thoughts on 4 year old bulk ink ? "should it stay or should it go now"

[jimbo123]

i know this had been discussed before, but looking for second opinions on shelf life for bulk ink.

longtime re-filler/member here, now refilling 2 older printers, MX870 and MP980.

i have six 32 ounce bottles of good quality German OCP ink that are nearly full and 4 years old. no issue so far printing w them.

i know 4 years is pushing it, so was looking to buy all new ink($160) and toss out the old ink. been going back and forth on this one so looking for some thoughts.

leaning toward buying new, given that i can buy new ink but can't buy new print heads for these printers. just that it is tough to toss out all that old ink.

thoughts ?

J

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Active Printers: MP870, MP980, PRO-100
• Stored Printers: IP4500, MX700, MX860, MX870
• Past Printers: MP830
• Method: German Durchstich Method
• Ink: Hobbicolors and OCP
• Misc: Squeeze bottles - so much easier than syringes

 

[The Hat]

i have six 32 ounce bottles of good quality German OCP ink that are nearly full and 4 years old. no issue so far printing w them.

Most of my dye and pigment inks are ten years plus and I can’t see any problems when using them, and your method of using SquEasy bottles with needles on them prevents any contaminants getting into you’re refilling system..

So if it were me, I’d continue to use the old inks that are still working for you without any issues to date.. because peace of mind is going to cost you another $160..

 

[stratman]

If you are thinking it then you should do it. Take the variable - old ink that may bring an earlier demise of the printers - out of the equation.

Here's a consideration for you... buy Canon OEM Megatank ink and be assured of lowest risk of clogs and best archival potential since it is ChromaLife 100 ink. All the Dye-based colors you need for the two printers are available in the GI-23 bulk bottles. The downside is price - $16 for 57 ml. Use whatever Pigment Black ink you want.

 

[jimbo123]

hi guys

thx for the quick response.

you are not going to believe this, but i just caught a B200 on my MX870, talk about timing.

i may try a few power cycles and different ink carts to see if that helps. i have had B200s in the past and no amount of cleaning ever worked for me.

i do have a new sealed MX870 print head that i am hesitant to install given the logic board/print head tag team issue, but may give it a shot.

maybe the MX870 is nudging me toward new ink

J

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Active Printers: MP870, MP980, PRO-100
• Stored Printers: IP4500, MX700, MX860, MX870
• Past Printers: MP830
• Method: German Durchstich Method
• Ink: Hobbicolors and OCP
• Misc: Squeeze bottles - so much easier than syringes

 

[stratman]

If there ever were a "sure thing" it would be the answers @The Hat and I gave.

I guess it all hinges on whether the additional money spent on ink is more or less important than risking print heads that are extremely difficult to source.

If you were as casual printer then I would tend to agree with The Hat. It has been my impression that your printers are for work. The plus here is your constant use of the printers which decreases risk for clogs.

If you stick with the old ink then recommend you flush the cartridges and use something that will kill biologicals. Even the best handled bulk ink bottles and cartridges can become inoculated.

If there is a printer on the market today that you would buy to replace your workhorses then the risk for work stoppage and lower cost printing are less a worry.

 

[stratman]

you are not going to believe this, but i just caught a B200 on my MX870, talk about timing.

Ouch!

Hopefully you can clear it and it stays away.

hesitant to install given the logic board/print head tag team issue

This is a rare occurrence based on what the forum has seen. Yes, it is a possibility, but the odds appear quite low.

Any other issues you have noted recently that might point to an issue outside the print head?

What else will you do with the print head? Do you have another MX870 running or stashed in storage?

If all you have is this one MX870 then why not try the print head if the B200 error does not go away?

 

[jimbo123]

this MX870 and print head are nearly 4 years old, no issues until this AM.

to be safe i decided to replace both the 870 printer and print head. i picked up a number of 870s and 860s 10 years ago refurbished from canon for $69/$59 each. so that made my decision to do a full replace easy for me.

i moved the offending 870 and print head to my workbench, may try to clean the print head, etc. worst case is have another slightly used 870 for the future.

it was from this forum many years ago that i learned to pickup spares of the same model, so big thanks to this forum.

BTW, i do have a new IP4500, that i'll probably not need, hate to get rid of it since it was once of the best.

J

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Active Printers: MX870, MP980, PRO-100
• Stored Printers: IP4500, MX700, MX860, MX870
• Past Printers: MP830
• Method: German Durchstich Method
• Ink: Hobbicolors and OCP
• Misc: Squeeze bottles - so much easier than syringes

 

[The Hat]

BTW, i do have a new IP4500, that i'll probably not need, hate to get rid of it since it was once of the best.

If only everyone could be as spoiled for choice as you are…

 

[stratman]

i picked up a number of 870s and 860s 10 years ago refurbished from canon for $69/$59 each. so that made my decision to do a full replace easy for me.

BTW, i do have a new IP4500, that i'll probably not need, hate to get rid of it since it was once of the best.

Nobody likes a showoff, most of all other showoffs you've just bested by far.

Just as with your epic refilling, I to your exceptional future-proofing.

Unlike Elvis, our King of Refilling is still in the building!

 

[stratman]

If only everyone could be as spoiled for choice as you are…

Hilarious. Just as I was writing my post about showoffs you posted this!