Canon Print Heads...

[The Hat]

I was just checking on the availability of some Canon print heads, and it looks like Canon are doing a proper clean out, I reckon you should stock up now on any print heads you’ll need for your current models, otherwise you will miss out...

I’ve only got four different heads, and I can’t get any more, this was the greeting I got “No longer Available”...

 

[Taksmon]

Forgive me for being an ignorant Epson user, but how long are Canon print heads usually kept in stock? While the printer is in production + x years?

And how often do you change print heads?

 

[stratman]

how long are Canon print heads usually kept in stock? While the printer is in production + x years?

It appears Canon stops manufacturing print heads after 5 years of the printer's initial sale. How long a print head model remains in stock is obviously longer but for who knows how long since demand drives depletion of remaining inventory.

And how often do you change print heads?

There is no set period of time. Only when the current print head irreparably malfunctions beyond one's personal opinion of usefulness.

 

[palombian]

In my experience the printer decides itself how long it will use the printhead.
Errors B200 and B052 can come at any moment.
You can't estimate future costs as let's say for your house, or your car.

Since you buy a new printer for the price of a head, I hesitate to invest for an event that maybe never happens or far too late. The printer itself wears also.

There is of coarse the fear new printers won't be refillable anymore, but as far as I can see this industry is not dead.
And if you count all the refilling equipment and ink stock, at least for a consumer dye printer compatible cartridges is maybe the easiest solution.

 

[martin0reg]

Just ordered a qy6-0074 for 90€.. because you can catch some very good printer models for a bargain. In this case it would be a mp980, including a ccd scanner for film, which is hard to find in later models - for 30€. These printers are often almost unused, because the owner has lost interest in photo printing after some prints. So the print head may be not cheap - but this printer for instance was sold for 300€.. and it's still worth it, even more for refiling..

..
The printer itself wears also...

That's right - but even my oldest pixma will not die, the print heads do..

 

[palombian]

You have a point.
My actual MX7600 All-in-one has only 5000 pages, I installed a potty, and it uses the same ink, carts and resetter as my PRO9500 II photo printer.
It has a full duplex ADF and a second paper feed in the back (very handy for envelopes).
If I want the same functionality (less the feeder for envelopes) in a Maxify, with 2 sets of carts and ARC chips, ink stock etc I am over 400 EUR.
So maybe stocking a head for 104 EUR is not such a bad idea after all.

 

[martin0reg]

It's up to you... one more point: a canon spare head rather becomes more expensive than less, so you could sell it without loss of money, if you did not need it and did not open it.
But also a big con: a friend had a printhead error with his pixma out of sudden. Only used OEM carts.. so he decided to buy a new head (which was yet available for around 80€), put it in - but the error remains the same! Now the printer is dead - and maybe the new printhead too..

 

[palombian]

It's up to you... one more point: a canon spare head rather becomes more expensive than less, so you could sell it without loss of money, if you did not need it and did not open it.
But also a big con: a friend had a printhead error with his pixma out of sudden. Only used OEM carts.. so he decided to buy a new head (which was yet available for around 80€), put it in - but the error remains the same! Now the printer is dead - and maybe the new printhead too..

I still have a working printer without head and 2 heads that returned a B200 error (not always final as I experienced), this could help for the diagnosis.
Until now I did not had dead printers (excepts the ones I ruined myself by dismantling ).
And maybe sooner or later I find another second hand MX7600, although they become scarce.
OTH 525/526 printers as the MG5250 in good shape stay in second hand supply for about 25 EUR, that's 1/3 of a new printhead.