How do I prevent over-filling?

[martin]

I find it very easy to overfill a cartridge, especially when regularly topping up, rather than waiting till the cart starts to run dry. And that makes a bit of a mess in the printer.

Is there a foolproof test that indicates when a cartridge is optimally filled?

Martin

 

[pharmacist]

Hi,

First: what is the printerbrand you are talking about and secondly: which types of cartridges are your concern ?

 

[martin]

Many thanks for your interest. My printer is a Canon i455 and the cartridges are the BCI-24s: three-colour cart and black cart.

Martin

 

[Simon R.]

Just refill a ml less. For example - OEM BCI-24KB contains 8 ml of ink, when refilling put only 7. At least that's what I do.

 

[Manuchau]

As a general rule, it is always better to underfill than overfill. You can always add more ink later.
You also have another option...compatibles for these are VERY inexpensive

 

[martin]

Just refill a ml less. For example - OEM BCI-24KB contains 8 ml of ink, when refilling put only 7. At least that's what I do.

Thanks Simon, but this really highlights the problem I encounter, namely, I can't be sure how much is left in the cartridge, especially if I refill well before the ink level starts to get low.

The sort of test I had in mind might be, for example, if you see liquid ink if you put slight pressure on the sponge pad with say a drill bit, then it's too full. Or something along those lines.

Martin

 

[dan_uk_1984]

Weigh a cartridge known to be empty - as long as u have accurate scales ink weighs about 1 gram per ml so if you know its 3 grams over empty weight u know to stick 5 or 6 ml in it.

 

[martin]

Many thanks. I don't have sensitive scales and I notice that different carts use different sponge types. Also, it looks as if the capacity of the Canon sponge falls off with time and might not be all that high from new. At the moment, I've taken the printhead out - as easy as removing the carts - and notice that the cartridges, after inserting into the printhead, weep through the nozzles if overfull. In fact, if well overfull, ink will drip from the head. I have used absorbent paper to soak up excess ink from the nozzles until there is no more weepage. If all goes well, this will be my test for/correction of overfilling.

Martin

 

[martin]

I can now confirm that - for this cartridge at least - overfull is when there is weepage from the nozzles in the printhead and the knock on effect of that is excess ink being spread over the nozzles and causing blockages. I used absorbent paper towelling (not toilet paper, which leave a dust) and kept blotting the nozzle area until there was no more weepage after wiping with the towelling.

 

[ltsang]

Hi Martin,.
if you really want to fill a bc24 color cartridge and not overfilling it, try this:
cut off the top cover of the cartridge carefully and you will see 3 little holes each above its color,
ie: c, m, y. You have to enlarge these holes a bit for the syringe to go through. Now slowly
inject ink through these holes (about 3 mil each color) until you see ink just start to form a drop
from the other end that tells you the sponge is saturated and further inject of ink will just drip from
the opening. After the three colors have filled, glue the top piece back and you have a fully filled
cartridge.