Inkjet printers...there will never be a truce
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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.
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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.
I haven't bought labels in a long time, so I didn't realize they'd addressed the label-coming-off-around-the-drum problem they used to have. Good to know.
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've had a couple of Epson inkjets over the years and always been impressed (surprised even) on how well they handle my lack of use. Very occasionally I need to run the "head clean" routine but not more than once. Not sure if always using genuine Epson cartridges contribute it that. Currently I have an Epson XP-6000 (scanner + A4/CD printing) and am happy with it. Only thing I'm nervous about is the ink cartridges only suit this one model so Epson might stop making them sooner than other multi-model cartridges and render my printer useless.
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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.
StarNamer_ wrote:
I don't print enough to justify a laser.
What's your criteria for "justifying" a laser? My [laser color](https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/HP-LaserJet-CP1020-Color-Printer-series/4052955/model/4052971) cost me $100 at Staples nearly a decade ago. Clearly, I don't print much either, as I'm still on the starter cartridges. Given what inkjets do when underutilized, the argument could be made that you should avoid inkjets if you don't print much... If I followed your idea, I'd probably waste the entire cartridges printing weekly test pages and nothing else. :-)
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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.
Interesting - I was not aware of this. That being said, I always use its power button to power it off (which is clearly not just a switch that simply cuts power), and I've always made the assumption it "does the right thing" to do a clean shutdown--there clearly is some activity taking place, and it takes a few seconds for it to power off.
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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. :)
MikeMSA wrote:
Oddly, I have a Canon Pixima ip6700D printer that seems to just work
[...]
MikeMSA wrote:
Of course now that I said all this the ink in my 6700D just flashed dried out and nozzles melted
You jinxed it. So the lesson is... [Basic Fawlty] Don't mention the...printer? [/Basic Fawlty]
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Interesting - I was not aware of this. That being said, I always use its power button to power it off (which is clearly not just a switch that simply cuts power), and I've always made the assumption it "does the right thing" to do a clean shutdown--there clearly is some activity taking place, and it takes a few seconds for it to power off.
You are doing exactly what I do, then.
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StarNamer_ wrote:
I don't print enough to justify a laser.
What's your criteria for "justifying" a laser? My [laser color](https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/HP-LaserJet-CP1020-Color-Printer-series/4052955/model/4052971) cost me $100 at Staples nearly a decade ago. Clearly, I don't print much either, as I'm still on the starter cartridges. Given what inkjets do when underutilized, the argument could be made that you should avoid inkjets if you don't print much... If I followed your idea, I'd probably waste the entire cartridges printing weekly test pages and nothing else. :-)
The cheapest laser colour printer on Amazon is about £140 (Xerox). I might be able to find one cheaper elsewhere but it would probably be a brand I'd never heard of and of unknown reliability. I have a 10-year old Epson inkjet printer+scanner which cost about £60 when I bought it; it uses individual colour ink cartridges. I've probably had trouble with ink cartridges less than half a dozen times since I've had it. I actually scan more than I print - 2 to 3 scans a month compared with only 1 or 2 prints. So this would mean keeping the inkjet alongside the laser or buying a combined colour laser printer with scanner - the cheapest I could see was about £275 (HP) on Amazon. Since I no longer print as much as I used to (does anyone?), sending a single page print to the printer every week keeps the heads OK and I haven't had problems for couple of years. The test print paper gets used for sketching, doodling, rough notes, etc., so isn't just thrown away. I buy 'compatible' cartridges which last for years - I last replaced one about a year ago. Prior to the Covid-19 lockdown and working from home, if I needed laser quality prints, I could send them to a work printer; I work in the IT department. For reading, letters, etc, inkjet quality is usually acceptable. So, given I'd need to spend around £275 for about 15 to 20 prints per year, I can't justify replacing the inkjet printer unless it breaks down. And with such low usage that seems unlikely! Anyway, I'd rather spend the money on add-ons to my 3D printer where I 'print' something almost every day! :)
