Pixma IP5000 / Hobbicolors & MIS inks / Refills

[yannis]

Hi there,

This is my first post in the forum, I usually hang around preview but after following a number of links I found that this forum is very informative when it comes to printing topics.

I have a few questions and I need your help:

Question 1
I have a Canon Pixma ip5000 and been using Hobbicolors inks for the last 3 years. The problem was that over time I had a green cast which was corrected by profiling the printer.

As I am running out of Magenta I was going to buy just this colour and switch to MIS inks. Reading through the forum I hear that the new Hobbicolors UW8 ink is very good or much better than the old version.

What is you experience with Hobbicolors UW8 and MIS inks? Which one is closer to the Canon OEM? Any issue with MIS inks clogging the printer heads? I had no issues with print head clogging with Hobbicolors.

Question 2

Where can I buy virgin BCI6 cartridges? Is it better to keep refilling the Canon OEM cartridges?

Question 3

If I refill the original Canon cartridges does the remaining ink in the sponge affect the new properties of the third party ink?

Thanks for your help

 

[fotofreek]

I used MIS inks for my i960 and ip5000 for several years. These were reputed to be Image Specialist inks but were not advertised as such by MIS. I've switched to Image Specialist inks that I buy from Precision Colors (http://home.eol.ca/~mikling/). They are clearly identified as Image Specialist inks, are less expensive, and the company provides excellent service.

I did notice that one container of MIS ink did end up with some "gunk" in it that could have clogged a cart and possibly a nozzle. This ink may have been past the usual shelf life of two years that most vendors recommend.

When I first used MIS inks to refill I simply added them to the remaining ink in the OEM Canon carts. The results were fine. I've used these inks without custom profiles and have had excellent results. To be a purist about this, however, you would best purge the OEM carts, dry them thoroughly, and refill them with the new inks. I've managed to get once-used genuine Canon carts at one of the "big-box" office supply stores that had a recycle bin. If you have friends who uses printers with bci-6 carts you might ask them for the empties. OEM carts are the best for refilling.

 

[yannis]

Thank you for the info.

Is it a must to purge the OEM cartridges? Can i simply run warm water through the cartidge or do i have to go the complicated way that I've red about in the forum?

 

[on30trainman]

Hi Yannis,
Welcome. Since your question is basically the same I assume you are the person who I have been answering on dpreview. As I mentioned to you in one post, this forum will have much more info for Canon fans. Just one initial comment - please add your location in your profile. It helps to know where someone is located when it comes to recommending sources to buy items. I notice on your dpreview profile that you are from Ireland. Actually I looked to see your location when you asked about a source of BCI-6 cartridges. I happen to have quite a few extras - was buying them up for refilling. But now I am mainly using the newer ip4200 and ip4500 printers so a lot of my BCI-6 cartridges are extra. But sending them to Ireland may not be easy.

As fotofreek stated - purging is not necessary but I think it is a benefit. Just running tap pressure water into the cartridge isn't going to clean out all the ink. As you ask in Q3 - until you have run through many refills without an initial purging, you won't really be sure the color quality of the replacement ink. There can still be quite a lot of ink in the sponge. Purging can be a bit complicated and can definitely be messy if you aren't careful. I now always wear rubber gloves when purging.

As far as inks go - Hobbicolors does sell worldwide, as it appears does Precision Colors (mikling of Precision Colors is a regular on this forum). Hopefully I can get the time to try his IS inks I just got sometime this weekend.

Steve W.

 

[fotofreek]

Yannis - Purging is quite simple. I bought some parts from a hardware store for not much more than $5 US. you can look up the simple devices that are in the thread on this forum about cart purging. We have a utility sink near our washing machine. I simply bought a fitting that would attach to the faucet and to a piece of hose with an inside diameter that fit tightly on the ink outlet port of the bci-6 cart. Someone else used the hose and faucet rubber fitting that comes with the type of "shower" head one can use to shampoo your hair or wash a baby over a sink. It happened to have the correct inside diameter for the cart outlet port. Hook something like this to the hot water faucet, wear rubber gloves, connect the hose to the cart, and turn the hot water on. Very fast and efficient. Read the thread on drying techniques also. Do several at a time so you need to do it less often. I thought that refilling sounded complicated until I did it a few times and found that it was really easy. Same with purging carts.

 

[stratman]

An excellent place to learn about OEM vs Aftermarket inks is the comparison study presented by Grandad35 at http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2681. I have never seen anything better.

If you do not have a spreadsheet application to view the data, Grandad35 has provided links to find one.

Another good place to find head-to-head comparisons of inks is at http://www.druckerchannel.de. If you do not understand German, use a translator like Google. And there may be many more if you care to spend the time searching.

To simplify, either Hobbicolors or MIS/Image Specialists are excellent inks. Many hobbyists use the inks with little to no adjustment of printing settings. If you are concerned about absolutely accurate color matching then purchase an ICC Profile for the specific ink and paper you will be using. It all depends on what you want out of printing and there is no wrong decision for yourself!