i9950- switching from Dye to PIGMENT- which black to use?

[Les Sponge]

Hi Experts,

I tried to leave a message @ Apotheker/ @pharmacist account, due to him being a pioneer,but no answer yet.
I plan to try the inks from the Canon Pixma Pro 9500 (PGI-9) with my i9950.
The only question: photo black or matte black?

thank You

 

[PeterBJ]

Canon i9900/9950 is a dye printer. The print head and cartridges are not suitable for use with pigment ink. You risk clogging the print head and a clogged print head gets no cooling from ink and risks burning out, a burned out print head might ruin the logic board, making the printer a total loss.

I would recommend that you stay with dye inks. IIRC both @pharmacist and @The Hat tried this substitution and came to the conclusion that it is not recommendable.

 

[Les Sponge]

That does´t answer my question.
Plus Pharmacists experiments worked well.


Please no schooling.
It works.
I tested it.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

The only question: photo black or matte black?

that depends on the paper you are planning to use - matte or glossy

 

[The Hat]

That does´t answer my question.
Plus Pharmacists experiments worked well.


Please no schooling.
It works.
I tested it.

@Les Sponge, O’ boy you’ve asked the experts on this forum about your new experiment with pigment inks and you’ve rebuff the answer you got because it didn’t suite your needs.

There is no more to be said on your idea except that it doesn’t work full stop, so if you continue with the notion that it will work then be prepared to buy a new print head and replacement cartridges, and by the way the answer was photo black.

Do please come back and let us know how long it took you to realise it just doesn’t work.
P.S. @pharmacist will answer and his expert reply will be exactly same as @PeterBJ..

 

[Smile]

If you like trying different inks then get an EPSON, they can use any ink you need, DYE, pigment, Sublimation.

 

[pharmacist]

I just return to this forum after some personal inconveniences. The problem with the Canon i9950/Pro 9000 with using pigment ink, is not the print head but the ink feeding system. The inlet filter of the print head is far to small to let thicker pigment ink to flow well towards the nozzles. This is the reason why the inlet filter of the Pro 9500 is oblong and is several times larger to compensate for the insufficient ink flow rate needed for the high printing speed of the Canon i9950/Pro 9000 printers. Also the cartridge design has changed form a sponge based system towards a bag system holding the ink. Besides: the Canon Pro 9500 does print considerably slower than the Pro 9000/i9950.

My advise: buy an Epson printer like the 1500W and use dye or pigment as you wish. Sooner or later I expect problems with the ink flow. Not because of the print head, but because of the tiny inlet filter and the very sponge based cartridges. If the ink cannot be supplied fast enough the print head will incinerate because of overheating problems in tiny steps, and suddenly your nozzle check print will have large areas with banding.....Bubblejet technology boils the ink and uses this very ink as coolant as well. That's why Epson piezo print heads are superior to this problem, but they have other problems: the insatiable appetite for ink .

 

[Les Sponge]

I just return to this forum after some personal inconveniences. The problem with the Canon i9950/Pro 9000 with using pigment ink, is not the print head but the ink feeding system. The inlet filter of the print head is far to small to let thicker pigment ink to flow well towards the nozzles. This is the reason why the inlet filter of the Pro 9500 is oblong and is several times larger to compensate for the insufficient ink flow rate needed for the high printing speed of the Canon i9950/Pro 9000 printers. Also the cartridge design has changed form a sponge based system towards a bag system holding the ink. Besides: the Canon Pro 9500 does print considerably slower than the Pro 9000/i9950.

My advise: buy an Epson printer like the 1500W and use dye or pigment as you wish. Sooner or later I expect problems with the ink flow. Not because of the print head, but because of the tiny inlet filter and the very sponge based cartridges. If the ink cannot be supplied fast enough the print head will incinerate because of overheating problems in tiny steps, and suddenly your nozzle check print will have large areas with banding.....Bubblejet technology boils the ink and uses this very ink as coolant as well. That's why Epson piezo print heads are superior to this problem, but they have other problems: the insatiable appetite for ink .

Thank You.The first substantial post.
I do have my Canon running with a spongeless CISS.Is the filter foil/material of the head inlets the issue?

 

[pharmacist]

Both: PGI-9 cartridges are totally different in design and have a considerably larger and more porous filter material to ensure adequate ink flow. Also the printing speed of the Pro 9500 is lower, so the ink can be sprayed more evenly compared to the very high speed i9950/Pro 9000 dye ink printer. As you might read my post a few years ago in my attempt to try to use bubblejet compatibel pigment ink (meant for the HP B9180 printer): it works but the results are suboptimal. Somehow the prints are very light and can be rubbed off easily: a sign of low density ink and probably a lot of solvent being evaporated during printing by the heating of the nozzles causing the ink to be super concentrated when the droplet hits the paper surface and becomes grainy like sand. I want try it: buying an Epson 1500W is easier and on the long term cheaper: you only need 6 ink colors not 8.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

the Pro 9000 uses red and green inks , the Epson 1400/1500W do not, that might have an impact onto the gamut depending of the inks used. The R2000 may be of interest as a genuine pigment printer, with red and orange in this case. And in all cases using non-standard ink configurations it'll be necessary to create icm-profiles for the combination of inks and papers in actual use.