Is there a cartridge-less inkjet printer

[Bob Weisner]

Hi:

I was wondering if anyone knows if there is a inkjet printer on the market that does not use disposable inkjet cartridges? What I was thinking of is a printer that instead of using those disposable ink cartridges, would have some type of ink resevour that could be refilled when necessary. Anyone know if an inkjet printer like this is on the market?

Thanks,

Bob

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Bob....I haven't heard of any inkjet printers with refillable reservoirs but....you can buy kits that allow you to refill those cartridges.

[Bob Weisner]

Ken:

I used to have a refill kit for my old Lexmark printer. That refilled easy because I could refill the cartridge from the top. Now, I have an HP 5550 inkjet printer and the ink cartridges on that refill from the bottom. I tried to refill those cartridges, but it turned into a big mess when the cartridges leaked into the printer.

Bob

[Randy Meijer]

Not exactly, Bob; but............

Canon sells several printers that are designed with separate tanks for each color and the actual print mechanism is separate from the from the ink storage as opposed to the HP system, for instance, where the print head/ink storage are all one unit so that when the ink is gone you throw out a perfectly good print head. The benefit of the canon system is you don't throw away a print head that still has ink in it just because one heavily used color.....usually red.....is depleted!!!!

In spite of the fact that the manufacturers don't approve of it, (cause they lose money) all of their print heads are refillable with aftermarket kits. Generally you can refill a printhead about 10x before the actual print mechanism "goes south."

You can buy these refill kits at some computer stores and Wal-Mart where I got my first refill kit although I now buy mine on eBay. The kits will refill your printheads for half (or less ) of the the price of a new printhead and they will give you anywhere from 3-10 refills. Some printheads are a little trickier to fill than others and none of them are real simple to use(not difficult, just not slam-dunk easy). The first effort will usually be a little messy so put down several sheets of newspaper and have some paper towels handy. The second refill is much quicker and cleaner after you have learned the technique.


I have filled quite a few printheads and never had any real problems(despite what the mfgs say) and have saved a bunch of money. Do be careful to buy thr correct refill kit.....they are not universal. Each mfg uses a different type of ink and you should not mix and match.......buy the kit for your particular mfg and printhead!!! It's best to refill the units as soon as they run dry, otherwise the jets can clog up and cease to function. On the other hand sometimes you can salvage one that has been sitting aroung for a while. I bought a printer at a garage sale for 5 bucks and told it was working. turned out the color was OK but the black head was empty and dried up. On a lark, I cleaned up the head externally let the jets stand in a shallow bowl of water for several hours and then put a little ink(maybe a quarter full) in the tank. Wonder of wonders, it started printing although some of the jets were still clogged and the printing had a few skips. After 2-3 days, I guess the head soaked itself clean from inside because it is now printing perfectly!!!! I'm not sure you could expect to have this result every time; but with the cost of new printheads being what they are(mine is about $30) it is worth taking a chance.


So refill those print heads and spend the money you save on a new tool.....oops.....on shoes for the kids or taking your wife out to dinner!!!

[Aaron Koehl]

Bob,

What you're looking for is a continuous-inking system (CIS). There are several Epson printers out there that have aftermarket reservoirs you can buy, but obviously none are supported by the manufacturer. Keith just purchased one for use with sublimation inks. The "dummy" cartridges hook through small hoses into a set of ink reservoirs, and contain reverse-engineered print-head circuitry that fools the printer into thinking it always has a full cartridge.

According to a website advertising a particular CIS system, "ink is now seven times more expensive than vintage champagne." Sad thing is, people have been known to buy a completely new printer because it's cheaper than a replacement ink cartridge.