iPF5000 Estimated Ink Used for Cleaning

[John Hollenberg]

I thought it might be of interest to know how much ink is needed to keep this printer running.  I accessed Service Mode on the printer and found the number of cleaning cycles of various types that have been run and the total amount of ink used by the printer since I bought it.  I subtracted from the total the estimated ink used for filling the printer, and the estimated amount used to print.  The figure I arrived at was 2.4 ml of ink per day for cleaning.  Note that I print infrequently and often in batches, so this pattern of use may have substantially increased the amount of ink used for cleaning.  Interestingly, a report by Tom Huxley on the Wiki found that leaving the printer in standby mode for 45 days consumed 2.9 ml of ink per day on his printer--a figure not far from mine.

You can read the details of how to access the information in Service Mode here:

http://canonipf5000.wikispaces.com/Service+Mode

and the analysis (with spreadsheet) in this thread:

http://canonipf5000.wikispaces.com/message/view/FAQ/1070607

Note that this is not a criticism of the Canon, I think all of the pigment ink printers use a substantial amount of ink to keep the nozzles clean (don't know about HP, though).  At least with the Canon you don't have to do nozzle checks and initiate manual cleanings (which still fail) like I had to do with my Epson 9600.

--John

[nchopp]

Thanks for posting this, I've been considering a 5000, good to see how the ink costs break down for relatively light printing.

[markbausch]

Thanks for posting this, I've been considering a 5000, good to see how the ink costs break down for relatively light printing.
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John, I also am considering the 5000, and have spent more time that I wish to admit looking at your wiki as well as the Epson 3800 wiki (also very good).

Bottom line for me, as an amateur, is that your data on ink usage, at least to my brain, tips the scales, as I write this, in favor of NOT buying a 17 inch pigment printer. I think you're right when you suggest that the reason the 5000 seldom clogs is because of the 2-3 mL per day cleaning cycles, even (or especially?) when not used regularly.

This sort of usage would be typical for me...and I don't think I can justify at least $400.00 per year in ink usage...without considering the actual ink used to print!

In this way, the ink costs for the 5000 strike me the same way that 'maintenance costs' first struck me when I considered a vacation timeshare purchase--the facility we liked most required maintenance fees of over 1K per year...above and beyond any other charges.

In the meantime, my 13 inch-wide Epson dye printer has shot craps...and I really do miss not being able, at my home office, to be able to print out a 12 by 16 inch glossy of the latest family pix...

Perhaps I'll settle for the Epson 1400.

Thanks for your contributions.

[John Hollenberg]

When I get back from my Fall Color shoot in New Hampshire I am going to try to discipline myself to make one 16X23 inch print every day for 30 days, and see what happens to ink used for cleaning.  Checking the Purge Counters in Service Mode should make it pretty easy, along with the Total Ink counter, to determine how much ink is going to printing and how much to cleaning.  If I do this, I will post the results here in about 6 weeks.

--John

[markbausch]

When I get back from my Fall Color shoot in New Hampshire I am going to try to discipline myself to make one 16X23 inch print every day for 30 days, and see what happens to ink used for cleaning.  Checking the Purge Counters in Service Mode should make it pretty easy, along with the Total Ink counter, to determine how much ink is going to printing and how much to cleaning.  If I do this, I will post the results here in about 6 weeks.

--John
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=143063\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I'd like to see those pix...visit NH often in the summertime but never in the fall.

[Mark D Segal]

Note that this is not a criticism of the Canon, I think all of the pigment ink printers use a substantial amount of ink to keep the nozzles clean (don't know about HP, though).  At least with the Canon you don't have to do nozzle checks and initiate manual cleanings (which still fail) like I had to do with my Epson 9600.

--John
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=142522\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

My Epson 4800 has consumed 1460 ml of ink for routine and major cleanings over the two years less three weeks that I have been using it. So right, there is no question of criticizing Canon at all on this particular item. It seems that pigment printers need a lot of such maintenance.

[John Hollenberg]

My Epson 4800 has consumed 1460 ml of ink for routine and major cleanings over the two years less three weeks that I have been using it. So right, there is no question of criticizing Canon at all on this particular item. It seems that pigment printers need a lot of such maintenance.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=143622\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Using my figures (latest shows about 2.4 ml/day), the amount of ink consumed for your approximately 2 year time period would be 1702 ml--very close to what you noted for your Epson.  Unless the HP is a lot better, it looks like this is not a point of differentiation.

Anyone with an HP Z3100 have any figures about ink used for cleaning/maintenance?

--John

[Mark D Segal]

Using my figures (latest shows about 2.4 ml/day), the amount of ink consumed for your approximately 2 year time period would be 1702 ml--very close to what you noted for your Epson.  Unless the HP is a lot better, it looks like this is not a point of differentiation.

Anyone with an HP Z3100 have any figures about ink used for cleaning/maintenance?

--John
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=143629\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

John, yes, the comparison is interesting; however it can also be misleading because there are a number of variables for which ideally one would want to control. The way you've done it - fair enough for developing a numeraire, of course doesn't tell us anything about the comparative conditions in which the printers are being used, and those conditions influence the ratio of "cleaning to printing". Specifically for the Epson 4800 and probably the others of its ilk, the longer the time period between printing intervals, the fewer prints made per session, the drier the air in which the printer sits, the more the particulates given off by the paper, and the larger the total square footage of printing over a period of say a year, the greater the quantity of ink that will be consumed in cleaning, and the higher the cleaning:printing ratio.

[elkhornsun]

With many Epson printers it is better to turn them off to prevent the ink from drying in the heads. Leaving the printer turned on for extended periods when it is not being used is the best way to insure either clogged heads with lower end models or more cleaning cycles (which is on a timer setting) with the upper end models.

I turn my inkjet printers off after I have finished printing for the day and don't start them up until I have a batch of prints to produce.