ink settings on Canon Pixma ip4500

AnnaB · 03-17-2009, 09:11 AM

I've just bought a Canon Pixma ip4500 which is connected to my Mac running OS X 10.4.11. The print quality is excellent but I'm concerned about the type and quantitiy of ink its using.
I'm printing many copies of a black and white brochure containing substantial amounts of text as well as detailed photos. I printed the first batch on the 'Detailed Photo' setting; 75 double-sided legal-sized sheets used up the PG-5BK black cartridge that came with the printer and left the CLI-8 B black cartridge untouched. After replacing the empty tank I printed another 25 copies on the 'composite document' setting, which had the same print quality.. This didn't visibly affect the level of either black tank but it used a quarter-tank of cyan (didn't affect the other colors).
I have three questions: Why should b/w printing use color ink? If I print a mix of text and photos, does the printer use its ink mixture for photos on the text as well? Is this affected by the quality setting I choose? And are the ink tanks which come with the printer smaller in capacity than OEM refill tanks? The PGI-5BK was rated for about 400 pages, not 150.
I would greatly appreciate any advice. Thank you.
Anna

inkinawink · 03-17-2009, 02:40 PM

First of all, the 400 page rating is for 5% coverage of the pages, not full pages. If you print full pages you will of course not get as many pages, and yes the ink will be depleted quicker.

inkinawink · 03-17-2009, 02:49 PM

As for the use of your pigment and dye ink, I have found this post from another forum........

The following list was gleaned from Pixma IP4200 data, but probably applies to your printer as well.

PGI-5 Pigment Black Ink is used ONLY For:
- Plain Paper Test (monochrome and grey scale)
- Envelopes
- Transparencies
- Duplex Printing On Plain Paper
- Camera Direct Printing on Plain Paper

CLI-8 Dye-Based Color Inks are used anytime color is printed and is used exclusively for:
- All Photo Paper types (including when Duplex printing)
- High Resolution Paper
- T-shirt Transfers
- CD-R's
- All Borderless Printing, on both PhotoPaper and Plain Paper

Usage of your ink is dependent upon what you print. Therefore, your ink usage will differ from others and most likely even in your own experience from cartridge to cartridge if you don't print the exact same things over and over again. Usually though, people tend to print enough similar things so that their ink usage is similar for each new/full ink cartridge they utilize. Of course if you start printing a lot of photos instead of text then your CLI-8 cartridges will drain faster. Same applies if your prints begin to use a lot of one color - I had a string of yellow intensive prints that drained the CLI-8 Yellow cartridge fast. When I went back to my more customary style of prints then the Yellow usage decreased back to the usual amount.

So, don't be alarmed that your CLI-8 Black ink is being used at a slower pace as it's just that your printing output needs less of it than the other colors.

Concerning your other question about the CLI-8 Magenta showing Low, your printer is designed to warn you with a pop-up window that ink has reached a lower amount so that you should get ready to replace it in the near future (depending on your printing habits this could be same day or weeks away). Your printer is designed to keep using the cartridge until "empty" (there will always be some residual ink in the sponge even after the cartridge is declared "empty") and then stop, not allowing you to proceed until you replace the cartridge with a filled one. There's more to the story than this but that is the easy/quick answer.

So if you only received the Low Ink warning, by all means keep using that cartridge until the printer tells you it is Empty. Otherwise you are throwing money away.

FYI - Per Canon Tech Support, if the cartridge becomes empty, with the Empty message popping up on your monitor, and don't have a new/refilled cartridge ready to be popped in, stop printing (you can't continue without overriding anyways) and go to the store for a new one or refill the empty with aftermarket inks. You can leave your printer on or turn it off and no harm will come to the printhead.

Last edited by stratman (05/03/2008 11:47:11 am)

03-17-2009, 09:11 AM	#1 (permalink)
AnnaB Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 1 OS: Mac OS X v 10.4.11	ink settings on Canon Pixma ip4500 I've just bought a Canon Pixma ip4500 which is connected to my Mac running OS X 10.4.11. The print quality is excellent but I'm concerned about the type and quantitiy of ink its using. I'm printing many copies of a black and white brochure containing substantial amounts of text as well as detailed photos. I printed the first batch on the 'Detailed Photo' setting; 75 double-sided legal-sized sheets used up the PG-5BK black cartridge that came with the printer and left the CLI-8 B black cartridge untouched. After replacing the empty tank I printed another 25 copies on the 'composite document' setting, which had the same print quality.. This didn't visibly affect the level of either black tank but it used a quarter-tank of cyan (didn't affect the other colors). I have three questions: Why should b/w printing use color ink? If I print a mix of text and photos, does the printer use its ink mixture for photos on the text as well? Is this affected by the quality setting I choose? And are the ink tanks which come with the printer smaller in capacity than OEM refill tanks? The PGI-5BK was rated for about 400 pages, not 150. I would greatly appreciate any advice. Thank you. Anna

03-17-2009, 02:40 PM	#2 (permalink)
inkinawink Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: B.C. Canada Posts: 83 OS: vista sp1	Re: ink settings on Canon Pixma ip4500 First of all, the 400 page rating is for 5% coverage of the pages, not full pages. If you print full pages you will of course not get as many pages, and yes the ink will be depleted quicker.

03-17-2009, 02:49 PM	#3 (permalink)
inkinawink Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: B.C. Canada Posts: 83 OS: vista sp1	Re: ink settings on Canon Pixma ip4500 As for the use of your pigment and dye ink, I have found this post from another forum........ The following list was gleaned from Pixma IP4200 data, but probably applies to your printer as well. PGI-5 Pigment Black Ink is used ONLY For: - Plain Paper Test (monochrome and grey scale) - Envelopes - Transparencies - Duplex Printing On Plain Paper - Camera Direct Printing on Plain Paper CLI-8 Dye-Based Color Inks are used anytime color is printed and is used exclusively for: - All Photo Paper types (including when Duplex printing) - High Resolution Paper - T-shirt Transfers - CD-R's - All Borderless Printing, on both PhotoPaper and Plain Paper Usage of your ink is dependent upon what you print. Therefore, your ink usage will differ from others and most likely even in your own experience from cartridge to cartridge if you don't print the exact same things over and over again. Usually though, people tend to print enough similar things so that their ink usage is similar for each new/full ink cartridge they utilize. Of course if you start printing a lot of photos instead of text then your CLI-8 cartridges will drain faster. Same applies if your prints begin to use a lot of one color - I had a string of yellow intensive prints that drained the CLI-8 Yellow cartridge fast. When I went back to my more customary style of prints then the Yellow usage decreased back to the usual amount. So, don't be alarmed that your CLI-8 Black ink is being used at a slower pace as it's just that your printing output needs less of it than the other colors. Concerning your other question about the CLI-8 Magenta showing Low, your printer is designed to warn you with a pop-up window that ink has reached a lower amount so that you should get ready to replace it in the near future (depending on your printing habits this could be same day or weeks away). Your printer is designed to keep using the cartridge until "empty" (there will always be some residual ink in the sponge even after the cartridge is declared "empty") and then stop, not allowing you to proceed until you replace the cartridge with a filled one. There's more to the story than this but that is the easy/quick answer. So if you only received the Low Ink warning, by all means keep using that cartridge until the printer tells you it is Empty. Otherwise you are throwing money away. FYI - Per Canon Tech Support, if the cartridge becomes empty, with the Empty message popping up on your monitor, and don't have a new/refilled cartridge ready to be popped in, stop printing (you can't continue without overriding anyways) and go to the store for a new one or refill the empty with aftermarket inks. You can leave your printer on or turn it off and no harm will come to the printhead. Last edited by stratman (05/03/2008 11:47:11 am)