Pixma MX860, do you like yours?

[darth maul]

Pixma MX860 <---is that a good all in one? For text, presentations rarely, and photos once in a while. Scanning would hardly be used, well maybe making copies, but we hardly have to get something into the computer. I know it doesn't have a photo cyan and photo magenta like my dieing i960 has, so I kind'a wonder the difference. I also see there is generic or whatever you call it ink out for it at Rima, Swift Ink, and a few other places. So I am pretty sure this is the printer/all in one that I want, but is the photo printing up to task?

Anything in the $160 and less range is what we are looking at. And I am not going to get another Epson, unless you really think there is one that is good with low cost of ownership.

 

[Lemon law]

Pricewise, and with a fax, not bad.

Sadly, its a newer model chipped Canon so refilling your own cartridges is far less of an option to reduce total cost of ownership.

IMHO, you should have bought the last generation of Canon with recently cracked chips, then a $35. or so chip resetter and some ink,
and you would be refilling with same ease I have with the older unchipped canons.

 

[darth maul]

http://www.rima.com/Merchant2/...e=R&Category_Code=3600

Those are listed as the MX860 cartridges. Looks like the chip code was broken already???

 

[Lemon law]

Ar first I though darth maul was correct and I was maybe posting dated information, so I checked, and sadly the newer canon chips are yet not cracked. Like the older style Canon chips before they were cracked, you can refill, but you void your warranty and you lose all ink monitoring capacity in the process.

 

[darth maul]

Ummm those are the MX860 ink tanks/cartridges with a chip.

So maybe no refills, but I at least can buy generic cartridges.

 

[Lemon law]

Originally posted by: darth maul
Ummm those are the MX860 ink tanks/cartridges with a chip.

So maybe no refills, but I at least can buy generic cartridges.

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Basically right, either the chips that come with those cartridges are some sort of dummy chip or a recycled Canon chip. They will still read zero ink until you disable the warranty and tell the printer to print anyway.

But you could do the same with a depleted OEM cartridge and just refill using your own ink for a fraction of the cost.

The following website explains it in more detail.

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/

 

[saiga6360]

Has anyone tried the 'compatible' 3rd party cartridges for the mx860? I see the color combo pack for much cheaper and I wonder if these chipped cartridges work just like the manufacturer's.

 

[Modelworks]

the cli221 chips were cracked months ago. The chips to get now are the auto reset ones. They just reset when you replace the ink so no need to change out chips every time. The ones I got you could replace the ink yourself if you wanted to but they are so cheap I don't bother.

All the cli221 ink cart models use a lot of ink compared to other models and nobody is quite sure why. Some thought it was the cleaning routine they go through on startup because it seems to be doing a lot with the print head, but I have disassembled one and found that it doesn't use much ink at all during that process. Maybe they are just laying down really thick drops. They print good but if you just buy OEM ink, you will go broke.

This is what I use.
Not connected with the seller in any way other than being a customer.
http://cgi.ebay.com/15Pk-PGI-220-CL.../280580466989?pt=BI_Toner&hash=item4153e6292d

 

[Modelworks]

Has anyone tried the 'compatible' 3rd party cartridges for the mx860? I see the color combo pack for much cheaper and I wonder if these chipped cartridges work just like the manufacturer's.

The mx860 chips are cracked, they use the cli221 carts, not the mx870 chips though. The mx870 has firmware that can detect some of the cli221 non oem carts so have to specifically buy for that model.

 

[saiga6360]

the cli221 chips were cracked months ago. The chips to get now are the auto reset ones. They just reset when you replace the ink so no need to change out chips every time. The ones I got you could replace the ink yourself if you wanted to but they are so cheap I don't bother.

All the cli221 ink cart models use a lot of ink compared to other models and nobody is quite sure why. Some thought it was the cleaning routine they go through on startup because it seems to be doing a lot with the print head, but I have disassembled one and found that it doesn't use much ink at all during that process. Maybe they are just laying down really thick drops. They print good but if you just buy OEM ink, you will go broke.

This is what I use.
Not connected with the seller in any way other than being a customer.
http://cgi.ebay.com/15Pk-PGI-220-CL.../280580466989?pt=BI_Toner&hash=item4153e6292d

Thanks for the info. I am guessing you haven't had any issues with these. Do they last as long as OEM ink? I guess I shouldn't really complain given how much cheaper they are. I have never used 3rd party ink before and this is a relatively new printer but the OEM ink goes for around 70 bucks if you get them bundled.

 

[GrumpyMan]

I'll have to try that link later at home since it's blocked at work. But as far as the printer output quality goes, I love mine for pictures. I've had it for a year and have had no problems with it yet. I saw the bundled ink at BB for $39.00 this last weekend.

 

[saiga6360]

Yeah, I was actually looking at the pricing for the CLI-221 pack and the PGI-220 3 pack.

 

[Modelworks]

Thanks for the info. I am guessing you haven't had any issues with these. Do they last as long as OEM ink? I guess I shouldn't really complain given how much cheaper they are. I have never used 3rd party ink before and this is a relatively new printer but the OEM ink goes for around 70 bucks if you get them bundled.

No issues to speak of. The quantity is about the same so they last about as long as OEM. The only thing you risk by using 3rd party ink is the money spent on the ink.

An OEM cannot void a warranty because you didn't use their brand of ink. Xerox took it all the way to the highest courts and lost with the courts ruling that OEM cannot restrict warranty based on what brand of ink or toner was used. They have to honor the warranty and the only way they don't have to honor it is if they can prove the 3rd party item is what damaged the printer. It is called the clayton antitrust act

It shall be unlawful to make a sale of goods on the condition that the purchaser shall not use or deal in the goods of a competitor where the effect may be to substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly

Basically it is what makes it so someone like Ford cannot say you have to only use Ford dealers to have a tire changed.

 

[GrumpyMan]

Wow, those are some great prices for the ink! Thanks for link, and the info.

 

[saiga6360]

Thanks for the info Modelworks, I figured as much. I guess that's why OEMs have resorted to chipping to protect their little scheme. It can't possibly be for better ink management if these particular models use up ink so fast, right? If I am not breaking any regulations or rules by using 3rd party ink, these chipped cartridges have no reason to exist and is just a hindrance to the consumer, as if the myriad of ink models are not bad enough.

Enough ranting. Thanks again for the info.

 

[cipher00]

Ink aside (hah!) I really have liked my PIXMAs. After my last run-in with HP, never again. The print drivers are horrible - way too large and clumsy. And they do take forever to install. FWIW.

 

[HomerSapien]

I use it more as a scanner as it has the sheet fed document scanner built in. Software is decent, but nothing spectacular and better than HP/epson.

It seems to eat through ink fairly quickly and especially when not in use. The wireless print has been nice and I have even used the wireless scanning ability a few times. My biggest issue is the size of the unit and the deskspace it takes.

 

[Rottie]

my friend love this printer he doesnt complain so you should get it if you can afford canon ink cartridges