|
|
|
UER Store
|
|
order your copy of Access All Areas today!
|
|
|
|
Activity
|
|
619 online
Server Time:
2024-05-11 12:28:52
|
|
|
| Affordable Inkjets? entry by Avatar-X 8/8/2005 8:26 PM
| So, many people who own computers also own an Inkjet printer. In case you're not up on the computer lingo, there's two main types of printer in use today: The Inkjet printer, which sprays very fine drops of ink onto a paper (brand names are deskjet, bubblejet, etc), and the Laser Printer, which uses static to melt bits of plastic (called toner) onto the page. Inkjet printers are usually much cheaper to buy than laser printers. You can get a pretty good inkjet for about $50 brand new, when a new laser can start around $200. However, it's very well known that printer companies make the real money on selling you ink cartridges and tanks, a complete refill can cost between $40 and $90, depending on what kind of printer you have. I recently purchased a Canon PiXMA ip3000 inkjet printer. It's a very nice little printer -- two paper input options, 4 colour ink tank system, can print a 4x6 photo-quality print in 36 seconds, and all that. But I wanted to do a lot of photo printing, and I ran into my first problem very quickly. Ink was expensive. Genuine Canon replacement Ink tanks would run me about $65 for a complete set replacement. I could replace with cheaper "MIS" brand ink for only $50, but it's still a little too much. I dabbled with self-refill kits, but ended up destroying a cartridge and spilling ink over a bunch of stuff. (avoid self-refill kits at all costs) I was somewhat disappointed at the lack of options. Then, one day, while browsing Slashdot recently, I came across a term that sounded intriguing: "Continuous Ink Flow System". I spent a few hours researching the available systems, and finally purchased one. A Continuous Ink Flow System is a set of large tanks of ink, usually placed outside the printer. A series of small tubes connect to special ink tanks inside your printer. This kind of a setup has two main advantages: (1) you can buy ink in bulk, which makes it very cheap, and (2) you don't have to replace or swap the ink as often. I ordered mine for a bargain price of $70 US, and it shipped out of Toronto so it arrived the very next day. Here is where I ordered it from.
It took a few hours of work to set up and to get it printing evenly, but it wasn't too big of a deal. The tanks are about 80 mL for each colour of ink, which means they last about 20x as long as a standard ink tank. Replacement ink is something like $10 a bottle for 80mL, so it's incredibly cheap to print. The colours are bright and vibrant, and the ink looks just as good, if not better, than with original Canon ink.
However, this kind of system is not for everyone. You need to print every day or every second day, or it will dry out. I wrote a special program to do this for me. You also need to make sure the printer is in a place where it won't need to be moved for a while. Sometimes, you'll need to run a few cleaning cycles to get the ink flowing again.
All in all, however, this system was an excellent investment. These systems are available for many models of Canon and Epson printers. I recommend EchoStore.com, they have been excellent. Continuous Ink Systems PROS Ridiculously cheap to print. Pays for itself in 2 normal tank refill outlays. Your printer can print continuously without needing to be stopped to refill the small ink tanks. CONS You need to print every few days to keep the ink from drying up. This is not a good system for people who print only every few weeks. Once installed, you really can't move the printer. If your printer moves around a lot, this system is not for you. If you let it dry up, can take a few extra minutes to run some cleaning cycles before you can print. The top cover of your printer won't close properly anymore. But who cares, really? I hope you enjoyed this review.
Modify Entry |
|
Comments: (use Reply to add a comment)
This thread is in a public category, and can't be made private. |
|
All content and images copyright © 2002-2024 UER.CA and respective creators. Graphical Design by Crossfire.
To contact webmaster, or click to email with problems or other questions about this site:
UER CONTACT
View Terms of Service |
View Privacy Policy |
Server colocation provided by Beanfield
This page was generated for you in 265 milliseconds. Since June 23, 2002, a total of 741357224 pages have been generated.
|
|