excellent 220/221 based MP990 (factory refurbed) is down to under $75, with instant rebate and free shipping. I'm thinking hard about getting two ... ymmv.

However, I am getting less and less impressed by my 9000-2. If I don't buy my friend's 9000-2, I may try to sell my own 9000-2. Or we may try to sell both together as a "matched set" with unflawed nozzle checks and "hammer tests". I doubt we'd get much for them, however,

IMO, having 8 tanks is a liability rather than an asset. The Green and Red are rarely used. The PC and PM are typically used up much faster than Cyan and Magenta, so it is a hassle to do 20 to 50 to 300 prints at a time since there are more interruptions to exchange carts.

My observation is that for the non-professional who doesn't sells dye-based prints, the 1pl + 3pl + 5pl approach to fine gradations for Cyan and Magenta is much preferable to PC and PM. YMMV.

I also have an excellent iP4500 with "only" 4 CLI-8 dye carts (and PGI-5BK pigment). If I really, really look closely at Kodak-like test prints, I might be able to just barely tell the difference. I'm sure there are people more discerning than myself, but I have checked with a loupe in excellent light. I also suspect that any difference I saw was due to "people see what they are looking for".

My main cause for feeling a 9000-2 isn't justified for me is that so far I rarely print A3+ 13x19". The A3+ paper isn't a commodity, so is Much More Expensive per sq in than Costco Kirkland A4 letter size. On a regular rebate, I can get decent, thin, give-away HP Everyday for 3 an A3 sheet, including tax.

 

[ghwellsjr]

I bought two i9900 wide-format printers that use BCI-6 cartridges when they were being closed out and Canon was offering a $100 rebate. But I eventually sold them for the same reason that you are considering and because I had since purchased some i9100 wide-format printers that could produce the same outputs but without the red and green cartridges. Now I'm considering selling these printers.

 

[emerald]

I concur with the opinions expressed about the 6-8 cartridge printers. Why mess with 6 cartridges when 4 and 5 cartridge printers in good working order make prints almost as good? I have (4) iP3000 printers (one new in box), (2) i560s and (3) i850s. They all use the same print head (QY6-0064) and are a breeze to refill. Family and friends always seem to need another printer. Most of them have been found on the local Craig's list for $20 or less.

 

[lowepg]

Why mess with 6 cartridges when 4 and 5 cartridge printers in good working order make prints almost as good?

Well, I guess my thought is why settle for "almost as good"? If the only downside of having 8 carts is the cost of 2 more colors of ink? The ability to refill my own carts seems to remove that "disadvantage" of the extra colors. So what if green and red are rarely used? I'm happy to let them chill-out at the end of the row and kick-in when they need to . BTW- I've found that choosing some paper types will make a big difference in red/green usage....but I digress.

I dont crank out dozens of 13x19's everyday, but I *DO* print them and I love having the capability! And truth be told- I still like the "wow factor" when I give someone a 12x18 and they assume it must have cost a fortune to produce ($18 at the local wolf camera).

So I guess if I never printed bigger than 8.5x11, there might be other choices- but Im not sure I wouldnt still choose the pro9000

 

[l_d_allan]

Anyone else buy one cheap.... and put it on the shelf?

IMO, the problem with multiple printers (see signature and considering pair of MP990 ... ouch) is keeping them all in working order. Seals dry out, dust accumulates, etc.

If you rotate use of individual printer from your fleet, you need to store them carefully with a cleaned or even deeply cleaned print-head. You can end up with more ink used for clean/purge than printing. The waste-pad eventually reports saturation, and then it is cost prohibitive to put recent printers back in service ...

Otherwise if you don't store carefully, they should all stay plugged in, probably powered on, and weekly nozzle checks. In dry Colorado, weekly nozzle checks may be insufficient.

To me, the real justification for have two printers with the same print-head is that clogs happen. If bad enough, your printer can be out of service for several days to dry out from a last-resort rinsing in warm-not-hot tap water. If people are depending on you to produce prints, you really should have at least a backup print-head. Since you can get a printer for about the cost of a print-head, then get the printer.

Actually, I wish Canon sold mid-level to high-end printers with two print-heads included in the reel-them-in-lowball price, but I digress. Sorry.