High Volume Refillers of Canon 521 or 526 most reliable method

[printermayhem]

Hi apologies I did post before and have had a lot of questions answered, but I feel this is OT enough for a new post

It really is amazing the wealth of information here by the way!!

My only problem is that (as far as I can tell) most people seem to refil for home / dometic use is that right?

I am refilling commercially (100% not for resale, just for our own printers).

In 2009 we purchased a massive 1100!!!!! brand new OEM ink cartridges and I vowed there had to be a better way. I have to be in control of the ink quality as using high street refill shops or non oem refilled cartridges from my own high volume experince results in too many problems with blockages.

Part of this mentioned print load has been replaced by Epsons with CISS ink which is perfect for office use but CISS is 100% not a mobile solution hence I am still refilling approx 30-60 cartridges per week.

Is anyone else doing this sort of volume, if so what is the consistency and what method do you use?

 

[The Hat]

I have used my Canon printers in the past fitted with CISS units because I was lead to believe
that was the only way to print in true volume, it turned out it wasnt. (Poor advice)

Whether your printing 10 sheets or 1000 sheets a day on each printer,
refilling your OEM cartridges is slightly slower in print terms but not in your own time.

If your armed with several sets of replacement cartridges you can replace them as they empty or near empty
and continue to print safety and in confidence knowing that everything is working perfectly.

It then leaves you free to refill any of the empty cartridges in peace
without having to stand and check on you printers progress.

I usually print about 5 or 6 thousand sheets at any one time on several different printers at once
with far less difficulty than using the same printers on CISS units.

The one advantage I have is that most of my printers use the same cartridges
so I can use the same inks in all my BCI-6 and CLI-8 cartridges, and also my CLI-521s.

Once you have your printers setup then your paper and finally the refilling area now youre ready to go,
its amazing how easy it is, on the last count I have 45 full cartridges and litres of ink in reserve..

I couldnt possibly afford to print even a sheet without the support and help of the third party ink suppliers
and their very good quality inks which are 75% plus cheaper that OEM ink are..

 

[printermayhem]

Yes I tried the CISS with Canon 4600 ip's and got poor results - the Canons are very sensitive as far as I can see to enviromental variables etc

I see from you signature The Hat that you topfill, have you tried the german method?

 

[The Hat]

Yes I do top fill all of my dye ink cartridges because I prefer that method over the German way and bottom fill the pigment carts,
Just to be clear I only use OEM cartridges nothing else.

I got satisfactory results using the German method for a little while but then got some ink flow problems
and dumped it straight away and went back to the traditional top fill way.

I like to keep my refilling plain and simple and top filling has always worked for me 100%,
I do try different refill methods for time to time (Experiment) but at the first sign of trouble I revert back immediately.

I do try not to be a stick in the mud and am always on the lookout for new refilling ideas..

 

[ThrillaMozilla]

I think it's a no-brainer. For that number of cartridges I would strongly suggest that you try the Freedom Filling method. Basically this is a simple method of vacuum filling with a syringe and a connecter to the outlet port. For the number of cartridges you are refilling, it's probably the fastest, simplest, and possibly the most reliable method. Unlike almost other methods, this method leaves the cartridge in an unaltered condition, so there's essentially no way to damage or degrade it. Furthermore, you will be essentially flushing the sponge with every fill, so you can avoid all the purging that some people do, and you don't have to introduce foreign substances into the cartridge.

Two possible disadvantages are that it is a little messier and there is a bit more cleanup compared to some other methods. Cleanup time shouldn't be a problem in your case, and it should be more than offset by other time savings. You'll lose a few drops of ink, but if you do it in a sink the mess is no problem.

GHWellsJr named the method and demonstrated it here: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=6750&p=1 . An alternative adapter that does not require a modified syringe is shown here: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=48731#p48731 . Although not specifically designed for the purpose, there is commercial adapter that works (made by Ink-Tec), which is shown here: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=46148#p46148 . Elsewhere in that thread are several more elaborate devices with valves and mechanical means of sealing the vent.

You do need to seal the vent vacuum-tight. GHWellsJr used tape. PeterBJ uses tape here: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=59809#p59809 . Someone else (I don't remember who) made a sort of pressure bandage of silicone rubber, using sealer. I use Stick-Tac with a little tape underneath to keep from plugging the vent. That, however, is slow. I suggest trying modeling clay.

Many of us initially had difficulties with this method -- rather unnecessarily, I think. Here are my current recommendations and precautions: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=61518#p61518 . (It's easier to do than to describe. Remember, that all methods have long lists of footnotes and precautions.)