Inkjet printers...there will never be a truce
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I have never seen one, and I doubt they exist - CD / DVDs are rated to less than 100oC and the fuser temperature in a laser is a heady 400oC+ so it's more likely the plastic CD / DVD coating will melt and wreck the printer than you'll get a usable print. There are CD / DVD labels available though: CD Labels | L7676-100 | Avery[^] [edit] I just checked ... They are made of Polycarbonate[^] with an aluminum layer, and the glass temp for polycarbonate is 147oC. I really, really wouldn't feed a CD or DVD into a laser printer! [/edit]
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
I figured heat would probably be a problem, so it's nice to see actual numbers. I guess I can scratch that one from the list. As for CD labels...I've done the experiment years ago and I wasn't particularly pleased with the results. But when my current printer next presents a problem that really can't be solved...I think I'll settle for those.
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I hate 'em all with a burning passion. One thing I've learned a long time ago is that if you're not using them regularly, the ink will dry and/or the head will get gummed up. Last year, I replaced the cartridges in mine (prematurely, I thought at the time - if I print 10 items a year it's been a busy year). A few weeks ago I had to print another sheet, and I fully expected the ink to be a problem because I hadn't used the printer since. I was right. Replaced the whole set again and everything was good. That was barely 3 weeks ago. Tried to print something again yesterday, and it refused to do anything. Its display just showed an error code, and googling for it basically amounted to "box up the printer and send it back to the manufacturer". Some people were suggesting basic things, like power-cycling and taking out the cartridges and re-seating them, which I must've done at least 30 times last evening before giving up. This error code came up long before Windows could even talk to the printer, so it wasn't a software problem on the system I was trying to print from. I just tried it again just now for sh*t and giggles. Worked great, as if nothing had ever happened. So why was it such a struggle yesterday? The only reason I still have an ink-jet printer at all is that this one (Canon MX922) can print on the surface of CDs (which is what I was trying to do). I'm otherwise all laser - I have a black-and-white and a color one. Never had any problem with either one of those, and they're both well over 10 years old. I've never even replaced the toner in either one of them. I had been warned toner can turn into clumps, but that still hasn't been a problem. Does anyone know of a color laser printer than can print on the surface of a CD? If there's (a reasonably priced) one out there, I'll be done with inkjet printers once and for all...and I'll be going full [Office Space](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9wsjroVlu8) on the inkjet. (I'm assuming they exist...the printable CDs I've purchased *all* say *inkjet*-printable however. So I'm not sure if that's a thing...?)
Had the same problem because I only used the printer from time to time, so ink dried out eventually, which is why I ended up dicthing my inkjet printer a couple of years ago. I had to buy a printer during the lockdown though (for the kids homework) and there was no affordable laser printer available (because, well, lots of people had to buy a printer during the lockdown, thank you very much teachers - but to be fair that was not a big deal). So I ended up ordering a very very cheap hp inkjet, and I subscribed to hp instant ink, which is cool : I get as much ink as I need for a couple of euros a month - or even 0 if I print less than 15 pages a month vs. about 65€ of cartridges almost every other time I had to print something. Maybe I will get rid of it once good laser printers are available to buy again, but for the moment, that's plenty sufficient.
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I hate 'em all with a burning passion. One thing I've learned a long time ago is that if you're not using them regularly, the ink will dry and/or the head will get gummed up. Last year, I replaced the cartridges in mine (prematurely, I thought at the time - if I print 10 items a year it's been a busy year). A few weeks ago I had to print another sheet, and I fully expected the ink to be a problem because I hadn't used the printer since. I was right. Replaced the whole set again and everything was good. That was barely 3 weeks ago. Tried to print something again yesterday, and it refused to do anything. Its display just showed an error code, and googling for it basically amounted to "box up the printer and send it back to the manufacturer". Some people were suggesting basic things, like power-cycling and taking out the cartridges and re-seating them, which I must've done at least 30 times last evening before giving up. This error code came up long before Windows could even talk to the printer, so it wasn't a software problem on the system I was trying to print from. I just tried it again just now for sh*t and giggles. Worked great, as if nothing had ever happened. So why was it such a struggle yesterday? The only reason I still have an ink-jet printer at all is that this one (Canon MX922) can print on the surface of CDs (which is what I was trying to do). I'm otherwise all laser - I have a black-and-white and a color one. Never had any problem with either one of those, and they're both well over 10 years old. I've never even replaced the toner in either one of them. I had been warned toner can turn into clumps, but that still hasn't been a problem. Does anyone know of a color laser printer than can print on the surface of a CD? If there's (a reasonably priced) one out there, I'll be done with inkjet printers once and for all...and I'll be going full [Office Space](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9wsjroVlu8) on the inkjet. (I'm assuming they exist...the printable CDs I've purchased *all* say *inkjet*-printable however. So I'm not sure if that's a thing...?)
I used LightScribe back in the day. Don't see it much these days.
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Last Saturday I took delivery of my first laser printer, the installation went smoothly. I will never, but never have an inkjet in my house again. The missus says I paid too much, I say I'd pay twice the price to not have to deal with inkjets. :elephant: them.
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment "Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst "I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
Worth it. I paid $100 for my color laser probably a decade ago. I jumped on it because of the price - I figured what do I have to lose? - and I'm still on the so-called starter cartridges. I purchased replacements last year (just because I needed *something* to get the dollar amount of another purchase above the minimum Amazon wants before they'll ship for free), and they're still sitting in the box.
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Thanks for the article John. I was expecting to see something I've read a million times before, but I didn't expect to see code and an actual accompanying program - nice. As for the replacing the printer - it's either gonna be laser, or none at all, and it looks like laser isn't an option for printing on CDs. I wouldn't really expect that getting a different inkjet will do much to address my root problem.
Laser printers can't print on dvds. It would have to be an ink-jet.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013 -
I hate 'em all with a burning passion. One thing I've learned a long time ago is that if you're not using them regularly, the ink will dry and/or the head will get gummed up. Last year, I replaced the cartridges in mine (prematurely, I thought at the time - if I print 10 items a year it's been a busy year). A few weeks ago I had to print another sheet, and I fully expected the ink to be a problem because I hadn't used the printer since. I was right. Replaced the whole set again and everything was good. That was barely 3 weeks ago. Tried to print something again yesterday, and it refused to do anything. Its display just showed an error code, and googling for it basically amounted to "box up the printer and send it back to the manufacturer". Some people were suggesting basic things, like power-cycling and taking out the cartridges and re-seating them, which I must've done at least 30 times last evening before giving up. This error code came up long before Windows could even talk to the printer, so it wasn't a software problem on the system I was trying to print from. I just tried it again just now for sh*t and giggles. Worked great, as if nothing had ever happened. So why was it such a struggle yesterday? The only reason I still have an ink-jet printer at all is that this one (Canon MX922) can print on the surface of CDs (which is what I was trying to do). I'm otherwise all laser - I have a black-and-white and a color one. Never had any problem with either one of those, and they're both well over 10 years old. I've never even replaced the toner in either one of them. I had been warned toner can turn into clumps, but that still hasn't been a problem. Does anyone know of a color laser printer than can print on the surface of a CD? If there's (a reasonably priced) one out there, I'll be done with inkjet printers once and for all...and I'll be going full [Office Space](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9wsjroVlu8) on the inkjet. (I'm assuming they exist...the printable CDs I've purchased *all* say *inkjet*-printable however. So I'm not sure if that's a thing...?)
Some years ago, there were vax printers, depositing droplets of melted, colored vax onto the paper. They were said to avoid the ink jet problems of cloggin up: The vax hardened from cooling down, not from any sort of evaporation. So next time you want to print anything, any remains in the nozzle is heated up again and become liquid. You don't see many vax printers around today. If I remember right, there were problems with the long-term stability of the dyes; they were slowly broken down by UV light and the image faded out. For CDs kept almost constantly in their closed cases, this is not much of an issue (compared to printing photos to hang on the wall in the sunshine). If you happen to come across a vax printer, you might consider it - but my guess is that you will have to search the secondhand market; I don't think there are many brand new models on the market today. I have a dead ink jet printer, but before I buy myself a new one, I must manage to build up a new enthusiasm for hobby photography. (In my younger years, I spent all my time and surplus money on camera equipment, film and darkroom materials.) For serious photo work, only ink jet printers are available. A coworker of mine got his printer for a bargain price of around USD 3000! Our office walls were covered with his (really great) photos, printed directly on canvas(!) on his printer. It could handle A1 width (roughly 84 cm) wide continous roll heavy paper or canvas, with a software controlled knife to cut the paper from the roll at any length. I also believe that professional printers like this have a professional grade nozzle cleaning mechanism, and ink bottles are of a completely different class. I consider my coworker's printer kind of extreme, and will step down a couple classes when/if I decide to establish my own "Darkroom Mark II". If I do, one non-negotiable requiremnt is that I will make use of it at least a couple of times every week. I am considering to make an announcement at work (we are 200+ at our site, and there are quite a few eager amateur photographers among them) that they can have large prints made at my printer for the marginal cost of paper and ink. For me, just to keep my printer in fit condition, for them to have the option to directly control format, paper quality etc, and have the print produced the day they hand over the image file to me. I guess I'd go for a model with A3 or A2 (30 or 42 cm) continous roll paper. ... This is of course way beyond your printer needs. I tell it only to say that fo
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I figured heat would probably be a problem, so it's nice to see actual numbers. I guess I can scratch that one from the list. As for CD labels...I've done the experiment years ago and I wasn't particularly pleased with the results. But when my current printer next presents a problem that really can't be solved...I think I'll settle for those.
Please don't scratch it from the list. Try it and post pix!
Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles
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Some years ago, there were vax printers, depositing droplets of melted, colored vax onto the paper. They were said to avoid the ink jet problems of cloggin up: The vax hardened from cooling down, not from any sort of evaporation. So next time you want to print anything, any remains in the nozzle is heated up again and become liquid. You don't see many vax printers around today. If I remember right, there were problems with the long-term stability of the dyes; they were slowly broken down by UV light and the image faded out. For CDs kept almost constantly in their closed cases, this is not much of an issue (compared to printing photos to hang on the wall in the sunshine). If you happen to come across a vax printer, you might consider it - but my guess is that you will have to search the secondhand market; I don't think there are many brand new models on the market today. I have a dead ink jet printer, but before I buy myself a new one, I must manage to build up a new enthusiasm for hobby photography. (In my younger years, I spent all my time and surplus money on camera equipment, film and darkroom materials.) For serious photo work, only ink jet printers are available. A coworker of mine got his printer for a bargain price of around USD 3000! Our office walls were covered with his (really great) photos, printed directly on canvas(!) on his printer. It could handle A1 width (roughly 84 cm) wide continous roll heavy paper or canvas, with a software controlled knife to cut the paper from the roll at any length. I also believe that professional printers like this have a professional grade nozzle cleaning mechanism, and ink bottles are of a completely different class. I consider my coworker's printer kind of extreme, and will step down a couple classes when/if I decide to establish my own "Darkroom Mark II". If I do, one non-negotiable requiremnt is that I will make use of it at least a couple of times every week. I am considering to make an announcement at work (we are 200+ at our site, and there are quite a few eager amateur photographers among them) that they can have large prints made at my printer for the marginal cost of paper and ink. For me, just to keep my printer in fit condition, for them to have the option to directly control format, paper quality etc, and have the print produced the day they hand over the image file to me. I guess I'd go for a model with A3 or A2 (30 or 42 cm) continous roll paper. ... This is of course way beyond your printer needs. I tell it only to say that fo
Member 7989122 wrote:
Allow me one last question: Printing on CDs nowadays?? What is the use case for that?
Audio. True story: An 80-year old acquaintance of mine has recently developed a taste for writing songs. He's no singer himself, but he records his stuff on a small portable voice recorder (which records into MP3s), then has me transfer them to either USB sticks, for his friends who can use them, or CDs for those who don't know any better. Yes, I know there's much better ways nowadays to do all this. I made the mistake of telling him I had a printer that could print on CDs, so he's having me create custom images (and I have zero talent as an artist) and print them... Two things: a) He pays me well enough to do this work for him b) I'm not going to start teaching him or his friends "the better ways".
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Worth it. I paid $100 for my color laser probably a decade ago. I jumped on it because of the price - I figured what do I have to lose? - and I'm still on the so-called starter cartridges. I purchased replacements last year (just because I needed *something* to get the dollar amount of another purchase above the minimum Amazon wants before they'll ship for free), and they're still sitting in the box.
dandy72 wrote:
and I'm still on the so-called starter cartridges.
For as little as we print, I expect this to be the case for us. :thumbsup:
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment "Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst "I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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Member 7989122 wrote:
Allow me one last question: Printing on CDs nowadays?? What is the use case for that?
Audio. True story: An 80-year old acquaintance of mine has recently developed a taste for writing songs. He's no singer himself, but he records his stuff on a small portable voice recorder (which records into MP3s), then has me transfer them to either USB sticks, for his friends who can use them, or CDs for those who don't know any better. Yes, I know there's much better ways nowadays to do all this. I made the mistake of telling him I had a printer that could print on CDs, so he's having me create custom images (and I have zero talent as an artist) and print them... Two things: a) He pays me well enough to do this work for him b) I'm not going to start teaching him or his friends "the better ways".
dandy72 wrote:
An 80-year old acquaintance of mine has recently developed a taste for writing songs.
That's awesome, kudos to him! I fairly recently started playing an instrument with the hopes of one day maybe composing a song. I haven't got anywhere near that point yet.
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment "Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst "I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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Member 7989122 wrote:
Allow me one last question: Printing on CDs nowadays?? What is the use case for that?
Audio. True story: An 80-year old acquaintance of mine has recently developed a taste for writing songs. He's no singer himself, but he records his stuff on a small portable voice recorder (which records into MP3s), then has me transfer them to either USB sticks, for his friends who can use them, or CDs for those who don't know any better. Yes, I know there's much better ways nowadays to do all this. I made the mistake of telling him I had a printer that could print on CDs, so he's having me create custom images (and I have zero talent as an artist) and print them... Two things: a) He pays me well enough to do this work for him b) I'm not going to start teaching him or his friends "the better ways".
For this use case I'd recommend a laser printer with Avery CD labels. The only other accessory I'd get would be the "Great Gizmo": Great Gizmos custom short run CD labels, jewel case starter kit[^]. I used one for many years with great results for positioning the CD label. Now the bottom part of it got a second life as support for my 3D printer filament but that's another story.
Mircea
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I hate 'em all with a burning passion. One thing I've learned a long time ago is that if you're not using them regularly, the ink will dry and/or the head will get gummed up. Last year, I replaced the cartridges in mine (prematurely, I thought at the time - if I print 10 items a year it's been a busy year). A few weeks ago I had to print another sheet, and I fully expected the ink to be a problem because I hadn't used the printer since. I was right. Replaced the whole set again and everything was good. That was barely 3 weeks ago. Tried to print something again yesterday, and it refused to do anything. Its display just showed an error code, and googling for it basically amounted to "box up the printer and send it back to the manufacturer". Some people were suggesting basic things, like power-cycling and taking out the cartridges and re-seating them, which I must've done at least 30 times last evening before giving up. This error code came up long before Windows could even talk to the printer, so it wasn't a software problem on the system I was trying to print from. I just tried it again just now for sh*t and giggles. Worked great, as if nothing had ever happened. So why was it such a struggle yesterday? The only reason I still have an ink-jet printer at all is that this one (Canon MX922) can print on the surface of CDs (which is what I was trying to do). I'm otherwise all laser - I have a black-and-white and a color one. Never had any problem with either one of those, and they're both well over 10 years old. I've never even replaced the toner in either one of them. I had been warned toner can turn into clumps, but that still hasn't been a problem. Does anyone know of a color laser printer than can print on the surface of a CD? If there's (a reasonably priced) one out there, I'll be done with inkjet printers once and for all...and I'll be going full [Office Space](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9wsjroVlu8) on the inkjet. (I'm assuming they exist...the printable CDs I've purchased *all* say *inkjet*-printable however. So I'm not sure if that's a thing...?)
Here here. :thumbsup: Color is just not that important as just being able to print. Viva la Laserjet. It's baaaaack
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I hate 'em all with a burning passion. One thing I've learned a long time ago is that if you're not using them regularly, the ink will dry and/or the head will get gummed up. Last year, I replaced the cartridges in mine (prematurely, I thought at the time - if I print 10 items a year it's been a busy year). A few weeks ago I had to print another sheet, and I fully expected the ink to be a problem because I hadn't used the printer since. I was right. Replaced the whole set again and everything was good. That was barely 3 weeks ago. Tried to print something again yesterday, and it refused to do anything. Its display just showed an error code, and googling for it basically amounted to "box up the printer and send it back to the manufacturer". Some people were suggesting basic things, like power-cycling and taking out the cartridges and re-seating them, which I must've done at least 30 times last evening before giving up. This error code came up long before Windows could even talk to the printer, so it wasn't a software problem on the system I was trying to print from. I just tried it again just now for sh*t and giggles. Worked great, as if nothing had ever happened. So why was it such a struggle yesterday? The only reason I still have an ink-jet printer at all is that this one (Canon MX922) can print on the surface of CDs (which is what I was trying to do). I'm otherwise all laser - I have a black-and-white and a color one. Never had any problem with either one of those, and they're both well over 10 years old. I've never even replaced the toner in either one of them. I had been warned toner can turn into clumps, but that still hasn't been a problem. Does anyone know of a color laser printer than can print on the surface of a CD? If there's (a reasonably priced) one out there, I'll be done with inkjet printers once and for all...and I'll be going full [Office Space](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9wsjroVlu8) on the inkjet. (I'm assuming they exist...the printable CDs I've purchased *all* say *inkjet*-printable however. So I'm not sure if that's a thing...?)
Unfortunately you are running into a factor endemic to the technology. Given that consumer inkjet relies on the characteristics of a water-based fluid, those characteristics (concentration, conductivity, etc) tend to change over time. This leads to jet clogging, poor adherence to paper, and so on. Consumer printers have minimal ability to manage this, given that they're sold below cost typically. The manufacturer makes their money on cartridges, which usually contain the elements most sensitive to time-based changes in the ink. Your application is a little difficult as well. Printing optical disc labels implies adhesive-backed paper, which you can't use in a laser due to the heat. My suggestion is to find a local print shop (is Kinko's still around?) that would print labels for you as you need them. The alternative is to keep an inkjet printer around and print a test page to exercise the thing every so often.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
I hate 'em all with a burning passion. One thing I've learned a long time ago is that if you're not using them regularly, the ink will dry and/or the head will get gummed up. Last year, I replaced the cartridges in mine (prematurely, I thought at the time - if I print 10 items a year it's been a busy year). A few weeks ago I had to print another sheet, and I fully expected the ink to be a problem because I hadn't used the printer since. I was right. Replaced the whole set again and everything was good. That was barely 3 weeks ago. Tried to print something again yesterday, and it refused to do anything. Its display just showed an error code, and googling for it basically amounted to "box up the printer and send it back to the manufacturer". Some people were suggesting basic things, like power-cycling and taking out the cartridges and re-seating them, which I must've done at least 30 times last evening before giving up. This error code came up long before Windows could even talk to the printer, so it wasn't a software problem on the system I was trying to print from. I just tried it again just now for sh*t and giggles. Worked great, as if nothing had ever happened. So why was it such a struggle yesterday? The only reason I still have an ink-jet printer at all is that this one (Canon MX922) can print on the surface of CDs (which is what I was trying to do). I'm otherwise all laser - I have a black-and-white and a color one. Never had any problem with either one of those, and they're both well over 10 years old. I've never even replaced the toner in either one of them. I had been warned toner can turn into clumps, but that still hasn't been a problem. Does anyone know of a color laser printer than can print on the surface of a CD? If there's (a reasonably priced) one out there, I'll be done with inkjet printers once and for all...and I'll be going full [Office Space](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9wsjroVlu8) on the inkjet. (I'm assuming they exist...the printable CDs I've purchased *all* say *inkjet*-printable however. So I'm not sure if that's a thing...?)
I always used the laser Labels, and that Stomper/Stamper thingy. buy good labels. TOTALLY Agree about the Inkjets. I had ONE, never again. Same exact problem. I did learn that taking the toner cartridges out, and ZIP LOCKING them air tight really helped. Also try taking them out and RE-APPLYING the tape/plastic over the nozzle port. Finally, try cleaning a "dried out one" with alcohol at the port, until you get some color. I've done that, but the ink was a bit funny for a few prints... With ALL of the "games" they play with Tech and these cartridges. You would think an AIR TIGHT SEAL when the printer is off would be ONE of them? Park the print head in a way that keeps the air away... But then how do you make money on a $50 printer... Selling Ink... Continuously! I would Pay Kinkos to use their printer at their OUTRAGEOUS fees... It's got to be cheaper!
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I hate 'em all with a burning passion. One thing I've learned a long time ago is that if you're not using them regularly, the ink will dry and/or the head will get gummed up. Last year, I replaced the cartridges in mine (prematurely, I thought at the time - if I print 10 items a year it's been a busy year). A few weeks ago I had to print another sheet, and I fully expected the ink to be a problem because I hadn't used the printer since. I was right. Replaced the whole set again and everything was good. That was barely 3 weeks ago. Tried to print something again yesterday, and it refused to do anything. Its display just showed an error code, and googling for it basically amounted to "box up the printer and send it back to the manufacturer". Some people were suggesting basic things, like power-cycling and taking out the cartridges and re-seating them, which I must've done at least 30 times last evening before giving up. This error code came up long before Windows could even talk to the printer, so it wasn't a software problem on the system I was trying to print from. I just tried it again just now for sh*t and giggles. Worked great, as if nothing had ever happened. So why was it such a struggle yesterday? The only reason I still have an ink-jet printer at all is that this one (Canon MX922) can print on the surface of CDs (which is what I was trying to do). I'm otherwise all laser - I have a black-and-white and a color one. Never had any problem with either one of those, and they're both well over 10 years old. I've never even replaced the toner in either one of them. I had been warned toner can turn into clumps, but that still hasn't been a problem. Does anyone know of a color laser printer than can print on the surface of a CD? If there's (a reasonably priced) one out there, I'll be done with inkjet printers once and for all...and I'll be going full [Office Space](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9wsjroVlu8) on the inkjet. (I'm assuming they exist...the printable CDs I've purchased *all* say *inkjet*-printable however. So I'm not sure if that's a thing...?)
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I hate 'em all with a burning passion. One thing I've learned a long time ago is that if you're not using them regularly, the ink will dry and/or the head will get gummed up. Last year, I replaced the cartridges in mine (prematurely, I thought at the time - if I print 10 items a year it's been a busy year). A few weeks ago I had to print another sheet, and I fully expected the ink to be a problem because I hadn't used the printer since. I was right. Replaced the whole set again and everything was good. That was barely 3 weeks ago. Tried to print something again yesterday, and it refused to do anything. Its display just showed an error code, and googling for it basically amounted to "box up the printer and send it back to the manufacturer". Some people were suggesting basic things, like power-cycling and taking out the cartridges and re-seating them, which I must've done at least 30 times last evening before giving up. This error code came up long before Windows could even talk to the printer, so it wasn't a software problem on the system I was trying to print from. I just tried it again just now for sh*t and giggles. Worked great, as if nothing had ever happened. So why was it such a struggle yesterday? The only reason I still have an ink-jet printer at all is that this one (Canon MX922) can print on the surface of CDs (which is what I was trying to do). I'm otherwise all laser - I have a black-and-white and a color one. Never had any problem with either one of those, and they're both well over 10 years old. I've never even replaced the toner in either one of them. I had been warned toner can turn into clumps, but that still hasn't been a problem. Does anyone know of a color laser printer than can print on the surface of a CD? If there's (a reasonably priced) one out there, I'll be done with inkjet printers once and for all...and I'll be going full [Office Space](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9wsjroVlu8) on the inkjet. (I'm assuming they exist...the printable CDs I've purchased *all* say *inkjet*-printable however. So I'm not sure if that's a thing...?)
I leave my inkjet printer powered on all the time and have a cron job print a test page once week to keep it happy! :) I don't print enough to justify a laser.
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I hate 'em all with a burning passion. One thing I've learned a long time ago is that if you're not using them regularly, the ink will dry and/or the head will get gummed up. Last year, I replaced the cartridges in mine (prematurely, I thought at the time - if I print 10 items a year it's been a busy year). A few weeks ago I had to print another sheet, and I fully expected the ink to be a problem because I hadn't used the printer since. I was right. Replaced the whole set again and everything was good. That was barely 3 weeks ago. Tried to print something again yesterday, and it refused to do anything. Its display just showed an error code, and googling for it basically amounted to "box up the printer and send it back to the manufacturer". Some people were suggesting basic things, like power-cycling and taking out the cartridges and re-seating them, which I must've done at least 30 times last evening before giving up. This error code came up long before Windows could even talk to the printer, so it wasn't a software problem on the system I was trying to print from. I just tried it again just now for sh*t and giggles. Worked great, as if nothing had ever happened. So why was it such a struggle yesterday? The only reason I still have an ink-jet printer at all is that this one (Canon MX922) can print on the surface of CDs (which is what I was trying to do). I'm otherwise all laser - I have a black-and-white and a color one. Never had any problem with either one of those, and they're both well over 10 years old. I've never even replaced the toner in either one of them. I had been warned toner can turn into clumps, but that still hasn't been a problem. Does anyone know of a color laser printer than can print on the surface of a CD? If there's (a reasonably priced) one out there, I'll be done with inkjet printers once and for all...and I'll be going full [Office Space](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9wsjroVlu8) on the inkjet. (I'm assuming they exist...the printable CDs I've purchased *all* say *inkjet*-printable however. So I'm not sure if that's a thing...?)
I share some of your pain, and I have a Canon color inkjet for the same primary reason (printing on CDs) that you do. Like you, I use it very rarely. However, although the first print after a long (weeks) gap always takes a while (minutes) to start, and quite a lot of ink sometimes seems to disappear between uses, I have never had serious problems with it. One reason may be that I always shut it down 'properly', using the front panel soft power switch, after every use. Canon does warn you to do this, and it does seem to matter. I have always assumed that the printer 'caps' the heads in some way when you formally shut it down, so that they are at least somewhat protected from blocking up and/or drying out.
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Unfortunately you are running into a factor endemic to the technology. Given that consumer inkjet relies on the characteristics of a water-based fluid, those characteristics (concentration, conductivity, etc) tend to change over time. This leads to jet clogging, poor adherence to paper, and so on. Consumer printers have minimal ability to manage this, given that they're sold below cost typically. The manufacturer makes their money on cartridges, which usually contain the elements most sensitive to time-based changes in the ink. Your application is a little difficult as well. Printing optical disc labels implies adhesive-backed paper, which you can't use in a laser due to the heat. My suggestion is to find a local print shop (is Kinko's still around?) that would print labels for you as you need them. The alternative is to keep an inkjet printer around and print a test page to exercise the thing every so often.
Software Zen:
delete this;Of course you can use sticky labels (which come on backing sheets) in a laser printer, provided that you use label stock that is designed for this use, as most commercial labels now are. The problems which concern me with stick-on CD labels are the difficulty of getting them perfectly centered when applying them and the added thickness which they introduce, which is a problem for some slim-line CD drives.
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I hate 'em all with a burning passion. One thing I've learned a long time ago is that if you're not using them regularly, the ink will dry and/or the head will get gummed up. Last year, I replaced the cartridges in mine (prematurely, I thought at the time - if I print 10 items a year it's been a busy year). A few weeks ago I had to print another sheet, and I fully expected the ink to be a problem because I hadn't used the printer since. I was right. Replaced the whole set again and everything was good. That was barely 3 weeks ago. Tried to print something again yesterday, and it refused to do anything. Its display just showed an error code, and googling for it basically amounted to "box up the printer and send it back to the manufacturer". Some people were suggesting basic things, like power-cycling and taking out the cartridges and re-seating them, which I must've done at least 30 times last evening before giving up. This error code came up long before Windows could even talk to the printer, so it wasn't a software problem on the system I was trying to print from. I just tried it again just now for sh*t and giggles. Worked great, as if nothing had ever happened. So why was it such a struggle yesterday? The only reason I still have an ink-jet printer at all is that this one (Canon MX922) can print on the surface of CDs (which is what I was trying to do). I'm otherwise all laser - I have a black-and-white and a color one. Never had any problem with either one of those, and they're both well over 10 years old. I've never even replaced the toner in either one of them. I had been warned toner can turn into clumps, but that still hasn't been a problem. Does anyone know of a color laser printer than can print on the surface of a CD? If there's (a reasonably priced) one out there, I'll be done with inkjet printers once and for all...and I'll be going full [Office Space](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9wsjroVlu8) on the inkjet. (I'm assuming they exist...the printable CDs I've purchased *all* say *inkjet*-printable however. So I'm not sure if that's a thing...?)
Oddly, I have a Canon Pixima ip6700D printer that seems to just work. I have not used it for up to 3-4 months and then when I do I print one test sheet and then it is ready to go with no issues. I find it amazing that this keeps being the case. I never have used any cartridges that are not original Canon OEM ones in it. I keep expecting to have to pitch it but it likes its home i guess. It is also capable to print on CD's. Although the option was unavailable for US models and you could not order the parts from Canon for US. So I asked a work associate in Canada to get me the pieces. they where less than $15. Changed the firmware to Europe version and away she went. Of course now that I said all this the ink in my 6700D just flashed dried out and nozzles melted. :)
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I hate 'em all with a burning passion. One thing I've learned a long time ago is that if you're not using them regularly, the ink will dry and/or the head will get gummed up. Last year, I replaced the cartridges in mine (prematurely, I thought at the time - if I print 10 items a year it's been a busy year). A few weeks ago I had to print another sheet, and I fully expected the ink to be a problem because I hadn't used the printer since. I was right. Replaced the whole set again and everything was good. That was barely 3 weeks ago. Tried to print something again yesterday, and it refused to do anything. Its display just showed an error code, and googling for it basically amounted to "box up the printer and send it back to the manufacturer". Some people were suggesting basic things, like power-cycling and taking out the cartridges and re-seating them, which I must've done at least 30 times last evening before giving up. This error code came up long before Windows could even talk to the printer, so it wasn't a software problem on the system I was trying to print from. I just tried it again just now for sh*t and giggles. Worked great, as if nothing had ever happened. So why was it such a struggle yesterday? The only reason I still have an ink-jet printer at all is that this one (Canon MX922) can print on the surface of CDs (which is what I was trying to do). I'm otherwise all laser - I have a black-and-white and a color one. Never had any problem with either one of those, and they're both well over 10 years old. I've never even replaced the toner in either one of them. I had been warned toner can turn into clumps, but that still hasn't been a problem. Does anyone know of a color laser printer than can print on the surface of a CD? If there's (a reasonably priced) one out there, I'll be done with inkjet printers once and for all...and I'll be going full [Office Space](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9wsjroVlu8) on the inkjet. (I'm assuming they exist...the printable CDs I've purchased *all* say *inkjet*-printable however. So I'm not sure if that's a thing...?)
Here's what worked for me. I bought an inexpensive 'pigment base' inkjet printer that could do CDs and could also use refillable ink cartridges. I then used 'dye based' inks in the cartridges instead of the normal pigment inks. The pigment ink particles are larger than the dye ink particles so the pigment ink printer heads have larger holes than the dye ink printers. Basically, I wore out the printer mechanism before I got a clog (very infrequent) that wouldn't clear with a simple cleaning. There are issues with the dye based inks. The 'print' will be more likely to fade and be less 'wear' resistant than a pigment ink print. Normally when you make a print with a dye based printer you should use a swellable polymer paper to make the print more wear/fade resistant.
