The Ink Gauges on the 1000

[Denchamber]

They are somewhat useless but then, that is the case with almost every printer I've ever had.    The ink levels as shown on the Image Prograf 1000 utility move down quickly from "full" to "empty" and then sit on empty for weeks or months while I continue to print and print and print.   Yes, eventually the printer stops and says "now I really mean it" and I change the cartridge.

Right now I have had SEVEN inks showing empty for about three months as I have printed many many many pages of ink soaking matt paper and canvases.    I have, of course, the replacement ink cartidges for those seven on hand, waiting dutifully for the day (or year) that they are eventually needed.   

With all the advancements in technology, it's amazing that this simple ink reading cannot be refined.

[RichPate]

Yes, Denchamber, I feel your pain. The ink level readouts seem to be inaccurate, and even Canon says they are only relative estimates. This problem is mentioned by others elsewhere on the Internet. The most common complaint is that the readings seem stuck over time, then suddenly wham, your ink level is at critical. Or is it? 

I have tried accessing the ink level readouts in a variety of ways: on the printer LCD; on my Mac's printer info panel in System Prefs; and in Photoshop's Print Settings dialogue. All seem questionable, and sometimes vary from each other at the same time.

One disturbing report I read in another forum, is that one user never had ink clogging issues until he decided to just let the ink run out before replacing the ink cart. The big question here is: when the printer stops printing, is the ink out in just the cartridge, or is it also out in the internal ink reservoir. As we all discovered when first setting up the Pro-1000, the ink lines, head and reservoirs hold about half the volumn of an ink cart (~40ml). If it's just the cart that's out of ink when the printer stops, then the head remains saturated, so no problem with waiting. Anyone know for sure?

I agree, you would think Canon could provide better tech here, especially considering their useful and accurate ink usage reporting feature for printing jobs. Unfortunately, this feature does not account for ink usage from maintenance routines. Is Canon preferring to keep that bit of info out of sight? Is the unusual length of time before ink level readout updating to keep the ink usage of a maintenance routine a mystery? Just guessing here why such a well-engineered pro-level printer is no more accurate in tracking its ink-levels than my $100 multi-function inkjet machine.

[Denchamber]

Rich here's my take on the ink running completely "out".   All I know is that I don't repace cartridges until the printer insist that I do so.   It will tell you before printing the sheet that you absoulely have to change a cartridge.   And I see no correlation between this and the print heads clogging.   

To change the cartridges earlier doesn't make  sense since as we've discussed above, you don't have any idea how much ink is in the cartridge.    The guage drops like crazy from the moment you start using a new cartidge and then it rests at the very bottom of the gauge for months.   So in my opinion the cartridge could be 75% full and it would read ZERO on the gauge.  Accordingly, to change it early could be a phenomenal waste of ink.

dennis

[RichPate]

Thanks Dennis. Good to know you have not experienced ink clogs by waiting to change ink carts.

Seems that the general consensus is that so little is known about the mechanics and internal functions of the Pro-1000. The situation for me as so unlike using my Epson 3880, where I knew about 90% of what was happening mechanically at any given time, including how much ink I had left in each cart.

I am frustrated by the "experts" on YouTube and sometimes Canon tech support who take the position that users should play it safe and protect their investment by leaving all maintenance settings turned on and replacing ink carts when the first warning appears. They justify this by saying this is a professional printer and you must pay to play, then you just pass the cost on to your customer.

That would usually make sense, but I read on another forum that a user that followed this advice later computed his ink useage to be about 50% for prints and 50% for "other?" -- ouch! He used the print job ink usage feature to track the amount of ink being consumed for just print-making relative to when he had to replace his ink carts. Not sure if this is typical or what kind of workflow he had.

This kind of overhead can be tough to pass on to your customers and still remain competitive with the Epson-powered shops. Next to paper cost, ink costs are next highest, and I need to know how to optimize ink usage and accurately track the amount of ink I truly have available.

Maybe Canon will help us out via a future firmware update. If enough users complain, like we are here, hopfully that will happen -- soon. Thanks.

Rich

[bethrose]

I'm glad I found this post.  I am not technically inclined and get lost in all of the details, but I'm taking away from this that I don't have to change my ink just because it says it is low. (There will be another inidication when it is critical?) I imagine it wouldn't be long before I've spent on ink what I spent on the printer in the first place at the rate it wants me to replace it.

[Denchamber]

Bethrose, there isn't a "critical" warning per se.   Just the low ink warning which can't be taken at face value.  The printer will simply give you the notice that a cartridge is "out" and won't start the next print.   There seems to be little risk of the printer ruining a print, like being halfway through the print and then stopping.   Instead it gauges whether it has enough ink to do the print that is in the feeder, and will tell you that you have to change the cartridge before proceeding.    What I do is order the next cartidge(s) when I get the low ink sign and with two day delivery I've never had a problem (since sometimes "low ink" means you have about 50 more pages to print before it is dry).

[bethrose]

Thank you so much!

[Winziggle]

Has anyone had the printer just stop printing? I have a lot of low inks, and like most people, wait until I get the notice. But my Image Print program is saying it's printing while my Canon Pro-1000 doesn't acknowledge it's even gotten the message.

[RichPate]

Hello Winsiggle. I would suggest calling Canon Tech Support / PRO 1000, and run through a diagnostic of the printer. I have found them to be very helpful. Good luck.

[bellevuefineart]

Yes, this is frustrating, but it's the same with all printers really. I have had many Epsons, and it's always been the same. One thing you can do is to weigh a full cartidge, then when one goes out, break it open, pour out what little ink is left, and weigh it again. From that point you'll have an approximation of how much ink is left if you're really curious. 

I haven't done this yet with my Canon Pro-1000, so I'm not sure, but I do it with my Epsons and I've got a note on the cabinet with my spare cartridges that shows the formula. 

For me, when a color starts blinking, I buy a spare. It's usually weeks or more before I need it. 

It's apparently a good idea to replace the maintenance tank not long after it starts blinking, but the colors you can run until they really run out of ink.