Hi All,

I think this is just on topic... (and I'm asking here because quite a
few printers are UK only and we may have different price issues) ..

The inks on my trusty HPDJ 840c (that I bought as a refurb 3 years ago
for 25 quid) have now both run out again and a casual look through PCW
showed they were 26 and 17 or so (ouch). Also the printer has ejected
a couple of small components (that I have kept and should be able to
refit) so thought it might bre time to get a replacement printer.

So I do a bit of Googling / asking mates etc and the Epson's seem
quite common as do cheaper carts, but they do seem to have issues with
print heads getting blocked if the printer isn't used regularly (I use
mine sporadically.

So then Canon printers were put forward but again we are talking a
fixed pint head (on newer models possibly) and again the 'blocked
nozzles' thing comes up.

The HP's seem to have less issues with this and if you should get a
blocked nozzle a new cart sorts that ;-)

I looked at the Epson Stylus C66 (44+Vat in Makro, no stock) and from
there the Canon IP4000 (at nearly double the price) that has 5 carts
and can print CD's etc (also feels very substantial) ;-)

Someone suggested the actual page cost for most of these printers are
very similar (HP carts twice the price but do twice the number of
pages type of thing) so it's possibly down to initial price,
reliability and flexibility.

Wish list for said printer ..

Lower paper tray type feed (I don't like the paper sticking up at the
back)

USB (for simplicity) and Parallel (cheap net printservers ertc).

Cheap carts (price / page)

'Reasonable' picture printing (I'm not a photographer)

Quick startup and print (not fast printing as such) the Epsons seem to
go off on their own thing for 5 mins ..)

I don't want to have to print something 'everyday', just to keep the
thing working cleanly ?

So, could you give me real feedback re what model printers you use
(ideally the current models if I'm going to get one), how long you
have left them between use and still getting a good printout and
possibly what models to specifically avoid (unreliable / several trips
to the shop with it etc).

Lastly, does anyone regularly re-fill their carts and what 'brand'
refill kits do you use please (I have refilled a couple of times with
mixed results).

All the best and thanks for your time ..

T i m


(p.s. I have asked similiar on comp.perifs.printers but they seem
mostly from 'Over the pond' )

On 05 Feb 2005, T i m wrote

-snip-

So I do a bit of Googling / asking mates etc and the Epson's seem
quite common as do cheaper carts, but they do seem to have issues
with print heads getting blocked if the printer isn't used
regularly (I use mine sporadically.

So then Canon printers were put forward but again we are talking a
fixed pint head (on newer models possibly) and again the 'blocked
nozzles' thing comes up.

-snip-

So, could you give me real feedback re what model printers you use
(ideally the current models if I'm going to get one), how long you
have left them between use and still getting a good printout and
possibly what models to specifically avoid (unreliable / several
trips to the shop with it etc).

I'm very happy with the Canon I use (an i350, for home and one-man
business use), and when it eventually gives up -- it's out of
production now -- I'll definitely be going with Canon again.

It's not a fancy one -- two-cartridge (black + 3 colour) system -- but
I particularly like the fact that (a) even the brand-name cartridges
are cheap compared to many I've seen; and (b) I can buy very cheap
compatibles (which have always suited my purposes).

I've had blocked nozzles two or three times over the past two years or
so (after not using the colour for a bit), but the "standard cleaning"
(there's a "deep clean" option as well) has cleared it up every time.

Lastly, does anyone regularly re-fill their carts and what 'brand'
refill kits do you use please (I have refilled a couple of times
with mixed results).

I buy ready-filled compatibles from www.cartex.co.uk -- about £2 for
black and £3.50 for colour. They've always given me good service, and
at that price it doesn' seem worth re-filling them myself.

HTH

--
Cheers,
Harvey

In article ,
T i m wrote:
Lastly, does anyone regularly re-fill their carts and what 'brand'
refill kits do you use please (I have refilled a couple of times with
mixed results).

I re-filled my old Epson Color 600 many times using ink from PC World.
After two refills, bought new cartridges, as the seals go.
Not had much success with my current Cannon i865 - perhaps they design the
seals to fail if the carts are removed?

--
*The severity of the itch is proportional to the reach *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 09:34:22 GMT, Harvey Van Sickle
wrote:

So, could you give me real feedback re what model printers you use
(ideally the current models if I'm going to get one), how long you
have left them between use and still getting a good printout and
possibly what models to specifically avoid (unreliable / several
trips to the shop with it etc).

I'm very happy with the Canon I use (an i350, for home and one-man
business use), and when it eventually gives up -- it's out of
production now -- I'll definitely be going with Canon again.

The only thing that worries me with that idea is that the
manufacturers often 'fix what's not broken'? (or maybe it wasn't
breaking often enough ..?). In one shop it was mentioned 'on the older
Canon printers you could take the heads out to clean them but I don't
think you can on some / all of the new ones". I mean yor
'replacement' Canon my not be the same 'design' as the one it replaces
and has it's own (new) issues?

It's not a fancy one -- two-cartridge (black + 3 colour) system -- but
I particularly like the fact that (a) even the brand-name cartridges
are cheap compared to many I've seen; and (b) I can buy very cheap
compatibles (which have always suited my purposes).

That's the same format as my HP and my daughters C44 Epson. I know it
works with the HP but the Epson is quite new to us (made up out of
broken C44's) so too early to give any feel re reliability / blocking
etc.

I've had blocked nozzles two or three times over the past two years or
so (after not using the colour for a bit), but the "standard cleaning"
(there's a "deep clean" option as well) has cleared it up every time.

Ok, that sounds 'bearable' ;-) It seems on the Epson that after you
have got the heads clean you have lost half yer ink!


I buy ready-filled compatibles from www.cartex.co.uk -- about £2 for
black and £3.50 for colour. They've always given me good service, and
at that price it doesn' seem worth re-filling them myself.

Oh indeed .. (been there, covered the sink in ink) ;-)

HTH

Cheers Harvey .. ;-)

T i m

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 10:11:53 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
T i m wrote:
Lastly, does anyone regularly re-fill their carts and what 'brand'
refill kits do you use please (I have refilled a couple of times with
mixed results).

I re-filled my old Epson Color 600 many times using ink from PC World.

Did you notice any difference in the printing Dave (quality, print
depth, detail etc?)

After two refills, bought new cartridges, as the seals go.

I think that's what they suggest at the Cartridge places ..

Not had much success with my current Cannon i865 - perhaps they design the
seals to fail if the carts are removed?

You'd like to think not ..?

All the best ..

T i m

T i m wrote:

So, could you give me real feedback re what model printers you use
(ideally the current models if I'm going to get one), how long you
have left them between use and still getting a good printout and
possibly what models to specifically avoid (unreliable / several trips
to the shop with it etc).


We never buy (for us or for clients) anything other than HP. They last
nearly forever, and maintain a very good print quality throughout their
life. That's the reason the carts are expensive - they aren't just
bottles of ink, they also contain the print head.

Pick whichever one of the current HP line up that fits your wallet. As
they get more expensive, you gain print speed and resolution.


--
Grunff

In article ,
T i m wrote:
I re-filled my old Epson Color 600 many times using ink from PC World.

Did you notice any difference in the printing Dave (quality, print
depth, detail etc?)

Yes. But then I'm rarely using it for photographic printing, so the small
differences didn't matter.

--
*I speak fluent patriarchy but it's not my mother tongue

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 11:15:37 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
T i m wrote:
I re-filled my old Epson Color 600 many times using ink from PC World.

Did you notice any difference in the printing Dave (quality, print
depth, detail etc?)

Yes. But then I'm rarely using it for photographic printing, so the small
differences didn't matter.

Fair nuff .. thanks Dave ..

T i m

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 11:10:51 +0000, Grunff wrote:

T i m wrote:

So, could you give me real feedback re what model printers you use
(ideally the current models if I'm going to get one), how long you
have left them between use and still getting a good printout and
possibly what models to specifically avoid (unreliable / several trips
to the shop with it etc).


We never buy (for us or for clients) anything other than HP. They last
nearly forever, and maintain a very good print quality throughout their
life.

That's part of my 'fear' .. going away from HP .. (never had anything
else since my DJ500c (£350 as an HP 'staff sale'!)) and have seen too
many Epsons put in the bin because they had print head problems. But,
if they are cheaper to buy and cheaper to run (I said *IF*) then you
can see why some folk buy a new Epson every year?

That's the reason the carts are expensive - they aren't just
bottles of ink, they also contain the print head.

Indeed. And hence the constant print performance. I did get some
'smearing' on the 840C a while bat but a damp cotton bud around /
under the print carrage sorted that ;-)

Pick whichever one of the current HP line up that fits your wallet. As
they get more expensive, you gain print speed and resolution.

Ok, well if I'm going to stick with HP maybe I just need to find a
cheaper source of carts .. any suggestions please? (I did spot a twin
pack of No17's in makro yesterday for ~34 + Vat ... (still 20 quid
each though?).

All the best fella ..

T i m

In article ,
T i m wrote:
The only thing that worries me with that idea is that the
manufacturers often 'fix what's not broken'? (or maybe it wasn't
breaking often enough ..?). In one shop it was mentioned 'on the older
Canon printers you could take the heads out to clean them but I don't
think you can on some / all of the new ones". I mean yor
'replacement' Canon my not be the same 'design' as the one it replaces
and has it's own (new) issues?

I managed to remove the head from an Epson ok to clean it - it was well
and truly blocked after months of disuse. Used various solvents - alcohol,
ammonia and distilled water, and eventually got it clear. I used one of
the ink refill squeezy bottles with some tube to force water through.
Eventually got it clear, but broke it when removing the tube - even
although I'd done this many times. ;-)

Sad, as I liked that old Stylus Color 600 rather more than the Cannon
replacement.

--
*Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"T i m" wrote
| Wish list for said printer ..
| Lower paper tray type feed (I don't like the paper sticking up at the
| back)
| USB (for simplicity) and Parallel (cheap net printservers ertc).
| Cheap carts (price / page)
| 'Reasonable' picture printing (I'm not a photographer)
| Quick startup and print (not fast printing as such) the Epsons seem to
| go off on their own thing for 5 mins ..)

If you could afford the initial outlay - under 500 now - look at colour
laser. My (IBM, b/w) laser is 11.5 years old and on its second toner
cartridge. The colour laser photo print quality has really improved in
recent years, and they produce good results on cheap paper.

Owain

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 11:38:27 GMT, T i m wrote:

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 11:10:51 +0000, Grunff wrote:

T i m wrote:

So, could you give me real feedback re what model printers you use
(ideally the current models if I'm going to get one), how long you
have left them between use and still getting a good printout and
possibly what models to specifically avoid (unreliable / several trips
to the shop with it etc).


We never buy (for us or for clients) anything other than HP. They last
nearly forever, and maintain a very good print quality throughout their
life.

That's part of my 'fear' .. going away from HP .. (never had anything
else since my DJ500c (£350 as an HP 'staff sale'!)) and have seen too
many Epsons put in the bin because they had print head problems. But,
if they are cheaper to buy and cheaper to run (I said *IF*) then you
can see why some folk buy a new Epson every year?

That's the reason the carts are expensive - they aren't just
bottles of ink, they also contain the print head.

Indeed. And hence the constant print performance. I did get some
'smearing' on the 840C a while bat but a damp cotton bud around /
under the print carrage sorted that ;-)

Pick whichever one of the current HP line up that fits your wallet. As
they get more expensive, you gain print speed and resolution.

Ok, well if I'm going to stick with HP maybe I just need to find a
cheaper source of carts .. any suggestions please? (I did spot a twin
pack of No17's in makro yesterday for ~34 + Vat ... (still 20 quid
each though?).

All the best fella ..

T i m


I'm the opposite, if I want a laser I'd buy HP but for inkjets Epson.
;-)

I'd say Epson R200 or R300 (R300 myself so biased there) using compat.
inks for months and not had any trouble with it at all.
I'd be the first person from experiences at work to abuse anyone one
using non orginal inks but when a full set runs to about £70.00 for
orginal Epson ones your almost forced to buy a compatible set for
£12.00 instead. :-)

Mark S.

On 05 Feb 2005, T i m wrote

Ok, well if I'm going to stick with HP maybe I just need to find a
cheaper source of carts .. any suggestions please? (I did spot a
twin pack of No17's in makro yesterday for ~34 + Vat ... (still 20
quid each though?).

It'd be worth checking the cartex site I mentioned in my other post --
www.cartex.co.uk -- for that, as they do original brands as well as
compatibles.

I don't know how competitive they are on the brand-names, but they'd be
worth a look.

--
Cheers,
Harvey

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 11:39:07 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
T i m wrote:
The only thing that worries me with that idea is that the
manufacturers often 'fix what's not broken'? (or maybe it wasn't
breaking often enough ..?). In one shop it was mentioned 'on the older
Canon printers you could take the heads out to clean them but I don't
think you can on some / all of the new ones". I mean yor
'replacement' Canon my not be the same 'design' as the one it replaces
and has it's own (new) issues?

I managed to remove the head from an Epson ok to clean it - it was well
and truly blocked after months of disuse.

My daughter C44 is made of a mix of old and new bits .. I even managed
to swap the print head / ribbon cables about an it still works ;-)

Used various solvents - alcohol,
ammonia and distilled water, and eventually got it clear.

It's good when a plan comes together ;-)

I used one of
the ink refill squeezy bottles with some tube to force water through.
Eventually got it clear, but broke it when removing the tube - even
although I'd done this many times. ;-)

Don't you hate it when that happens .. ;-(

Sad, as I liked that old Stylus Color 600 rather more than the Cannon
replacement.

This 840c is well 'ensconsed' in it's current location but I'll have
to drag it out and see if I can fit the loose bits back on (and maybe
give it a cleanout). Maybe a pair of new carts might be worth the cost
...

All the best ..

T i m

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 12:29:10 +0000, Mark S.
wrote:


Ok, well if I'm going to stick with HP maybe I just need to find a
cheaper source of carts .. any suggestions please? (I did spot a twin
pack of No17's in makro yesterday for ~34 + Vat ... (still 20 quid
each though?).

All the best fella ..

T i m


I'm the opposite, if I want a laser I'd buy HP but for inkjets Epson.
;-)

Are HPLJ's still made by Canon?

I'd say Epson R200 or R300 (R300 myself so biased there) using compat.
inks for months and not had any trouble with it at all.

I think the use of compatble carts is less of an issue than it was.
Any that didn't make the grade have probably gone down the pan (with
margins as they are?).

I'd be the first person from experiences at work to abuse anyone one
using non orginal inks but when a full set runs to about £70.00 for
orginal Epson ones your almost forced to buy a compatible set for
£12.00 instead. :-)

Ouch! I dare say there are loads of 'Co's'' out there that always buy
std factory carts .. but what a difference!

All the best Mark ..

T i m

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 09:21:18 GMT, T i m babbled
like a waterfall and said:
Get one of the new Canon Pixma range.
I have the new IP5000. Brilliant machine and lab quality printing. One
colour transparent tanks and they are dirt cheap, no chipping.

Oh and it really does Duplex printing, a bit slow but the luxury!

"T i m" wrote in message
...
Hi All,

I think this is just on topic... (and I'm asking here because quite a
few printers are UK only and we may have different price issues) ..

The inks on my trusty HPDJ 840c (that I bought as a refurb 3 years ago
for 25 quid) have now both run out again and a casual look through PCW
showed they were 26 and 17 or so (ouch). Also the printer has ejected
a couple of small components (that I have kept and should be able to
refit) so thought it might bre time to get a replacement printer.

So I do a bit of Googling / asking mates etc and the Epson's seem
quite common as do cheaper carts, but they do seem to have issues with
print heads getting blocked if the printer isn't used regularly (I use
mine sporadically.

So then Canon printers were put forward but again we are talking a
fixed pint head (on newer models possibly) and again the 'blocked
nozzles' thing comes up.

The HP's seem to have less issues with this and if you should get a
blocked nozzle a new cart sorts that ;-)

I looked at the Epson Stylus C66 (44+Vat in Makro, no stock) and from
there the Canon IP4000 (at nearly double the price) that has 5 carts
and can print CD's etc (also feels very substantial) ;-)

Someone suggested the actual page cost for most of these printers are
very similar (HP carts twice the price but do twice the number of
pages type of thing) so it's possibly down to initial price,
reliability and flexibility.

Wish list for said printer ..

Lower paper tray type feed (I don't like the paper sticking up at the
back)

USB (for simplicity) and Parallel (cheap net printservers ertc).

Cheap carts (price / page)

'Reasonable' picture printing (I'm not a photographer)

Quick startup and print (not fast printing as such) the Epsons seem to
go off on their own thing for 5 mins ..)

I don't want to have to print something 'everyday', just to keep the
thing working cleanly ?

So, could you give me real feedback re what model printers you use
(ideally the current models if I'm going to get one), how long you
have left them between use and still getting a good printout and
possibly what models to specifically avoid (unreliable / several trips
to the shop with it etc).

Lastly, does anyone regularly re-fill their carts and what 'brand'
refill kits do you use please (I have refilled a couple of times with
mixed results).

All the best and thanks for your time ..

T i m


(p.s. I have asked similiar on comp.perifs.printers but they seem
mostly from 'Over the pond' )



I used to run an HP850c and what you say is correct, superb printing and
basically a new printer every time you change the carts but at £50 a time
for carts it had to go to the attic ( too tight to throw anything away )
next
Canon S6000 - general printing, still ok
next
Canon i550 - general printing, faster - lasted 26 months
next
epson 900 - disk printing - current
next
canon ip3000 - current

the canons do suffer with the problem of clogged heads if stood for a long
time as do the epsons, the i550 died 3 months ago, needed a new printhead
which at £75 was an uneconomic repair so it was replaced with the ip3000, i
wish i had got the ip4000 for the extra cartridge ( better for photo
printing)

But at £2 a cart, a bit of head cleaning now and again is only a minor chore
(£5 a set for the epson)

imho - the ip4000 fullfills all of your criteria and gives you duplex and
disk printing into the bargain

Hope this helps

Regards Jeff

T i m wrote:

So then Canon printers were put forward but again we are talking a
fixed pint head (on newer models possibly) and again the 'blocked
nozzles' thing comes up.

I have used Epsons inkjets myself for many years and have generally not
had issues with clogging, that a cleaning cycle or two would not fix.
Having said that, I have had a couple of clients with dead Epsons
recently - both C82s - that no amount of cleaning would fix.

The HP's seem to have less issues with this and if you should get a
blocked nozzle a new cart sorts that ;-)

Yup, the price you pay is the cost of the cart.

I looked at the Epson Stylus C66 (44+Vat in Makro, no stock) and from
there the Canon IP4000 (at nearly double the price) that has 5 carts
and can print CD's etc (also feels very substantial) ;-)

I installed a Canon Pixmar? IP3000 recently. That was actually quite
impressive. Uses sepearate ink tanks (no print head, no chip!), these
are clear so you can see the ink level inside them nicely. The canon
originals are only something like 5.50 each. Compatible carts can be had
for under a quid! Hence running costs are very low.

The print head itself a plug in module, and hence also redilly
replaceable - this would seem to be a good solution to the "printhead
in cart" dilemma.

Wish list for said printer ..

Lower paper tray type feed (I don't like the paper sticking up at the
back)

The above mentioned canon has a lower tray (like a laser), the
traditional vertical slot at the back, and also a CD printing slot at
the front.

USB (for simplicity) and Parallel (cheap net printservers ertc).

USB certainly, can't remember if it had parallel.

Cheap carts (price / page)

See above!

'Reasonable' picture printing (I'm not a photographer)

Check

Quick startup and print (not fast printing as such) the Epsons seem to
go off on their own thing for 5 mins ..)

Seemed to be under 5 secs.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 14:05:13 GMT, Harvey Van Sickle
wrote:

On 05 Feb 2005, T i m wrote

Ok, well if I'm going to stick with HP maybe I just need to find a
cheaper source of carts .. any suggestions please? (I did spot a
twin pack of No17's in makro yesterday for ~34 + Vat ... (still 20
quid each though?).

It'd be worth checking the cartex site I mentioned in my other post --
www.cartex.co.uk -- for that, as they do original brands as well as
compatibles.

Thanks for that .. about 11 and 15 for the carts for the DJ 840c
(cheaper if you give them an empty cart) or 20 quid for a twin pack ..
so not so bad ..?

I don't know how competitive they are on the brand-names, but they'd be
worth a look.

Give me something to work to .. thanks Harvey .. ;-)

All the best ..

T i m

On Sat, 5 Feb 2005 12:02:04 -0000, "Owain"
wrote:

"T i m" wrote
| Wish list for said printer ..
| Lower paper tray type feed (I don't like the paper sticking up at the
| back)
| USB (for simplicity) and Parallel (cheap net printservers ertc).
| Cheap carts (price / page)
| 'Reasonable' picture printing (I'm not a photographer)
| Quick startup and print (not fast printing as such) the Epsons seem to
| go off on their own thing for 5 mins ..)

If you could afford the initial outlay - under 500 now - look at colour
laser.

Erm it's *if* I'm afraid Owain ;-(

My (IBM, b/w) laser is 11.5 years old and on its second toner
cartridge.

That sounds like good going? I think I have probably 3 HPLJ3/4's here
... they all (sorta) work .. just lock / jam on the 50 th sheet etc ..
if I had some time or space I might see if I could make one sound one
out of the lot?

The colour laser photo print quality has really improved in
recent years, and they produce good results on cheap paper.

I bet, just *way* out of my league at the moment (though I see how it
could be cheaper in the long term ...).

All the best ..

T i m

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 13:55:15 +0000, Lurch
wrote:

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 09:21:18 GMT, T i m strung
together this:

So, could you give me real feedback re what model printers you use
(ideally the current models if I'm going to get one), how long you
have left them between use and still getting a good printout and
possibly what models to specifically avoid (unreliable / several trips
to the shop with it etc).

I decided not to try and cram all the features into one printer so I
use a HP Laserjet 4+ with a Jetdirect card for general quick printing
off letters, invoices and other text or draft stuff.

I have picked up cheap / been given some old LJ's but they all need
some attention. I did have one on an Intel Netport (then a Jetdirect
card) so we could all use it but because it was used so infrequently
it was a paid going up into the spare room to turn it on, letting it
warm up and then seeing how many sheets it printed before it jammed
etc ;-(

My other printer is on another machine, but network shared, and it is
a Epson C44 Plus. It takes too long to print, and spends ages wearing
itself out before it even prints anything

LOL (they do don't they.) Mind you, I printed a couple of RC Laser
race schedules (XL spreadsheets put into PDF's) today on my daughters
C44 (I was working on her machine) and they came out ok (I shouldn't
sound surprised should I but I don't trust Epsons yet ..)


Lastly, does anyone regularly re-fill their carts and what 'brand'
refill kits do you use please (I have refilled a couple of times with
mixed results).

I've only ever used genuine manufacturers cartridges, but for the
Epson as it was free I got 2 sets of black and colour cartridges from
http://www.inkcycle.co.uk for about £25. They seem to be on a par
with the originally supplied Epson cartridges from what I've seen of
them.

Thanks for that ... I'll add that to my 'Inks' bookmarks in Firefox
;-)

T i m

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 15:05:26 GMT, EricP wrote:

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 09:21:18 GMT, T i m babbled
like a waterfall and said:
Get one of the new Canon Pixma range.
I have the new IP5000. Brilliant machine and lab quality printing. One
colour transparent tanks and they are dirt cheap, no chipping.

Not sure about the 'prism that might not know the cart is there on not
thing' .. but I am quite interested in the 4000 ... I love new 'toys'
and ecpecially if they work hard and well .. just could find 100
better things to spend 82 quid on right now (like paying a bit of the
credit card ..) ;-(

Oh and it really does Duplex printing, a bit slow but the luxury!

As you say .. quite a luxury. ;-) Mind you with a tiny bit of effort
and printing from something that will let you print all the odd then
even pages (Word, Acrobat etc) you can get double sided printing from
any printer (with a few upside down pages possibly g) ;-)

All the best ..

T i m

On Sat, 5 Feb 2005 16:25:18 -0000, "Jeff" wrote:


I used to run an HP850c and what you say is correct, superb printing and
basically a new printer every time you change the carts but at £50 a time
for carts it had to go to the attic ( too tight to throw anything away )

Snap ;-)

next
Canon S6000 - general printing, still ok
next
Canon i550 - general printing, faster - lasted 26 months
next
epson 900 - disk printing - current
next
canon ip3000 - current

Thanks for that ;-)

the canons do suffer with the problem of clogged heads if stood for a long
time as do the epsons, the i550 died 3 months ago, needed a new printhead
which at £75 was an uneconomic repair so it was replaced with the ip3000, i
wish i had got the ip4000 for the extra cartridge ( better for photo
printing)

Ok, well I have touched the 4000 in makro so I have a feel of it and
like what I say (and felt) ;-)

But at £2 a cart, a bit of head cleaning now and again is only a minor chore
(£5 a set for the epson)

Indeed ;-)

imho - the ip4000 fullfills all of your criteria and gives you duplex and
disk printing into the bargain

Hmmm .. www.dabs.c ... no .. I mustn't! ;-)

Hope this helps

Well sort of .. I have just found an old black cart for the 850c and
given it a bump start with a damp rag and I now have a black printer
at least! (Yay! g).

Maybe I'll get a cheaper colour cart .. or .. www.da .. no .. ;-)


Cheers Jeff ..

T i m

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 20:03:40 +0000, Lurch
strung together this:

I think you can still get the feed
roller repair kits which is usually the problem with repetitive paper
jams on the older LJ's.

After a quick look on eBay,
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=16190&item=6740965 646&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW,
seems to be the kit required for $35. I might be inclined to order one
myself if Google turns up nothing cheaper as the paper jamming is the
only thing wrong with mine.
--

SJW
Please reply to group or use 'usenet' in email subject

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 18:02:06 +0000, John Rumm
wrote:

T i m wrote:

So then Canon printers were put forward but again we are talking a
fixed pint head (on newer models possibly) and again the 'blocked
nozzles' thing comes up.

I have used Epsons inkjets myself for many years and have generally not
had issues with clogging, that a cleaning cycle or two would not fix.

Don't you find it hammers the ink though John? I put two new carts in
my daughters C44 and by the time we'd got it printing nicely the
status mon told us the colour car was half empty (or was it half full)
;-)

Having said that, I have had a couple of clients with dead Epsons
recently - both C82s - that no amount of cleaning would fix.

And what I'm afaid of .. maybe they were a bad model ..?

The HP's seem to have less issues with this and if you should get a
blocked nozzle a new cart sorts that ;-)

Yup, the price you pay is the cost of the cart.

And actually pretty good value .. I wouldn't like to drill all those
nozzle holes and fit all them heater coils for 20 quid!

I looked at the Epson Stylus C66 (44+Vat in Makro, no stock) and from
there the Canon IP4000 (at nearly double the price) that has 5 carts
and can print CD's etc (also feels very substantial) ;-)

I installed a Canon Pixmar? IP3000 recently. That was actually quite
impressive. Uses sepearate ink tanks (no print head, no chip!), these
are clear so you can see the ink level inside them nicely. The canon
originals are only something like 5.50 each. Compatible carts can be had
for under a quid! Hence running costs are very low.

I think someone said we could say "the running costs *should* be low"
... as (he said) it's all down to the page yield rate / pound etc?

The print head itself a plug in module, and hence also redilly
replaceable - this would seem to be a good solution to the "printhead
in cart" dilemma.

Ah, now *that* is good news John. The lady in 'Cartridge World' (see I
know how to live g) said that certainly was the case for the pre ip
seres of Canon's .. maybe theu just stopped doing it on the lower ones
...?

Lower paper tray type feed (I don't like the paper sticking up at the
back)

The above mentioned canon has a lower tray (like a laser),

I found that on the one in makro .. When #I first pulled the tray out
it looked too small to take A45 portrait. Then I extended the tray and
it all made sense (in would then stick out the front but would be (as
mentioned elswhere) pretty dust proof.

the
traditional vertical slot at the back,

Might that be better for 'stiffer' paper / card?

and also a CD printing slot at
the front.

That *would* be a novelty ;-) I wonder if it's like the envelope
printing feature on this DJ840c .. that I think I tried once when I
first got it ....

USB (for simplicity) and Parallel (cheap net printservers ertc).

USB certainly, can't remember if it had parallel.

3000 no, 4000 yes ;-)

Quick startup and print (not fast printing as such) the Epsons seem to
go off on their own thing for 5 mins ..)

Seemed to be under 5 secs.

Thattl do for me .. ;-)

All the best ..

T i m

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 20:03:40 +0000, Lurch
wrote:

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 19:55:43 GMT, T i m strung
together this:

I have picked up cheap / been given some old LJ's but they all need
some attention. I did have one on an Intel Netport (then a Jetdirect
card) so we could all use it but because it was used so infrequently
it was a paid going up into the spare room to turn it on, letting it
warm up and then seeing how many sheets it printed before it jammed
etc ;-(

Mine does that, but it's usually randomly after a couple of sheets
rather than after any set amount. I think you can still get the feed
roller repair kits which is usually the problem with repetitive paper
jams on the older LJ's.

I think I looked into that at the time ... even thought of turning the
rollers down on the lathe and re 'skinning' them with some inner tube
rubber (or summat) .. this is a DIY list after all ;-)

All the best ..

T i m

John Rumm wrote :-
re : Canon IP3000
Compatible carts can be had for under a quid!

Have you a source / link for the above please ?

Regards Jeff

btw - I would recomend the ip4000 over the ip3000 as the 3000 uses BCI-6
colour carts and a BCI-3 black so photo prints have a glossy colour and matt
black finish, whereas the 4000 has the extra BCI-6 black cart for photo work
and only uses the BCI-3 black for text
The difference between BCI-3 and BCI-6 is one is dye based and the other is
pigment

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 20:11:08 +0000, Lurch
wrote:

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 20:03:40 +0000, Lurch
strung together this:

I think you can still get the feed
roller repair kits which is usually the problem with repetitive paper
jams on the older LJ's.

After a quick look on eBay,
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=16190&item=6740965 646&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW,
seems to be the kit required for $35. I might be inclined to order one
myself if Google turns up nothing cheaper as the paper jamming is the
only thing wrong with mine.

I could go for one also (for 20 quid all in and he seems to be
'roller' man) .. if you ask him any questions (or find anything
cheaper elsewhere), please let me know what he says?

All the best ..

T i m

On Sat, 5 Feb 2005 20:23:33 -0000, "Jeff" wrote:


btw - I would recomend the ip4000 over the ip3000 as the 3000 uses BCI-6
colour carts and a BCI-3 black so photo prints have a glossy colour and matt
black finish, whereas the 4000 has the extra BCI-6 black cart for photo work
and only uses the BCI-3 black for text
The difference between BCI-3 and BCI-6 is one is dye based and the other is
pigment


Isn't there an issue with further nozzle blocking with dye rather than
pigment based inks?

All the best ..

T i m

Jeff wrote:

Have you a source / link for the above please ?

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=63809

How about 40p each... ;-)


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

T i m wrote:

Isn't there an issue with further nozzle blocking with dye rather than
pigment based inks?

Hmmm, other way round I would have thought... just wondering if the
Epson C82s were pigment based...?

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 21:19:05 +0000, John Rumm
wrote:

T i m wrote:

Isn't there an issue with further nozzle blocking with dye rather than
pigment based inks?

Hmmm, other way round I would have thought... just wondering if the
Epson C82s were pigment based...?

You are probably right John. I'm just a 'user' of the things really
;-)

If you can get both types on ink in the same sized (and
interchangeable) carts then I suppose you can 'experiment' ?

I suppose 'low clog' might also be 'worst quality' (comparatively) and
should mean 'cheapest' ?

All the best ..

T i m

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 20:28:08 GMT, T i m strung
together this:

I could go for one also (for 20 quid all in and he seems to be
'roller' man) .. if you ask him any questions (or find anything
cheaper elsewhere), please let me know what he says?

After some Googling all the UK based suppliers seem to want £80
upwards for a similar kit. I've bookmarked the page, well a similar
page from the same seller but for the 4+ series rather than the
aforementioned 4 series, and I'll be ordering one next week. Can't see
it's worth ****ing about hunting down somewhere else for the sake of
saving a couple of quid!
--

SJW
Please reply to group or use 'usenet' in email subject

On Sat, 5 Feb 2005 21:22:27 -0000, "Jeff" wrote:


The ip4000 is 4 dye + a pigment black, the 3000 is 3 dye + pigment black

Hmmm - printer location, rhs is 6" from middle of bypass radiator (not ideal
i know)

Because heat dries them out faster (guessing?)

s550i = 4 pigment, if left for 2 weeks probably required 1 cleaning cycle

Live-with-able .. ;-)

s560 = 3 dye + 1 pigment, mates printer but he runs it on all pigment based
'cos he went from 550i to 560i and didn't RTFM and its fine

Result ;-)

my ip3000 = 3 dye + 1 pigment and is pretty much as my old 550i

I shall probably run my 3000 on all pigment when the original carts run out

Because they are cheaper Jeff?

check the price of replacement printheads before you count it as a benefit,
my 550 only needs a new printhead but at £70 ish it made more sense to get a
new printer

I was thinking more along the lines of being able to take the head out
to clean it easier more than replacement as such? (Not an issue on the
HP and quite awkward on the Epsons I have touched so far).

All the best ...

T i m

"T i m" wrote in message
news
On Sat, 5 Feb 2005 21:22:27 -0000, "Jeff" wrote:


The ip4000 is 4 dye + a pigment black, the 3000 is 3 dye + pigment black

Hmmm - printer location, rhs is 6" from middle of bypass radiator (not
ideal
i know)

Because heat dries them out faster (guessing?)

Yep, thats what I think as well


s550i = 4 pigment, if left for 2 weeks probably required 1 cleaning cycle

Live-with-able .. ;-)

s560 = 3 dye + 1 pigment, mates printer but he runs it on all pigment
based
'cos he went from 550i to 560i and didn't RTFM and its fine

Result ;-)

my ip3000 = 3 dye + 1 pigment and is pretty much as my old 550i

I shall probably run my 3000 on all pigment when the original carts run
out

Because they are cheaper Jeff?

No, because I can get all pigment with a 'big' black whereas the BCI-6 is
the same size as the colour carts, this would not be a problem with the
ip4000 as you would have CMYK dye based + a big K (black) pigment based for
text use


check the price of replacement printheads before you count it as a
benefit,
my 550 only needs a new printhead but at £70 ish it made more sense to
get a
new printer

I was thinking more along the lines of being able to take the head out
to clean it easier more than replacement as such? (Not an issue on the
HP and quite awkward on the Epsons I have touched so far).

Yes, I've done that before on the 550 after using poor quality carts, a good
soak in hot water always did the trick

Regards Jeff

T i m wrote:

I suppose 'low clog' might also be 'worst quality' (comparatively) and
should mean 'cheapest' ?

The advantage of pigment over dye is longevity of the print, and
resitance to fading (although prints with any ink will still benefit
greatly from being behind glass). Given that pigments are often based on
solid material however it is possible there is a correlation between
pigment inks and clogging.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 22:10:20 +0000, Lurch
wrote:

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 20:28:08 GMT, T i m strung
together this:

I could go for one also (for 20 quid all in and he seems to be
'roller' man) .. if you ask him any questions (or find anything
cheaper elsewhere), please let me know what he says?

After some Googling all the UK based suppliers seem to want £80
upwards for a similar kit. I've bookmarked the page, well a similar
page from the same seller but for the 4+ series rather than the
aforementioned 4 series, and I'll be ordering one next week. Can't see
it's worth ****ing about hunting down somewhere else for the sake of
saving a couple of quid!

Indeed.

I'll have to just check exactly what models I've got (I think I have 2
HPLJ 4~ somewhere ?) and make sure he can over at least one of them.

I wonder if any money we could save on postage (by combining our
orders) would be consumed by customs (Tax) or local delivery (me
you)?

All the best ..

T i m

On Sun, 6 Feb 2005 00:49:15 -0000, "Jeff" wrote:


I shall probably run my 3000 on all pigment when the original carts run
out

Because they are cheaper Jeff?

No, because I can get all pigment with a 'big' black whereas the BCI-6 is
the same size as the colour carts, this would not be a problem with the
ip4000 as you would have CMYK dye based + a big K (black) pigment based for
text use

Ah, cheers.

I was thinking more along the lines of being able to take the head out
to clean it easier more than replacement as such? (Not an issue on the
HP and quite awkward on the Epsons I have touched so far).

Yes, I've done that before on the 550 after using poor quality carts, a good
soak in hot water always did the trick

Result ;-)

Cheers ..

T i m

On Sun, 06 Feb 2005 07:50:36 GMT, T i m strung
together this:

I'll have to just check exactly what models I've got (I think I have 2
HPLJ 4~ somewhere ?) and make sure he can over at least one of them.

He seems to cover quite a few, I've just been looking in his eBay
store.

I wonder if any money we could save on postage (by combining our
orders) would be consumed by customs (Tax) or local delivery (me
you)?

Dunno, I've enquired about muliple items and shipping discounts, I'll
see what he says and post back. Hopefully the postage saving will
cover the tax as VAT will be added to the eBay price at customs.
--

SJW
Please reply to group or use 'usenet' in email subject

Hi all,

Well, last night a black cartridge for the 840c I had found in a clip
responded to a wipe and printed a nice black square (no luck with Cart
World colour one that never really worked properly).

This morning .. nothing .. blank page .. ;-(

I had noticed whilst playing yesterday the the HP 'Toolkit' button
didn't do anything. Thids morning I removed then installed the latest
driver off the HP site and now it won't print at all (and I tried it
in various directions). To be fair I can't remember how it'ds
connected (USB / USB Paralled convertor or parallel ..) so when I've
finished taxi driving our daughter I'll pull it all out and see where
we are (I have feint memories of having problems with this ages ago).

So, as it seems to be telling me 'enough is enough' my missus has just
ordered an ip4000 for me (us) ;-)

All the best ...

T i m