CLI-225/226 cartridge chips

[Eeyore69]

Gentlemen and Ladies,

I just purchased a Canon Pixma MX882 to replace a 10 year old Epson. I had read that the cartridges were small and held little ink. In playing with my printer to learn how it works I realized that it does use a lot of ink; the ink also is very expensive. So I am getting ready to refill the cartridges; I used to refill years ago with HP cartridges but never did with the Epson. But I have read that, since the 225/226 cartridges are opaque, the best way to go is to buy old CLI-220/221 cartridges and switch the 225/226 chips to the 220/221 cartridges. I have seen chips for sale on various sites but nothing is specified about there being different chips for the different colors which leads me to believe that there is just one chip needed for the CLI-225/226 cartridge line. I am wondering if the chips from the 225/226 must replace the 220/221 chips in a one to one color correspondence or are all of the 225/226 chips the same? Can I use a 225 chip on a 226 (color) cartridge and vice versa? And is the same 226 chip used on all of the various color cartridges?

Thanks,

Eeyore

 

[stratman]

Each cartridge color has its own specifically made chip designated for that color. If you try to use a cartridge with Yellow chip on it in a Magenta slot in the print head, your printer will show an error and not allow you to print until the error is corrected. If you want to put a Cyan chip on a cartridge labeled for Black, it's your choice, but you'll need to remember to fill that Black labeled cartridge with Cyan ink and put the cartridge in the Cyan slot in the print head for it to be recognized and work. Why you would want to mix and match chips to cartridges is your business, though we'd get a kick out of it.

You are correct about people swapping the chips from their 225/226 cartridges and placing them on 220/221 cartridges (of the same color to keep things orderly) so they can refill more easily due to the transparent window on the 220/221 cartridges. You must carefully match up Cyan to Cyan, Black to Black, Pigment Black to Pigment Black, etc for proper printing and ease of refilling.

Use the chips from the 225/226 cartridges that came with your printer for swapping. Buying chips is risky in that they may not work or not be resettable with your chip resetter. If you do buy chips, get a guarantee that they will work (not DOA) and that they are resettable by your resetter.

Consensus of the forum is to use OEM Canon cartridges and chips for refilling.

Happy refilling.

 

[Eeyore69]

Thanks stratman,

I had read one other place that chips are color dependent but wanted a second opinion before I started screwing up the refilling. If the chips were not then the printer would not be able to give alerts that the cartridges had been placed in the wrong positions. It would have made life simpler. But then who wants a simple life?

Thanks again,

Eeyore