Cyan and magenta keep running 'dry'

[xmastree]

Hi, this is my first post here, so be gentle.
I've searched, but found nothing so...

I have a canon i560, and lately I've been doing a lot of printing so i started refilling the ink tanks. The problem i have is that every so often, the cyan or the magenta will behave as if they're empty, even though they aren't.

It's as if the ink isn't soaking into the sponge as fast as it's being drawn out.

I've found that, by pressurizing the cartridge a little with a syringe via the filler hole, I can force the ink into the sponge, I leave it to 'bleed' for a while, and replace it. Deep clean the heads and all's well for about ten more pages.

If I haven't used it for a while, then it's usually fine, adding weight to the sponge soaking theory.

Strange thing is, the yellow has never let me down this way...

I recently gave up on the blue, and bought a new one. Once it was empty I filled it and the sponge soaked up the ink immediately, now it doesn't.

Is it normal for the sponges to become less effective?

Even with the wasted paper, and ink, I still save a fortune in the long term, but it's so frustrating.

As for cost, for the price of one original colour cartridge, containing about 7cc, I can buy about 300cc of bulk ink.

 

[Osage]

To Xmastree,

If I read this correctly you are refilling using a bulk ink from a non canon source---and refilling by using a preused Canon OEM cartridge. You then notice that with Blue and magenta the Canon sponge does not seem to absorb your bulk ink readily.---or reliably feed ink during printing.

One page back in the refilling inkjets is a four page post by grandad35 regarding his method to clean and rejevenate a cartridge when the sponge has feeding problems. Its possible that the original Canon ink has somehow dried inside the sponge or shows some chemical incompatabilities with the ink you are using.--so you might check that post. Another small possibility is that the sponge has slightly pulled back from the ink outlet and just needs some light taps to reseat it. Its normal for the sponge to eventually fail to feed---but one should get quite a few refills before that happens.

Another option is to buy empty cartridges made for refilling---alotofthings.com has some and so do others sources---but a popular favorite is the Hobbicolor blanks that come with their refill kits--or could be ordered seperately. The cost is $1.65 per BCI-3 color and $2.50 for the larger BCI-3ebk --so a complete set for the i560 would cost$7.45 and their sponge is very absorbant---plus has a screw seal prebuilt into the cartridge making refilling a snap.

Hope that helps and thats my take on the matter. Maybe someone will point out things I have missed.

 

[xmastree]

Ah, i wonder why I didn't find that before... Very interesting, and it confirms my suspicions. I must try that cleaning thing, I wish I didn't throw out that old cart now...

I've never heard of hobbicolor, but then I'm not in the US so they might not be an option.

Thanks.

 

[fotofreek]

Another tip - don't wait to refill untill you get the low ink or out of ink warning. Check the carts visually and refill before they are empty. They will hold up for more refills that way. That plus Granddad's backflushing technique will have you on your way with the carts you have, or you can follow Osage's advice and buy some empty carts. I've done both.

 

[xmastree]

Well, It usually dries up before the cartridge is empty anyway, I only ever see the warning for the yellow.

There's some really useful information on this forum, enough to keep me amused for a while...

I must rig up something for that backflushing, can't wait to try it. I'll need to use the outlet from my electric shower though, since that's the only source of hot water. One thing, as I'll be doing it in the bathroom, I assume that so long as I don't allow the ink to dry, there will be no chance of staining the basin?
My wife would kill me...

 

[Grandad35]

xmastree,

The ink CAN absoultely stain some surfaces, even if it isn't allowed to "dry". I work in a stainless steel sink, which does not stain, but I have washed out some cart clips in a bathroom sink and seen staining. The good news is that if you immediately flush spilled ink with lots of water, the staining isn't usually that bad, and that DILUTE (10%) bleach will quickly remove most stains from dye based inks. Obviously, be very careful to protect your eyes and clothing while using even dilute bleach, and NEVER mix bleach with ammonia.

 

[Osage]

For what its worth, hobbicolors does ssem to ship outside of the US---although you may have to set up a pay pal account or find someone who has a paypal account.

You can either type hobbicolors in the ebay search bar or go to their web site at www.hobbicolors.com to get contact information. They are great at responding to emails.

You are also correct about this web site---in my humble opinion the best single web site on printers and populated by some really really great folks who are amazingly knowlegable. You can spend days and just scratch the surface.--or be amused if you like.

But if you are super worried about the wrath of the non amused wife, by all means try cold water. No doubt warm water is better---but no reason enough cold water would not work as well. --or you could try a combination--cold water to flush most ink out followed by warm water when the remaining ink is more dilute and less apt to stain anything.

 

[xmastree]

Well, I did it... Washed out the blue one with my electric shower.

I did encounter one slight problem though, as the water was skooshing out of the filler hole, it stopped suddenly.
Turns out the little plastic ball (original carts) had got itself lodged back in the hole. :/

As I don't have a vacuum cleaner either (no hot water, no vacuum...) I used a syringe to pump air back and forth, combined with holding it at the right angle I think I managed to expel most of the water.

Refilled it and it seems fine now, although I'm just printing graphics, where the exact colour isn't critical, so if it is a little diluted it's no big deal.

I think I'll check out that hobbycolors site and buy a bunch of empties too.

This really is a good site, isn't it? Having suffered, and wondering what to do about it, I figured there must be a forum somewhere about refilling. So I googled and got this one.

Thanks all.