Questions on canon ink

[MacBH928]

Hello
I live in a PAL region, so I got a canon MP220.
First thing first, I try to order ink online from US companies and there are only MP210 and MP240 cartridges. Will they work?

You see my last printer was in like late 2002 , Epson, which really went bad and ink was expensive(like $30 for black!) and it only printed few prints before it had to recalibrate or whatever or it was going to mix colors. And this process like consumes 10% of the ink. I stopped printing, thats it.

Fast forward to 2009, and after a little bit of research, people tell me Canons are really good and not consume much. So I get a printer, and guess what, its the same old story. I do not need to do any color fixation or whatever but I am not really happy with ink usage or price.

We get like maybe 50 or 70 pages before the ink needs replacement. I am talking black and white photocopies , no full color pictures. I figured ok fine, I will buy from this online place I know 123inkjet. Price doesn't seem any less than original manufacturer's price. Its less by $2 or so.

Is the hard truth of printing, or is there a way around this either to save money on ink or making current ink cartridges more effecient.

 

[erikistired]

my wife just bought a canon mp480, and our ink isn't cheap. so far i've managed to find it for 40 bucks for the two cartridges (which isn't bad) but most places have them for 25-30 each!

also, from a quick search it seems you need a pg-40 black cartridge and a cl-41 color cartridge. i'm not sure what the US equiv of those are, as they seem to be European part numbers.

here is the canon page for your printer: http://www.canon-europe.com/for_hom...kjet/pixma_mp220/index.asp?source=search_page

 

[nanofrog]

Inkjets in general are known to be high for consumables costs. The best thing I'm aware of for inkjet, is to use a continuous ink system/kit retrofited to your printer. IIRC, there's a few available that fit Canon, but you'd want to make sure of the model compatibility.

If you want to lower your B&W printing, go with a laser. (Most color lasers I've seen are great for business documents, but not as much with photos. It is cheaper per page though).

Small B&W lasers can be had for under a $100USD these days. Basic color lasers aren't too terrible either, but All in One models can hit the upper $500 range or more. A lot of bang-for-the-buck, but not as inexpensive as the inkjets. They make up for it over time though.

Avoid HP's IMO, though, as they aren't wonderful for consumables costs. Chipping the cartridge doesn't help keep costs down. (They'll expire on you, used up or not).

I've gone with Brother lately, as they seem to work fairly well. Decent drivers from my usage POV at least. Good reviews as well from those I've read.

The HL-2140 might be worth taking a look at for a basic printer.

Good luck.

 

[MacBH928]

thanx for your care to reply

The thing is that I already got the Canon, and the expense for printing is impossible really. Its just too expensive! We bought this printer few months ago and I bet we already paid its price in ink cartridges too.

Is there no way around this to make cartridges more efficient or getting them for cheaper? I heard that the cartridges can be refilled in some places

 

[nanofrog]

thanx for your care to reply

The thing is that I already got the Canon, and the expense for printing is impossible really. Its just too expensive! We bought this printer few months ago and I bet we already paid its price in ink cartridges too.

Is there no way around this to make cartridges more efficient or getting them for cheaper? I heard that the cartridges can be refilled in some places

You can buy 3rd party/remanufactured cartridges, but the savings may not be that much.

That's why I mentioned going for a laser, at least for the B&W print jobs. Then use the Canon for color when you really need it. A basic B&W laser is about what I was used to paying for a pair/set of black + color cartridges for both Lexmark and HP's.

I got tired of the ink costs, and switched. I haven't looked back since.

 

[MacBH928]

well how you know which printer to use
in the old days, where I am, hp's are known to be the best. As a matter of fact no body used to use anything else.

Now the selection is very varied , and quality is not constant, like if I buy a BMW I know quality is constant, in the printer world , quality really differs from one model to another even though they are built by the same manufacturer

 

[nanofrog]

well how you know which printer to use
in the old days, where I am, hp's are known to be the best. As a matter of fact no body used to use anything else.

Now the selection is very varied , and quality is not constant, like if I buy a BMW I know quality is constant, in the printer world , quality really differs from one model to another even though they are built by the same manufacturer

HP's have gone downhill. Bloated, buggy drivers, and expensive on consumables).

Outsourcing doesn't help, and quality control is dismal. (Not unrelated BTW). A power on test may be all anything gets these days.

I find customer reviews very helpful to get an idea of what a product is like, combined with the manufacturer's spec pages, and finally, whatever professional reviews might be available. Hopefully, it's enough.

 

[MacBH928]

well thanx a lot for your help man
I guess we just have to deal with the expensive ink...