PIXMA TS8320 what happens if I keep going after ink "may be empty"?

[jimh12345]

After my TS8320 started telling me that Yellow "may be empty", I kept printing, and have done a dozen or more 5x7 cards since then.  Now it says Magenta and Cyan may be out, too, but I keep going.  I appreciate the fact that Canon lets me continue printing instead of demanding to sell me new cartridges.  I'm just wondering what happens when a cartridge really does go empty.  Will I just get a lousy print?    

[normadel]

Yes. You will see a color(s) missing from the print. But at least you will know you've used all the ink. Unfortunate, though, if the bad print is a 13x19 and it's your last sheet of paper!

[shadowsports · Accepted solution]

Greetings,

There is a certain amount of grace, as the cartridges are not completely empty when you start getting low ink notifications.  You can continue printing, but you will likely start to see tonal variations and prints which don't look as vibrant or have 100% color accuracy.  Color inkjets are not designed to print forever with depleted color cartridges.  Some models allow B&W printing with plain paper, but models with individual colors should not be used to print without all inks installed indefinitely.  Continued or prolonged printing could shorten the life of the print head over time.  Ink cools the printhead and eventually it could heat up without the presence or flow of individual inks.  It can also become clogged.  White is the absence of color, black is the presence of all colors.  This is why the ink levels in all of the color cartridges are used when you print black.    

[jimh12345]

Thanks guys.  Doing just 5x7s so I can afford to take a chance on one bad print.