Archived from groups: comp.periphs.printers (
More info?)
MIS instructions for refilling Epson carts for my old Stylus color 900
involved using a 60 cc syringe and pulling a vacuum on the bottom of the
carts to remove as much ink foam as possible from the sponge material and
then injecting the ink into the exit port with a bottom-fill adaptor to a
leur-lock syringe. this was an extra step they suggested because of the
retention of air and ink in the sponge which it retained in a foamy state,
preventing absorption of ink when refilling. Canon carts, on the other
hand, have the reservoir adjacent to the sponge area from which the ink is
drawn, first into the sponge and then through the exit port on demand for
printing. OEM Canon carts have two different densities of sponge in the
cart, one on top of the other. This system seems to control ink flow better
than some of the attempts at new and innovative design, one of which is
spongeless. I am currently using MIS carts that I purchased empty and am
refilling. They have the more typical single piece of sponge that non-OEM
carts have that takes up refill inks more readily than the OEM carts and
work quite well. I have seen a series of posts on a spongeless Canon bci-6
cart used for refilling that was glitchy and sometimes didn't feed well. I
think that you are right in that the sponge in the Epson carts presents a
problem for refilling.
Another series of posts delved into the problem of Canon carts failing to
feed properly after several refills. It appears that some ink solidifies
near the exit port and prevents ink from feeding on demand. As an
experiment, a very innovative person backflushed the non-functioning carts
with hot water, vacuumed out the water, let them dry, and refilled them.
They then worked just fine. Not practical when you consider the low cost of
aftermarket carts that are designed to be refilled, but an interesting
experiment in cart function. While someone may criticize this as a waste of
time and "tinkering", it certainly adds to the base of knowledge for solving
problems when they occur.
"Arthur Entlich" <e-printerhelp@mvps.org> wrote in message
news:B1fre.1665009$6l.1612736@pd7tw2no...
>I can't speak for Canon's but the spongeless systems, from all reports I've
>received are superior to the those with sponges on Epson printers.
>
> Epson inks tend to foam, have pigments in some cases which gets
> accumulated in the sponge and the sponge can also just develop air into
> the ink creating some fairly regular gaps.
>
> Also, if the air vent at the bottle is not opened the correct amount, or
> if think has settles at the base of the bottle, this is a common problem.
>
> Art
>
> Burt wrote:
>
>> Are these the spongeless cartridges used in the continuous flow system?
>> There are postings about some spongeless cartridges designed for the
>> Canon printers (bci-6) on http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/
>>
>> Exclusive of the possibility of being used in a continuous flow system,
>> they didn't work all that well without some special management. There is
>> a fairly precise balance of ink retention to prevent leaking, internal
>> pressure regulation, air flow to balance ink output, etc. that the
>> cartridges seem to maintain best with the built-in sponges on Canon
>> carts. Might be true as well with Epson. Others may be interested in
>> knowing, however, if the inks from Mediastreet were safe and a good color
>> match.
>>
>> "Alan Justice" <spam@spamspamspam.spam> wrote in message
>> news:UzDqe.2483$NX4.827@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>>
>>>I'm having so much trouble with MediaStreet ink (continuous flow system)
>>>for
>>>my Epson 2200 that I may go back to Epson, at 5 times the cost. Can I
>>>put
>>>back the orginal Epson cartridges I took out, even though they're not
>>>full?
>>>At least one is empty, but I don't remember which.
>>>
>>>Alternatively, I might just use the Epson yellow with the other MS
>>>cartridges. MS yellow cartridge is notoriously bad, and now I can't get
>>>it
>>>to work at all. I could just take out the MS cartridge, plug the tubing,
>>>and put in the Epson cartridge, right?
>>>
>>>--
>>>- Alan Justice
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
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