SpkrBox850 wrote:What's the difference between Black PGI-220BK and Black CLI-221BK?

In the box:

* Canon MP640 Printer
* Black PGI-220BK Ink
* Magenta CLI-221M
* Yellow CLI-221Y
* Cyan CLI-221C
* Black CLI-221BK
* Power Cable
* Print Head
* Printer Head Alignment Paper

The P is pigment based, meaning it will print archival quality B&W images. This is great for actual photographers who want their images to last. Unfortunately the size capabilities are severely limiting on this printer, plus no archival color.

To hell with it, I'm in for one - I need some beauty sleep, I'm sick of shopping for a dang printer already!!!!

Umm.. I don't see any truth to this. Most cartridges out there have electrical components in them, but only to send ink levels to the printer. I'd like to see the court dockets from this EPSON case regarding home consumer printer cartridges.

blazncheetah wrote:I don't think you can find a "new" printer where you can refill the ink cartridges
Most "new" cartridges have a chip on it, it basically has a counter and every time you print it subtracts one counter
It doesn't matter if the cartridges still has ink or not, once that counter hits 0, your printer will refuse to print unless you replace the cartridge

There was a court case involving this with Epson printers and Epson won
I'm going to assume all other printer companies have followed to grab as much as they can from consumers

I'm glad my old HP PSC 750 still works
Only two cartridges: one color, one black
And refillable

Shaggathai wrote:This thing literally eats the ink

That sounds scary. "Yrmm yrmm yrmm yrmm *belch* MOOORE INK PUNY HUMAN!!!"

I'd buy it if WOOT would ship to a commercial address....

An almost painfully in-depth review at Imaging Resource:
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRINT/MP640/MP640.HTM

They seemed to like it and consider it a great value machine.

I own one myself. It prints beautifully with no errors or issues. The only cost I incur is ink, which is pricey.

I've been using an older model from the PIXMA line for a few years and I prefer the multiple ink cartridge unit to the standard 2 cartridge systems. It seems much more economical to replace just the magenta (generic compatible costs around $7) when it runs out, than the entire tri-color cartridge which on my old HP used to cost around $25.

Can't speak for this specific model, but I haven't had any issues using generic ink with my current model and these are supposed to work with this one

Link to compatible ink

Set of 5 cartridges $17 shipped. Individual ones $4 - 5 each depending on how many you buy. Search for them. Just gets the ones "with chip", changing chips is a pain and leads to all kinds of error msgs. Cost difference is very small. I've had one of the earlier models of these for several years and use only the cheapo ink and it's flawless. I'll never have another Epson. Never owned an HP but considered it once and found no low-cost ink available. Maybe that has changed, but I could not be happier with my Canon.

Is it just me? "Pigment" EQUALS "Dye". Why would emphasizing the difference be anything other than marketing BS??

danshe wrote:My Pixma has the same color system and it will continue to print when a color is out so whoever said that is wrong.

My epson on the other hand won't work when any of the colors are out.

My pixma is the best printer I've owned. It's too bad that so many people are taking one person's word inaccurate word about this.

This is true. I also own this model and you just have to click through the warnings. The info about not being able to print if you run out of one color are just plain wrong.

What about printing envelops? Anyone with experience?

WizeGuy33 wrote:Will someone help me find out if the power supply can support 220V?

I am stationed outside of the US, but am looking to get a printer when I come home in a few weeks.

Thanks!

I don't know about this particular model, but I have the Canon MP970 and it supports 220V. I live in Germany and just bought a replacement power cord from my local electronics store. The cord was about 10 euro.

anybody know if this printer will print on cardstock?

i have this printer and it works great. i use it with my macs and dell laptops throughout the house. set up is fairly easy. i used the tech support to walk me through it, but it can be done easily on your own. as for the 2 black cartridges...one is a larger tank than the other. i DO NOT recommend using the cartridge refill option. i tried it and my ink tanks got clogged. used up half a tank of cannon ink just to clear them out. use the cannon ink tanks...pretty reasonable at sam's club.

I have the Pixma 860 and love it. I found a set of replacement ink cartridges on Meritline.com with the chips on them for $10 for the whole set. After three months of steady usage I have just replaced the larger black one and cyan.

The ability to scan from the machine and send it straight to your pc or laptop directly from the console of the printer is great. It prints photos beautifully.

I will say that I never turn it off so I can't say how much ink it uses during warm-up.

I would highly recommend the 860 for anyone looking for a good high-quality small office printer.

Also, buy your inks at meritline.com - they are cheap and work like a charm.

I hope they do not ship it SmartPost, because that is Slow Poke post

pinktech wrote:This is a steal, and if I didn't own the step up MP990, I'd be handing over my credit card. Comes with full size inks, not starters, so that's a $65ish value right there. WiFi is really easy to set up!!

Ink: you shouldn't print when you're out of a color. The ink lubricates and protects the printhead. You get plenty of warning before you run out. Stock up when you see a sale on Canon ink - unlike most brands, there's no expiration date coded into that chip that will make it suddenly stop working. And even tho' nobody's asked, no, it will not use one black when it runs out of the other. They're not interchangeable.

Ink Deals: at Amazon, search your printer a few times, maybe add it to your shopping cart, with Save For Later, or wish list (even if you already own it). Every few 3 weeks or so, you'll get deals on ink on the Gold Box page. Also, the camera supply site 2filter.com has good prices for genuine Canon & great service.

Save on ink costs: Windows people (I'm a Mac & wish I could do this), set your default printing setting to Grayscale and draft mode. PG220 is dark enough in draft for most everyday printing/copying. Save standard for critical stuff, like resumes. Don't use color unless you really mean to.

Oh, and the photos are astonishing. And fast. And quiet. Use Canon paper for the best color (but buy it on sale!). The cost for a photo is the cost of a sheet of paper plus about 2-3 cents for ink on a 4x6

Hey pinktech,

I have an earlier version, mp600, on a Mac. But you should be able to print in grayscale and fast mode from the "quality and media" section of the print menu. I saved a preset and change it back to standard for regular quality.

Whenever I consider a new printer, the first thing I do is head to ebay to see if non-oem cartridges are available, how much they cost, and ensure that you don't have to fiddle with the chip to make it work. This printer passes that test plus there are a few kits that have easily refillable cartridges.

I agree with the other poster who is baffled, like me, that even if I print only in black and white on my other canon printers they still use up the colored cartridges, so cheap ink is imperative.

aaee wrote:This is by far the most valuable piece of information I could possibly think of needing to make a decision on this printer.. Thank you!

Pass

Gee, I would have thought print quality and scan quality would be the most valuable information, but to each his own... that said...

Eh, I guess it's not great, if you're the kind who procrastinates on buying supplies and can't afford to get a replacement cartidge before you actually really need it. I assume it has ink level displays and advance warning when ink is low--my Epsons are really really good about giving me weeks of notice that ink is running low.

Definitely NOT a deal-breaker for me.

OK, I'm in for one and the Square Trade 3 year warranty. If you use the promo code "SUNSHINE" you get 20% off, so it's $9.79 for the 3 year warranty.

I rent rooms to Med & Grad students, so having a networked printer in the house makes sense. The price of the ink will just go on the utility bill... but if people find good inexpensive sources for in, link'em!

I'm also tempted to go for the CD/DVD tray on ebay for $28: http://tiny.cc/CD_Print_Tray

I'd love to see a demo video of it actually working though!

Also, this is actually the first printer I have ever bought/ordered/owned! Work has always had the high end machines, so I've leached!

Costco.com ink prices:

Canon
Ink Cartridge
Black PGI-220
Item # 374948
$14.76

Colors CLI-221 are $12.83 each
All the prices include shipping.

http://tiny.cc/costco_ink_CLI-221

WizeGuy33 wrote:Will someone help me find out if the power supply can support 220V?

I am stationed outside of the US, but am looking to get a printer when I come home in a few weeks.

Thanks!

How's about checking Canon's website?

I have owned one of these. It was expensive to operate, when it operated at all. The connection to the computer whether wired or wireless was erratic at best, and I found the machine to be VERY over rated. Wooters, pass up on this one.

WizeGuy33 wrote:Will someone help me find out if the power supply can support 220V?

I am stationed outside of the US, but am looking to get a printer when I come home in a few weeks.

Thanks!

If you search on [PIXMA MP640 voltage] the hits indicate it will work with 220V

DrKK wrote:I got a guy on my ventrilo that says that the 5 ink system in this thing is stupid as f**k, and that if ANY of the 5 run out, you can't print *ANYTHING*, including BLACK ONLY, until it is replaced.

If true, that's got to be a deal breaker.

Yes it is true for mine (I own a Pixma MP810 which has a slide and negative scanner but no wireless).

The ink level warning tells you first that your ink is running low and to change your cartridge but that's a very early warning. You can go on and print a lot more stuff. When the cartridge is truly empty, you can't print anything, you have to change it.

I would say it is mildly annoying but not a big deal you just change the color that's empty, not all of them.

On the other hand it is an excellent and very, very fast printer. Photo quality is as good as it gets. Much better than other multifunction that could be designed for home office functions. I wish mine was wireless.

yeladot wrote:That isn't true. I have this printer and if you run out of one of the five inks, you can still print. I do it a lot.

I have an older Canon printer (MP460) and the main reason I decided to buy a Canon over an Epson (which I had previously) was that the Canon allowed me to print in greyscale which means that you can choose to use the black ink only. That means if the color ink runs out, you can still keep printing. On the other hand, the Epson I had, wouldn't let me print anything if the color ink ran out. For that reason alone I will NEVER buy an Epson again. I'd be surprised if Canon changed their printing so that you couldn't print using the black ink if the color ink ran out.

In any case, I've been extremely impressed with Canon printers.

bsteenson wrote:Wow, so much misinformation. I own this printer, I love this printer and I'm buying another one for my son to take to college.

1) Printer will keep printing when one cartridge runs out of ink. Just dismiss warning and keep printing away.

2) Printer will use generic cartridges, although I have always had the best luck with Canon ink.

3) Name-brand cartridges can be found for around $10 or less each, and generics can be found for about half of that.

4) When printing B&W documents if your settings are correct you will only be using the black document ink, not any of the color inks. It doesn't "use all the inks even for black and white documents" unless you have it set to think it is printing a photo.

5) I've never had an ink cartridge dry out on me, and I sometimes go weeks between printing anything.

6) I've owned HPs and Epsons. Canon is my choice for most dependable by a wide margin.

7) Not the fastest printer in the world, but makes wonderful color prints and good B&W documents.

Great information, thank you. My only remaining question is this:
Does this printer have an auto document feeder?

Have read many reviews and looked around, but have yet to see those words...

Thanks in advance.

sucker4crap wrote:

I'd love to see a demo video of it actually working though!

YOUTUBE! There's lots of them

Can anyone comment on the scanning ease and quality? I've got an ongoing project of converting my LP albums to CD and MP3, so I need to be able to scan the oversized 12x12 album covers. On my Epsons, I am able to take the scanner cover off and lay the album cover on the glass and scan it in two parts. With all the buttons & display in the lid, I'm guessing this cover won't come off?

I bought one of these about 6 months ago from a brick-and-mortar store (you probably know which) from the same price, and I can say this is one of, if not the best printer I've ever owned. Ink lasts a long time, and is pretty cheap to replace because you can buy the individual ink tanks. I really bought it for the wireless connectivity, and I'm never going back to not having my printer on my Lan for the rest of my computers to lose. Its one of those things that you never thought was a big deal... until you have it. My router is in my basement and my printer is on my 2nd floor on the opposite side of the building, and it works flawlessly. Never a connection problem. I'd say for 80 bucks, jump in. It comes with $40 bucks worth of ink, so you're paying $40 for a great printer that you'll have for years to come. The only bad thing I can say about it is that it takes a while to print if you turn it off regularly to save power (I don't print a lot). When you turn it on to print something it takes a min or 2 to calibrate the print heads and actually spit out paper. After that, its pretty quick on multiple page documents. Scanner works great, and it prints great photos.

ravensfan21 wrote:I bought one of these about 6 months ago from a brick-and-mortar store (you probably know which) from the same price, and I can say this is one of, if not the best printer I've ever owned. Ink lasts a long time, and is pretty cheap to replace because you can buy the individual ink tanks. I really bought it for the wireless connectivity, and I'm never going back to not having my printer on my Lan for the rest of my computers to lose. Its one of those things that you never thought was a big deal... until you have it. My router is in my basement and my printer is on my 2nd floor on the opposite side of the building, and it works flawlessly. Never a connection problem. I'd say for 80 bucks, jump in. It comes with $40 bucks worth of ink, so you're paying $40 for a great printer that you'll have for years to come. The only bad thing I can say about it is that it takes a while to print if you turn it off regularly to save power (I don't print a lot). When you turn it on to print something it takes a min or 2 to calibrate the print heads and actually spit out paper. After that, its pretty quick on multiple page documents. Scanner works great, and it prints great photos.

I forgot to add, the printer has 2 trays, one for paper, and you can load 4x6 or 5x7 photo paper in the back for photos and it'll pick it up right away

I have a PIXMA MP620, from what I've read this is a very similar model and maybe its successor? The one I have is a great printer for b&w or color docs and photos. I prefer the separate color ink cartridge system to the tri-color cartridges, it saves money. Quality is great.

This is a really good price, especially for a new one with all the ink cartridges.

If you need a printer, you should definitely pick this one up. I don't, I already have an MP620 that I'm very happy with.

zephalis wrote:So if you're coming back, why do you need it to support 220? And to answer your question...no.

Ummm...maybe he's going back??

Wow, tons of inaccurate comments about this one. I own a PIXMA 620 which is the same just with less features.

1. Running out of one type of ink does not prevent you from printing, it only makes a message pop up on the printer's screen and forces you to press the 'ok' button, and even this can be worked around by just taking out the empty cartridge and putting it back in.

2. Each cartridge is ~$12, so all three colors = $36. (they are not $30 for each color)

As to some questions, the reason there are two black ink cartridges is that one is for color printing and one is for black and white printing.

Setting this up over a network was easy, and the software for doing so was simple. The bundled software for scanning/editing photos doesn't bog down older slower computers (like some HP software I've dealt with).

I wish I had gotten this model (640) instead of my 620 because it has a feature that isn't listed and requires a work around, and that is being able to print directly onto label ready CD-R disks. For some reason the feature is disabled on models sold in the US, but you can alter the drivers to the European versions and buy the trays on ebay, linky http://damnprinter.com/105/the-five-easy-steps.html

DrKK wrote:I got a guy on my ventrilo that says that the 5 ink system in this thing is stupid as f**k, and that if ANY of the 5 run out, you can't print *ANYTHING*, including BLACK ONLY, until it is replaced.

If true, that's got to be a deal breaker.

Sounds accurate, I have a printer, not the same kind, at work. If ANY runs out the whole thing shuts down. It also seems to pull from the color ink too even if you print black only.

DrKK wrote:
I got a guy on my ventrilo that says that the 5 ink system in this thing is stupid as f**k, and that if ANY of the 5 run out, you can't print *ANYTHING*, including BLACK ONLY, until it is replaced.

If true, that's got to be a deal breaker.

aaee wrote:This is by far the most valuable piece of information I could possibly think of needing to make a decision on this printer.. Thank you!

Pass

Yeah, except it sounds like he's not sure it's true.

I have an older Canon with the 5 ink system, and simply work a few hours of overtime when I need to feed it.

Built-in Wireless? Individual ink cartridges? All for only $80? I see no reason not to buy this printer if you need one at home. I only wish they had this deal a couple of years ago.

baffleonious wrote:These printers are awful. They keep all control to themselves and leave the user sitting there crossing their fingers, hoping they will work. The ink runs out very quickly and the only cost effective solution is to refill the cartridges yourself, which is tricky. Once you start refilling cartridges yourself, the sensors don't read accurately anymore and it states that it is out of ink all the time. Additionally, refilling these cartridges gets harder and harder with each subsequent cartridge design they go with. I've had extensive experience with manufacturing a wide assortment of things and struggled with this. You will end up with stained fingers, counters and clothes. Go with an HP printer, I've had the best luck with them, plus, their cartridges are easier to fill.

With my HP, when I tried to use "after market" cartridges, the printer doesn't see it and continually says your out of ink as well.

Cha-CHING! Been a while since I've wooted. Sure was good to get THAT out of my system. I've been looking for an excellent quality photo printer for a while now and have been sitting on my hands waiting for the right deal to come along. This was it!