Printer issues?

Back when I had a Konica Minolta bizhub on a lease, they were pretty consistent about supplying me with compatible toner cartridges.

Drew Castillo5 said:Back when I was leasing a Konica Minolta bizhub, they always used compatible toners on me.

Well, obviously Adriatix uses compatible toners in their own printers too. You basically have two choices: go with the extended warranty or skip it. These machines are proven—documented, even—to crank out over 250,000 prints without breaking a sweat. But you can't just sell people a fantasy or feed into this mindset where everyone thinks they're being scammed. It doesn't matter who we're talking about here.

So, let's recap what the guy actually said:

Buy an OKI xxx and you get a drum warranty for either 60,000 pages or 3 years. I personally use compatible toners in my OKI.

In other words, he's implying that he uses them himself and just voids his own warranty.

It’s not going to work that way. Once you realize that's not how things operate, then you can call him out on it. Otherwise, you're just paying the price for being naive enough to believe every single thing you read on these American forums.

Hey,

what kind of fluid actually works for cleaning print heads? I'm trying to figure out if the stuff meant for cleaning glass is any good for this...

thanks

Noah Thompson said:Hey,

does anyone know which liquid actually works? Which one has been proven good for cleaning printer heads? From what I gather, it's just glass cleaner?

thanks

That’s kind of like taking glass cleaner and trying to scrub burnt-on grease off an oven door.

Look, there is no such thing as a magic potion.

Well, there might be, but it'll probably just melt the plastic inside your inkjet head or eat through the heating elements. That's why you really ought to stick to buying both the ink and the cleaning solution from the same manufacturer. They’re designed to work together. At the end of the day, the person who engineered the ink knows exactly what it takes to dissolve it. They aren't exactly losing sleep trying to figure out how to dissolve someone else's formula.

Frank Barnes said:That’s like trying to scrub burnt grease off an oven door using nothing but Windex.

So yeah, there's no magic potion.

I mean, sure, you could find one, but you'll probably just melt the plastic in the print head or eat through the heaters... why risk it? You really ought to stick to the same brand for both the ink and the cleaning solution. They're designed to work together. The guys who engineered the ink know exactly what it takes to dissolve it without wrecking the hardware. They aren't exactly looking to spend their time figuring out how to clean someone else's mess...

Not exactly a helpful answer... my question was pretty straightforward, so if it's too much to wrap your head around, maybe just skip it.

Noah Thompson said:The answer doesn't help me... my question was very clear, and if you can't wrap your head around it, maybe just don't answer at all.

Look, being arrogant isn't going to get you anywhere here. You might want to come back down to earth first.

In the warehouse, I had two or three different cleaning agents on hand. All from different manufacturers. And none of them are magic bullets. Actually, it’s the opposite.

So, what you have to do is pick one, test it out, see how it reacts with a specific ink, and figure out the right way to apply it. Different inkjet heads behave differently. Every setup is unique. You've got metal nozzles, Teflon ones, stainless steel, gold-plated, plastic... you name it. Then there are the internal channels made of various plastics, plus different pre-filters.

Once you get a feel for how a specific agent interacts with a specific head, then—and only then—do you move on to a second agent. And then you have to repeat the entire testing process all over again.

Then you take a third agent and go through the exact same cycle. Only after you've slogged through all that will you actually have an intuition for how these things work. How long to soak? When does agent I work better than agent II or III?

And don't expect someone to just spoon-feed those nuances to you on a forum.

If you're dealing with polymerizing ink in the printhead and you decide to blast it with an acidic solution—even if the cleaner claims to be "eco-friendly"—that acid can act as a catalyst for the polymer. Boom. Dead printhead. Or, if you try blowing air through the head because that's how you clean a carburetor, but the ink inside polymerizes when exposed to oxygen? There goes the head.

So, tell me, how many printheads are you willing to sacrifice while trying to figure out which chemical reacts with which variable?

You can grab agent I, II, or III from Adriatix, which is about 100 ml per bottle == $23 + tax.

If a cleaner doesn't work, don't blame the product or Adriatix. The reality is there is no magic potion. It's all about that trial-and-error process where you spend days upon days trying to fix dozens of heads through sheer persistence.

If you don't believe me, well, feel free to learn the hard way.

And honestly, if some glass cleaner fixes the issue, then the head probably wasn't even clogged. It likely just meant the ink quality was so poor the head couldn't pull it from the cartridge anymore. That's not a complex technical failure. But without experience, you won't be able to tell the difference between a clog and bad ink.

Not sure if this thing is actually clogged or what.
I've got an Epson bx305f with four cartridges; three are printing fine, but the black one is acting up. If I crank the settings to photo quality, the black comes out solid, just really faded... but when I stick to normal print mode, the black looks all streaky and broken. Not sure how to fix this mess. I'm using refillable cartridges that work on my old Epson sx125...

thanks

Noah Thompson said:The thing is, I can't tell if the nozzles are actually clogged or what.
I've got an Epson bx305f with four cartridges; three of them print just fine, but the black one is acting up. If I crank the settings up to photo quality, the black comes out fully—it's just a bit pale, but it looks right. But when I switch back to standard print quality, the black starts coming out streaky and broken. I'm stuck. What am I supposed to do here? For context, I'm using refillable cartridges that usually work great in my old Epson sx125...

thanks

Adriatix has sold at least 100 of these sets by now, and when you pair them with Colibri ink, a single printer like that can burn through anywhere from 200 to 300 ml of black ink. That’s basically the equivalent of about 60 original cartridges. After all that, the ink starts to settle or thicken.

Bottom line: ink quality matters. It makes a massive difference whether you're using Colibri ink designed for continuous refillable cartridges or if you bought some random stuff off eBay US that was actually meant for single-use disposable cartridges.

What's the actual difference?
Well, look at it this way: ink made for disposable cartridges might be better or worse depending on how you slice it. Once you finish a 5 ml cartridge with its sponge and pre-filter, you toss the whole thing. But Colibri ink is specifically formulated for cartridges without sponges and for continuous use; it's engineered to pass through that same pre-filter up to 30 times without issue.

And let's be honest, most people will just grab whatever they find on eBay because it's cheap, or they'll hunt elsewhere thinking it's a better deal than Colibri.

So, in your situation, you either toss everything and buy a new printer that doesn't rely on refillable cartridges, or you take the printer to a repair shop to have the print head cleaned and the black cartridge replaced. Just keep in mind, that won't cost you any less than $67 + tax + $50 for a fresh, verified 4x100 ml set of Colibri ink. Nobody in America is going to provide free tech support for products sold on eBay.

Why do we keep bringing up Colibri? Because if a specific ink stays on the market for three or four years, someone can actually track how it performs for end-users, listen to the complaints, and adjust their inventory accordingly.

But if someone is selling Brand A replacement cartridges today and then swearing by Brand C tomorrow just because Brand C offers them a better wholesale discount, then the end-user loses. There's no way a customer is going to go through 30+ cartridges from the exact same shipment. They won't know which ink they used yesterday versus today. Why? Because every opportunistic merchant buying ink is thinking the same way—they're just looking for the next guy who will sell it to them cheaper.

Here, you’re almost buying directly from the manufacturer, or from someone who has enough pressure on them to stay honest. And if they *do* decide to cut corners, don't act surprised when they do. Especially when they think they're dealing with a regular American consumer who won't notice.

It's not like someone on eBay US doesn't know what they're doing. To a Chinese manufacturer, USA == NATO == Germany. They know exactly how to play the game.

Turns out the black cartridge actually kicked in, so printing is back to normal now. Swapped out the little rubber seal on the cartridge where the ink flows through and that did the trick.

Noah Thompson said:Turns out the black cartridge finally decided to cooperate, and printing is back to normal. I just swapped out the little rubber seal inside the cartridge where the ink flows through, and now it’s working fine.

Yeah, that can definitely happen.
If you take ink designed for a sponge-based cartridge and put it into one without a sponge, you run into pressure issues. The ink density isn't right, so it starts leaking through the nozzles. The jet can't break through that buildup of liquid, and before you know it, the user is convinced the printhead is clogged.

Because look, if there's no print, there's no print.

I'm about ready to throw this damn printer and its cartridges out the window.🙂🙂
I have an HP Envy and dealing with these third-party inks is driving me absolutely insane.
Basically, I buy Orink ink and tried some MMC stuff, but it’s hit or miss. Sometimes it works for maybe ten pages, then suddenly it starts screaming that it doesn't recognize a color—and it isn't even always the one I just swapped in. So I end up swapping them all out and just tossing the ink. It's ridiculous.
What can I actually do to make sure it accepts the ink? I'm tired of throwing money down the drain. Original ink is roughly $27 per color, which feels way too high, but honestly, it might be cheaper than what I'm wasting right now.
The ink models are
Model Number🙂. And just so you know, whenever I swap colors, I disconnect the printer from my computer and disable the Wi-Fi, thinking maybe it was pulling some stupid updates from the internet. Clearly, that wasn't the issue.

Quote : Bull's Eye

Kate Brown49 said:I swear, I’m actually going to lose my mind dealing with this damn printer and these stupid cartridges. 🙂🙂
I've got... So, I've been looking into the HP Envy lately. Just one of those things that sits on your desk and makes you wonder if you actually made the right call. Is it reliable? Is it worth the headache? Sometimes it feels like you spend more time troubleshooting the ink levels than actually printing anything useful. Any thoughts from anyone who's actually lived with one of these for more than a week? Honestly, all this nonsense with the third-party inks? It’s enough to make you want to throw the whole damn printer out the window.
So, here’s the deal. I’ve been buying Orink ink lately and tried out some third-party cartridges, but it’s been a total headache. It works fine at first—I'll print maybe ten pages, everything looks great—and then suddenly the printer starts acting up, claiming it can't recognize one of the colors. And it’s not even always the color I just swapped in, either. So, what am I left doing? Just swapping them all out and tossing the "faulty" ones in the trash. Such a waste, really.
What am I supposed to do to make sure they actually accept this? Honestly, I’m just getting tired of throwing money down the drain—especially when dealing with those originals that cost around... $27 I mean, looking at the color cartridges, I've got way too many sitting around right now. But honestly? At this point, even that feels like the cheaper move compared to what else is on the table.
So, regarding those ink cartridges... they're the Model Number series.
And I make sure to disconnect the printer from my computer and disable the Wi-Fi whenever I'm swapping out ink colors. I figured maybe it would try to automatically pull some random junk or updates from the internet mid-process, but clearly... that wasn't even the issue here. 🙂

Just like what was said to you by Noah Thompson... don't go buying ink unless you can actually test it out in your own printer right then and there. Why take the risk?

Ever walked into a local tech shop with your printer, hoping for a quick ink refill, only to feel like you're being taken for a ride? It’s frustrating. Honestly, if you feel like they're trying to rip you off the second you walk through the door, maybe take a beat. Do a little digging first—look up reviews or dig through some old forum threads to see what people are actually saying about them. You'd be surprised, though; there are definitely shops out there that won't try to fleece you just because you showed up with an idea for an upgrade.

True, I didn't read the whole thing, just skimmed two pages back, but I haven't heard anyone suggest walking into a store with their printer in hand 🤔
Besides, it doesn't even matter much since he prints maybe ten pages before giving up. So what?

Kate Brown49 said:Fair point, I haven't actually read through everything—just scrolled back about two pages—but I definitely haven't heard anyone suggest walking into a store carrying their actual printer. 🤔
And honestly, it’s not even worth the effort when the thing barely manages ten pages before it gives up the ghost. So what then?

So, you just grab your printer and your laptop, tuck them under your arm, and trek down to the store. Then, you can be perfectly polite to the guy who basically pulled a fast one on you two days ago and took your money. You just say:

Either give me my money back, or hand over a toner cartridge that actually works in this machine of mine. Because this one clearly doesn't.

As for that little scam from the other day? Try collecting that from someone else.

What are your thoughts on using a Ricoh $300 for my home setup? It’s nothing too intense, just some light everyday stuff around the house. I’m having a bit of a hard time tracking down reliable information regarding third-party toner options for this specific model. Also, when people say "all-in-one toner," does that mean there is just one single cartridge inside, or does it actually require several different ones to handle the colors? Thanks!

Scott Flores5 said:what do you guys think about getting a Ricoh for $300? It's just for home use, nothing crazy. I'm having a hard time finding much info on third-party toner options for it. Does "all-in-one toner" mean there's just one cartridge, or does it take a few different colors? thanks

Solid choice.

And what is the situation regarding the toners? I have discovered quite a few different varieties available for purchase, which leaves me somewhat perplexed as to why the official product page labels this unit as an "all-in-one" solution. Furthermore, if one were to sit down and calculate the projected costs, roughly how much would a single print run actually run me?

Scott Flores5 said:What about the toner situation? I’m seeing more options than I expected. Why on earth does the site list it as an all-in-one then? And honestly, what are we looking at for the actual cost per page?

As for the toner costs and the price per print... you really ought to ask the folks where you plan on dropping your cash for refills. Let them earn their living, right?

All in one >>> the listing is wrong

I could really use some help here

I’m looking to pick up a printer mainly for making flyers, mostly in A4 size, though I might occasionally need an A3 format if I can somehow tile the pages together. It doesn't need to be anything professional since it's just for personal projects, but I really want the resolution to look sharp and clean—you know, without those tiny dots showing, so it doesn't look too much like it was just made at home. I saw an HP LaserJet over at Target that has a 1200x1200 dpi resolution. I guess I was just wondering if anyone could tell me if that would actually be useful for what I'm trying to do?

Austin Chase2 said:I really need some advice here

I'm looking to pick up a printer mainly for making flyers—mostly standard letter size, maybe some legal, and potentially A3 if I can figure out how to tile them together. Nothing high-end or professional, just something for personal projects, but I want the resolution to be crisp. You know, clean lines without that grainy, "dotty" look where everyone can tell it was just slapped together at home. I saw an HP LaserJet over at Target that lists a 1200x1200 dpi resolution. Could anyone tell me if that would actually get the job done? Is it worth it?

It’ll work. But you should probably realize that with a machine like that, you're basically just getting a tiny 20g starter cartridge of toner. Check out the link in my signature to see what that actually means for your wallet and what your real options are once that first bit runs out.