Green cast on 4th refill CLI-521 on iP4700

[sbrads]

I've had no problems on the first 3 refills of OEM Canon 521 cartridges using OctoInk Image Specialists inks, using easy German method refilling. The colours are close to OEM, no fading on test prints in a window - almost perfect really. On the 4th refill there's a severe green cast which I can fix quite well by turning up the Magenta in the driver by +16, which seems to suggest a restricted magenta flow rate. There's no jet blockages evident by the way. All I can think of as the cause was when I had filled the magenta 521 and waited a few minutes for it to settle, I topped it up and likely didn't have the needle fully into the non-foam ink chamber as I saw a little ink flow backwards. This must have been 1/4ml or less before I realised. Is this enough to finish off a cartridge?

 

[websnail]

Ink flow issues are usually caused by problem refills so it's often a good plan to drain the cartridge a little and then refill again taking care to avoid foaming up the cartridge as you remove the needle.

I found that when I was removing the needle I would sometimes allow the bottle to pull ink out of the sponge which created something of a bubble blockage in the sponge reducing ink flow.

It shouldn't "finish off" the cartridge though... Worst case, purge, dry somewhat and refill...

 

[qwertydude]

If the nozzle checks read fine and no clogged nozzles, I'd just say the ink is not the exact OEM match. It certainly isn't for my MIS ink, reputedly Image Specialist ink where I too had a distinct greenish tint. But even worse was I ended up with inkflow issues after 10 or so refills. It ended up swelling the foam a bit too much in the cartridge and I ended up needing to add a few drops of alcohol to every two ounces of ink to keep the foam from swelling.

 

[fotofreek]

But even worse was I ended up with inkflow issues after 10 or so refills. It ended up swelling the foam a bit too much in the cartridge and I ended up needing to add a few drops of alcohol to every two ounces of ink to keep the foam from swelling.

Which filling technique are you using? 10 refills within what time frame? Sounds to me like time to purge the cartridge rather than alter the ink. I used MIS ink for about five years before ordering the same ink from Precision Colors. I still use the top fill method, and I check the inkflow by blowing lightly into the air vent (over a waste basket with some paper in it) every time before installing a refilled cart. Any cart that doesn't drip with light blowing into air vent is purged, dried, and refilled. I usually set aside several carts to be purged to do them all at one time.

 

[qwertydude]

10 refills within 2 months. I print a lot of photos. It's definitely the foam because my generic cartridges never had a flow problem. They always flowed freely, surprisingly better than OEM. After having to deal with purging drying and experimenting with additives I just switched to cheap aftermarket G&G cartridges, before the switch to the labyrinthine design. They worked great even after dozens of refills and never needed purging. After burning out printheads cause of not printing in a while I switched to Epsons, but at work the Canon's I refill are still going strong after 3 years.

 

[sbrads]

Thanks everyone. I might as well use up this refill, then either purge or buy a new cartridge later on if the next refill doesn't work better.

 

[sbrads]

Update. After 2 weeks, and with the magenta level having dropped to about 3/4 full, there is noticeably less driver magenta level correction needed for good greyscales, +9 down from +16.

 

[mrelmo]

a nozzzle check is the first action to take when a questionable print is made, the results are invaluable

 

[sbrads]

a nozzzle check is the first action to take when a questionable print is made, the results are invaluable

I do a nozzle check every week or two, and haven't seen any difference compared to prints I made with the OEM ink when the iP4700 was brand new. This isn't to say there aren't differences, it's just not a good test for colour shifts, it's only meant for seeing if there's any blocked jets. Greyscales tell the real story. I use a page of grey squares with RGB values from 0,0,0 to 245,245,245 in steps of 5. Viewed under daylight, with a real greyscale poster for comparison next to it, I can tell if there's any colour balance shifts quite easily.

 

[mrelmo]

hmmmp i didn't read the thread very well i should have read #3 better, but your final solution or conclusion to your issue will be welcome info to this ever evolving refill process