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Archived This topic has been archived. Information and links in this thread may no longer be available or relevant. If you have a question create a new topic by clicking here and select the appropriate board.
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Nothing has been "solved".

 

You DON'T need color ink to make black. The issue is that inkjet printers need "maintenance ink" to keep color printheads ready to work if color is called upon. Look up comparison ratings of printers and you will see a category relating to maintenance ink use. Obviously, you want a printer that has low maintenance ink usage if it meets your other requirements. Until engineers figure out a way to maintain the printheads without using color ink, you'll be paying extra to print in black with only occasional need for color.

HP Recommended

This doesn't explain why the color cartridges run out so often. I don't print tht much. And if the three colors are needed to make true black, why do I need a black cartridge? And why are they so expensive to replace?

HP Recommended

Again, if your inkjet printer has a color printhead, it uses up color ink for maintenance of the printhead, regardless of how much actual color printing you do. There are printers that use less maintenance ink. I unplugged my HP Officejet Pro 8100 and plan to sell or donate it. Change ink a few times and you've paid for a new printer. HP engineers could do better.

 

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I think he means that it would be reasonable to expect that said "maintenance" would not require anything like the ink flow that normal colour printing would use and that a predominantly blank ink type of usage would see several black ink cartridges used up before the colour ink cartridges run out. In addition, from my own perspective it seems ludicrous that one wouldn't have the option of removing (or not inserting) the colour cartridges in order to save ink.

 

On top of that, said "maintenance" infers that these printers would be useless for anything but constant use as obviously said "maintenance" can only take place when a print run occurs.

 

The more you analyse this concept the more holes you see in it - to regard it as purely an "engineering decision" seems to me decidely ingenuous.

HP Recommended

Don't you notice your printer occasionally making noises when you're not printing? Also, sometimes you may notice some noises and a longer reaction time before printing begins or after the last page is ejected. Maintenance ink.

 

Yes, generally you'll go through more than one black before having to replace color. And each time you do, it can be $50/$60/$70 or more. I found a new printer that reduced my cost per page by about half. I'd paid for it three times over in color cartridge replacements.

HP Recommended

Nope - if the printer isn't being used it is switched off - of course - haven't your electricity prices soared through the roof in that few years? Mine has - anything that isn't being used is switched off - and if HP think it neccessary to do otherwise I suggest they talk to Al Gore or Juliar Gillard...

HP Recommended

It's too bad HP finds it necessary to be so greedy but that's no different than a lot of corporations these days. My Officejet 6600 is great otherwise and I haven't had it that long. Definitely sounds like it would be cheaper to buy a different brand that doesn't use up so much ink. I wonder if anyone from the company reads these posts.

HP Recommended

"On top of that, said "maintenance" infers that these printers would be useless for anything but constant use as obviously said "maintenance" can only take place when a print run occurs."

 

No. Maintenance can occur before, after, or in between runs, depending on the firmware.

HP Recommended

No it can't - the printer needs to be switched on for maintenance - mine is switched off for weeks at a time and is only switch on for a run - now please don't split hairs - it makes no difference whatsoever whether the maintenance is performed immediately before, during, or immediately after a print - if the heads can survive for weeks without maintenance then why does it need to be performed for every print run?

HP Recommended

@Bundaboy wrote:

Nope - if the printer isn't being used it is switched off - of course - haven't your electricity prices soared through the roof in that few years? Mine has - anything that isn't being used is switched off - and if HP think it neccessary to do otherwise I suggest they talk to Al Gore or Juliar Gillard...


The printer should always have power applied to the printer, only use the printer's switch to power it off.  If you use an external switch (such as an outlet switch or power director switch) the printer will use more ink at startup as it will "forget" how long it has been since printing and assume the maximum.

 

Modern inkjet printers are generally Energy Star rated, and automatically go into a very low power state when not printing, typically < 5W.


Bob Headrick,  HP Expert

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