Tech Support Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Use Generic/Refilled Ink or Buy Black Only Printer?

2K views 13 replies 5 participants last post by  Fjandr 
#1 ·
Hi, I have an Hp Office Jet Pro 8600 Plus. I use all the features such as scanning, coping, and printing and love it. However, I need to start print 500-750 pages of black only documents a month on a very tight budget. They are mostly directly printed & not copied and consist of text, coupon bar-codes, and low resolution black images.
It's very hard to find a Genuine HP 950XL Black ink cartridge (for 2300 pages) under $45. With this printer, I have to have some color ink in order to just print in black, which is a pain in the neck, but I fear refilled or generic cartridges will break the print head or printer somehow.

The 2 year old printer rollers' already makes squeaking noises a few times a weak. Does that mean it's dieing or can you do something other than click on clean print head?

Should I buy a black only printer or buy generic/refilled ink? It would need to be wireless and/or small in size because of my space issues. I would still use my huge HP for scanning and color use.

Please suggest a store or vendor if you have answer. Thanks so much for your input! :pray:
 
#2 ·
if you could take the rollers out, clean them and use graphite on the ends. use very sparely.

imo, with as much printing you do, it may be cheaper to use a laser printer. upfront costs are higher but over a couple of years it will be cheaper. see the following article.

Inkjet or laser printing: which is more cost-effective? | Money | The Guardian

if you refill,be sure to get a reliable vender. Personally I would not use refill ink cartridges but would use refill laser cartridges. Also most refills will void warranties.
 
#4 ·
Or check into a print service such as Kinko's.

As for ink, I've used "generic" in my past couple printers without any noticeable issues. I would, however, only recommend using brand name ink until the warranty expires (as it will VOID the warranty).
 
#5 ·
I really hate to be the bearer of bad news but your $300 printer wasn't made for the use you're anticipating. I'd save it by running 2 printers, the other being a heavy duty black only laser. I know you said budget was a problem however the best solution is ink on paper printing from a stencil ala a machine like Gestetner makes. Dogg's suggestion of Kinkos might be cheaper in the long run and you could check with some local independent printers to possibly get a better price, promising them monthly business.
 
#6 ·
Hi I've chosen to get a secondary black laser printer soon. Since my documents aren't multiple copies, I don't think a print service would be a wise choice considering they're extremely expensive if you bring a thumb drive full of different documents to be printed.
I'm taking it as easy on my HP as possible right now. I wish I could take out the rollers to oil, but I'm not going to jeopardize it.

The warranty is long gone and I'm not looking for photo quality prints. Do you think generic ink would be OK to use then?

Sorry about the delay in reply, I forgot about my post and didn't get the email notification for some reason.
 
#7 ·
Generic ink can be hit-or-miss, depending on the ink and on the printer.

If the print heads are contained in the ink cartridges, you usually don't have much to lose by trying it out; if they don't work, it doesn't matter if the ink ruins the print heads. If the heads are in the printer, however, I'd recommend against using third-party ink. You clog the heads, the printer is toast.

From the pictures I could find, it appears the cartridges for the 6800 do not contain the print heads. As a result, I would recommend against using third-party ink/cartridges in that printer. I can't say for certain though, as I couldn't find a picture of one where the ink outlet was clearly visible. If there aren't any electronics on the cartridge near the ink outlet, though, the heads are permanently installed in the printer.
 
#8 ·
What does a print head look like, maybe I could tell you? I thought the print head was the basket that held all of the ink cartridge. I had to replace that "basket" once in an old Cannon because it was the print head that had worn out, but it was very expensive to do so, but I guess things change.

If I have to use name brand ink and it won't print black only if any 1 color ink is too low, is there a more permanent way to set my printer to print in black only?

I'm having to go into go into the advance setting before every page I print, which is starting to drive me nuts. :banghead:
Thanks.
 
#9 ·
The product is made to stop until the near empty cartridge is replaced. I've heard some weird ideas of how to get around this. I wouldn't try any of them if I wanted to preserve my printer. Other printers including some HPs offer the option usually via Grey-scale and Properties.
 
#12 ·
As I said in an earlier post, you can usually recognize the heads by there being circuitry attached to the ink outlet on the cartridge. No circuitry means the heads are inside the printer, not attached to the cartridge.

The most common on-cartridge print heads are on cartridges that contain all of the colors the printer uses in one unit. Multiple color cartridges usually have the heads in the printer.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top