Canon MP510 and refilling chipped cartridges

[Sylly]

Hey all,

Just stumbled across this forum in my research into buying a printer. I dare say, this forum is very informative and I thank you all for the treasure trove of information.

I'd like some update/clarification on an issue I saw brought up, though. Some time ago, there was a concern that the newer Canon printers refuse to print if all of its cartridges have had their sensors disabled (after being low and refilled). I couldn't find whether it was confirmed or not. So..is that indeed the case, or was there another cause to it?

I'm asking because I'm considering getting an MP510, and I'm not sure I have the technical aptitutude to deal with any quirks the chips might cause if I resort to refilling their cartridges (highly likely). Also, assuming the refilling process is simple and straightforward, how detrimental is it to have the ink level detectors disabled?

After doing my research on these cartridges, I have to say I'm quite miffed at Canon, but I have to admit that from what I can find, their printers seem to be the best in the market. I'm just not certain I want to be tied to a printer that uses 5 ~$15 cartridges. An alternative I'm considering is getting either an iP5000 or MP780 and go for third party cartridges. I'm not a heavy user, so the difference in cost between refilling and straight up third party cartridges shouldn't break my bank.

Any answer to my first question, and thoughts/comments on the following issues are appreciated.

 

[fotofreek]

pretty hard to find the ip5000 anymore and the mp780's are probably the same. The new carts are refilled exactly the same as the bci-6 and bci-3ebk carts - no problem. Visually inspecting the ink levels is also a no brainer. The carts are clear plastic. You would be able to open the cover (which posiitions the printhead for cart replacement), look at the carts to see if the ink level is below the area you can see, remove the ones that have levels lower than you can see while installed, visually inspect, and replace the carts - ( I said that all in one breath!) - in less than 30 seconds. If you were to have a long print run to do it would be wise to inspect and refill before starting a new print job.

By the way, one of the solutions for people who will be refilling the new carts is to find a friend with the same carts who insists on buying OEM Canon indk and take his/her empties to purge and refill. There are your standby carts. Keep your eyes open and I am sure you will soon find them on ebay for a few dollars!