Inkjet printer using up too much ink?

[Drache]

Do you have an inkjet printer that you rarely use and yet seem to be going through ink even though you're not using it? The ink isn't drying up....

To keep the jets on your inkjet from clogging, your printer will every now and then spray ink through them. Sometimes you'll hear your printer make a noise randomly. Generally this is what it's doing.

All this ink gets sprayed through the printer and ends up in a reservoir in the bottom of your printer. There it will just sit and collect. Eventually you might get an error message with your printer stating it needs servicing. What it needs is this reservoir emptied out.

So next time you buy that expensive ink, remember that generally 1/3 of it might end up in this reservoir if you don't use your printer a lot.

[4cruzin]

And sometimes there will be no error message and the ink will end up all over your desk or counter . . . . 

[Silver R/T]

If you dont use your printer much turn it off. Also find a way to refill cartridges yourself, it will cost you way less compared to buying cartridges all the time.

[Drache]

If you dont use your printer much turn it off. Also find a way to refill cartridges yourself, it will cost you way less compared to buying cartridges all the time.

Even if you turn your printer "off" some brands will still do this cleaning cycle.

[Silver R/T]

Not if you unplug it, use it only when you need to print it. We have HP Pro Officejet 8600 and its been great printer so far. Before that one we had another cheaper HP printer and it would use up ink real fast, at one point it started leaking ink so we returned it back to Costco and went with more expensive OfficeJet 8600

[Drache]

Not if you unplug it, use it only when you need to print it.

Gotcha! I thought you mean just pressing the "power button" to turn if off

[A383Wing]

I just turn mine off using power button....never heard of having to unplug it before

[Mike DC]

                     
Computer printers, explained:
           
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/printers
             
             

[A383Wing]

yea..damn ink costs 4 times more than my printer did....

Bryan

[Charger RT]

I have an HP printer I put a CISS (constant ink supply system) system on. The system replaces each cartridge with a cartridge with a tube that runs to an ink tank that holds about the amount of ink 10 cartridges of each color. I bought the system in January of 09 for 44 dollars and had to buy a set of refills once for 17.77. I also have 3 kids 2 in high school and one in college they print alot. They don't make these systems for all printers.
Tim

[Silver R/T]

CISS is the way to go if you want to save money on replacing cartridges.