Hi all; first post, my experiences with CD printing on an IP3000

Dorkyman

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Sorry if there's some other place where I should be posting. I've enjoyed reading other commentary on this website and wanted to add some of my own experiences.

(1) I've done documentary DVDs for nearly 20 years have have printed thousands of DVDs and CDs with the Canon IP3000 printer. I chose this machine many years ago because:
(a) it was 4-color so the results were quite good but cartridge costs would be low, even with Canon ink
(b) the printer could duplex when used for conventional printing
(c) Canon did not insist on installing numerous non-driver utilities ("cough"HP"cough")
(c) I was coming from Epson pigment printers and was tearing my hair out with eventual clogging, and
(d) the IP3000 could do disc printing when slightly modified, as described on the Internet.

Now,nearly 20 years later, these printers are still fetching premium prices on eBay, probably because of the features listed above.

With this printer I have done many thousands of CDs and DVDs. Early on I actually printer to paper labels and then attached them to Taiyo Yuden discs with a kitchen roller! Yes, they worked great--for about two years. Then I began having issues with read failures about halfway through the disc. If I scrubbed off the paper label (in a sink with lots of WD40 and water) then the discs would work fine once again. So I attributed the failure to paper shrinkage and resulting disk warping.

I began printing to white blanks but hated the fact that the surface was not waterproof and thus one could easily smudge the print with a moist thumb. Finally, "watershield" discs appeared, and these have been terrific. I currently use Falcon CD and DVD blanks.

The printer itself has been great, but of course the print head eventually begins to fail with missing nozzles on test prints. Ultimately, no amount of fiddling will cure the issue. Since the printer is now a dinosaur (nearly TWO DECADES old), replacement heads on eBay are usually just old heads that have been cleaned, and those have been iffy, usually performing well for just a few months.

Then, amazingly, I discovered a source on eBay where the heads were about $60 but not only packaged in foil but NEW IN BOX. The Holy Grail! I bought a spare; same thing! So I'm set for the next few years with this old printer which just keeps chugging away. Foolish to spend money on print heads? Perhaps, but I know the machine like the back of my hand and it produces beautiful output. Any of you know of a contemporary printer that does great with discs and the other criteria listed above? When this thing blows up I will need to go with newer and that's fine.
 

stratman

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Welcome to the forum, Dorkyman.

I currently use Falcon CD and DVD blanks.
I used these, too, along with Taiyo Yuden. Awesome disks.

nearly 20 years later
Phenomenal. :thumbsup

Proves that proper care and feeding of the old hardier built Canon printers could last many years.

Best of luck and I hope your trusty IP3000 keeps chugging another 20 years!
 

Artur5

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Welcome to the forum @Dorkyman. :)

The first generation of Pixmas were tough reliable machines and, last but non least, their cartridges are free of pesky chips. That’s the reason why secondhand IP3000/IP4000s are fetching high prices.
The problem for keep them working is the long ago discontinued printhead.
As said many times in this forum, beware of ’new in box’ printheads from Ebay/AliExpress. Finding nowadays a really new and genuine Canon QY6-0064 printhead would be a true miracle.
In all likelihood what you purchased are refurbished units cleverly clad in wrapping foil and fake Canon box. Maybe I’m wrong ( I hope so) and these printhead will do fine. Keep us updated on how they perform, please.

One question: after so many years of use, hasn’t the waste ink pads counter of your IP3000 reached full ?. In this model is very easy to reset the counter entering service mode, but fact is that the pads, if not washed or replaced, will eventually overflow with ink.
 

stratman

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As said many times in this forum, beware
I originally had this in my post but decided to omit it so as not to step on OP's joy. :duc

Also omitted was a link to a website selling new print heads (allegedly) for $120. Seems Canon updated the print head for OP's printer and have a different model number. Nearly 20 years is a looooong time to expect true new never opened or used print heads, but, it is possible. @The Hat recently dispensed of a new old stock print head for a printer as old as OP's.
 

Artur5

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Yes @stratman, impossible is not but @Dorkyman bought not one but two of these ‘rara avis’ and for only $60 each. If they were genuine NOS I suspect that the seller would be charging a lot more, but time will tell..
 

stratman

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