Looking for new photo printer allowing refillable cartridges

[fadeaway]

Hi,

I have a Canon IP4000 but am looking for a second brand new printer with good photo print ability and the ability to refill carts. The IP4000 is great but no longer made. I don't trust marketing literature so I am looking for recommendations. It does not have to be a Canon brand and I am annoyed by their refill restrictions. Here is what I would like this printer to do.

1- Decent photo capability
2- Good for text and reasonably fast
3- Carts refillable with 3rd party ink
4- Reliable- of course

These features are essentially those of the IP4000 which I use and if such printers still exist, great!. I was once an Epson user but got tired of the too frequent clean cycles and resulting waste of ink. Inexpensive ink may make this a viable new choice however.

If anyone wants to share their opinions/recommendations of make/models, it would be a great help.

Thanks.

 

[avolanche]

ip4200 or ip4300(Canon).Read the posts on their limitations per refilling and ink levels.They both use the better ChromaLife inks(try Hobbicolors,for example, as a 3rd party).

 

[fotofreek]

If the ip4000 is working well, I would just keep using it. If your printhead gets damaged you can replace it reasonably. What is the problem with the refill instructions? I refill the same carts on my i960 and my wife's ip5000. Really easy.

 

[fadeaway]

fotofreek,

I need a second printer -the IP4000 will continue to be used. I have no problems with refilling it. Its the "printer to be" that concerns me.

 

[fotofreek]

Refills the same exact way. You will lose your warranty when you start to use refilled carts, but your first few refills save the cost of the printer anyway. Just reflll the OEM carts and purge them when any one of them doesn't feed well. As with the bci-6 carts you should have a backup set and keep a full, refilled cart of each color on hand. It almost pays to buy a second printer, just for the included carts! If you get the ip4300 or ip4500 you might go to your local Staples store and ask the store manager if you can have any of the Canon carts that people bring for recycle. They have a program of crediting ink purchases with certain of the carts but not those from Canon. I asked if they would save me some bci-6 empties as they weren't part of their exchange program. The next time I went to the store the manager gave me two plastic bags with empty Canon carts. In with the 60 or so OEM bci-6 carts were a dozen of the cli-8 chipped carts. I'll purge them and save them for the day when my printers die and I will have to buy one of the chipped cart printers.