Refilling the ink tank vs. just buying a new printer

Hey everyone. I picked up an HP ENVY 6000 last year, but honestly, the ink capacity is driving me crazy. My eyesight isn't what it used to be, so constantly messing around with tiny ink cartridges is a real pain. I checked with a local shop about installing an external tank system, and they said it’s doable, but the quote was $400. Seems pretty steep considering I only paid $267 for the printer itself.

Is that actually a smart move?

Or should I just bite the bullet and get a mid-to-high range inkjet (maybe an HP?) with larger reservoirs. I know the HP ENVY series uses those bigger tanks, and apparently, the ink is about 50% cheaper than what I'm using now. I've been looking at specs for printers ranging from $1,000 up to $667, but I haven't found clear info on their actual ink capacities yet.

Alternatively, would a cheap color laser make more sense? I don't need Wi-Fi or A3 printing—just decent color prints, nothing fancy. Reliability and cost-per-page are my main priorities. It needs to be an all-in-one.

My usage is pretty irregular; I can go weeks without printing anything, then suddenly need to churn out 50 or 100 pages at once. That's why I leaned toward an HP...

Look, it just needs to have duplex functionality. I don't really care about having an external monitor since my PC is running 12 to 14 hours a day anyway.

George Morgan67 said:Hey everyone. So, I picked up an HP Envy 5520 last year, but honestly, I’m pretty bummed with it. The ink tanks are just way too small. My eyesight isn't what it used to be, so constantly messing around with tiny ink cartridges is a massive headache for me. I checked with a local shop to see if I could just install an external Ink Tank System, and they said it's totally doable, but man, the price tag is... $400I think that's just too much. I mean, look at what I paid for this thing. $267.

Would that be a smart move?

Or maybe I should just grab a mid-to-high range inkjet—maybe an HP? Those Canon Pixma models have much larger ink tanks, and from what I’ve heard, the official ink is like 50% cheaper than what you'd pay for the HP Envy series. I've been digging through the specs for printers in the $1,000 range... $667I haven't actually checked how big their ink tanks are yet.

Maybe it’s actually worth just grabbing a cheap color laser? I don't really need Wi-Fi, and A3 printing is totally overkill for me. I just need color output—doesn't have to be anything fancy or high-end. My main priority is keeping things budget-friendly. It definitely needs to be an all-in-one, though.

Look, my situation is kind of weird. I go ages without needing to print a single thing, and then out of nowhere, I’ll suddenly need to crank out 50 or 100 pages all at once. That's exactly why I mentioned HP as my top pick for a brand.

You want my take on this?

Honestly, you're better off just grabbing an HP LaserJet Pro that already comes with an Ink Tank System built right in.
Why?

For two reasons.

The best part about this thing is that RECALL button on the panel. It’s a total lifesaver if you have trouble seeing things clearly. You basically program your most used settings right into it. Once you set it up, you can actually find the button by feel, and if you know your way around the menu, you can save exactly what you need. All you have to do is turn the printer on, hit RECALL + Start, and boom—you're done. Honestly, I have an 80-year-old in my family with terrible vision—can barely see out of one eye, maybe 20% vision at best. But they still manage to get through novels. How? By ripping pages out of books and scanning them. I haven't come across any other modern multi-function printer that has a feature this simple. Most of them force you to dig through endless menus every single time, which is just a massive headache for anyone with poor eyesight or older folks.

Another thing is that for the HP LaserJet Pro, we’ve got those Auto reset chips. Basically, they just reset themselves.

Look, if I told you this person has been running the same machine for three years and it’s constantly grinding, struggling to print smoothly, and clogging up left and right, that’s more than enough reason to tell them to upgrade.
Investment. $400 plus sales tax

Another option on the price front would be some multi-function setup like a Canon Pixma paired with an Ink Tank System. But honestly, if my past experience is anything to go by, those all-in-one machines can be a total nightmare to deal with. If something goes sideways, anyone who isn't tech-savvy is basically stuck staring at a useless box.
An investment. $267 Plus sales tax.

The third option I’d suggest is going with an All-in-One, specifically based on the HP OfficeJet Pro. Why? Because once you set it up with an Ink Tank System and some premium ink, that thing becomes an absolute beast. Honestly, it's almost unstoppable. Sure, the print heads might act up occasionally, and you really have to make sure you don't run the tanks dry—if air gets into the head, you're looking at a pretty expensive fix. $147Plus some sales tax on the new print head. But honestly? Once that's done, the machine runs like it just came out of the box. We've actually proven that this setup—an HP OfficeJet Pro with an Ink Tank System using premium ink—can crank out 120,000 prints without breaking a sweat. And if you're like me and care about the small stuff, this Ink Tank System uses Auto reset chips to keep things simple.
An investment. $667 Plus sales tax.

Regarding your setup—honestly, just setting up an Ink Tank System for that thing is going to cost you a pretty penny. $133 Plus sales tax. Then you’ve gotta factor in an hour for the actual install, an hour to run tests, and another hour for follow-up support and troubleshooting. So basically, that's three hours of service time right there. $50Just a heads up, that 400ml from the Ink Tank System usually shows up a little later on. $50 It’s basically like getting premium quality at a budget price. But here’s the catch with this setup: you can't actually find an Ink Tank System with Auto reset chips for your specific model around here. All we have are those chips that require manual resetting via the keypad. It means every single time you burn through a little bit of ink—say, between 3.5 and 7.5 ml—you have to go through the hassle of manually resetting a color. Honestly, if you struggle with your eyesight, it's a total nightmare. There are other Ink Tank System versions out there that don't require any resetting at all; they just keep running until you turn the machine off. But the problem is, these chip solutions are super specific to every individual HP printer model, even if they use the exact same cartridges. So, just because you pick up one of those kits doesn't mean it'll actually play nice with your specific firmware version.
Look, that’s exactly why a pro install costs you three times what a standard service call does.

Regarding the Canon Pixma line, do yourself a favor and check if the model you're looking at actually has the same number of nozzles as yours. It’s kind of pointless trying to compare apples to oranges here.

You should also take a look at Brother MF units. Some older models didn't even use chips and came with a built-in Ink Tank System straight from the factory. You can get pretty decent results with Brother using Colibri permanent cartridges or a Colibri Ink Tank System paired with their ink. Just don't expect the machine to last more than two years. Why? Because we've seen plenty of cases where they don't even make it that long when you're using original ink.
The total investment is roughly $267 + 200 + 150 = Brother printer + Permanent cartridges + 4* 100ml ink bottles.

Honestly, if that group of people who were just ranting about our advice on the Pixma series actually looked at what you actually need, they’d be suggesting an MF solution on this forum right now.

It's just not designed for developing nations. That Pixma line was specifically engineered for those types of markets.

Is there any chance I could pay for an Ink Tank System installation on my HP Envy in two installments? Or maybe a hybrid deal—part cash, part services where I handle some English to American translations for you? The scanner on this unit is incredibly fast, which is exactly why I don't want to ditch it for some older printer that already has an Ink Tank System built in.

You know how it is... finding steady work is a massive struggle for the blind or visually impaired, and I'm definitely part of that large group dealing with chronic unemployment. Being able to trade my skills for part of the cost would be a huge lifesaver. I'm a solid translator; I've done a few books, I've got a sharp eye for grammar, etc., etc., etc.

Why don't you test me out? Give me a few cards of text that have already been translated, and you can see just how quickly and accurately I work. Compare my version against what you already have on hand.

No rush on a decision. I’m actually heading out to the coast for an educational seminar on improving employment opportunities for the blind and visually impaired. You can check out my work starting from the 27th of this month onwards.

Also, regarding the setup... would your Ink Tank System fit inside the printer housing, or does it absolutely have to sit externally?

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And for everyone else watching—if I do end up getting rid of this HP, what’s the move? Is it better to grab a cheap color laser for around $1,000$500 or find a mid-range inkjet for the same price that might already come with an integrated Ink Tank System?

George Morgan67 said:Is there any way I could pay for the Cessna Citation CISS installation in two installments? Or maybe a hybrid deal—I pay part in cash and cover the rest by doing some English to American translation work for you guys? Honestly, the scanner on this printer is so fast that I really don't want to go out and buy some old used model just because it already has a CISS setup.

Look, we all know the deal—finding a job when you're blind or have severe visual impairment is an uphill battle. Only maybe one in fifty of us actually manages to land something, and honestly, I’m part of that huge majority struggling with chronic unemployment. If there was any way I could trade my skills for services instead of paying cash, it would be a massive lifesaver right now. I’m a solid translator—I've even finished a few books—and I'm pretty meticulous about grammar and spelling. Just a thought.

Look, if you really want to test my speed and how sharp my work is, let me prove it. Send over a couple of text cards that have already been translated. That way, you can compare my version against what you've already got and see exactly how fast and accurate I am. No strings attached—just put me to the test.

No rush on making a decision. I'm actually heading out to a training seminar focused on improving job placement for the blind and visually impaired. Because of that, I won't be available to take on any work until the 27th.

So, would your version of the CISS tank actually fit inside that printer, or does it have to sit outside?

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What do you guys think? If I finally pull the trigger and ditch this Epson L, would it be smarter to just grab the cheapest color laser printer I can find for around $150?$500 Or maybe just grab a mid-range inkjet for the same price, one that might actually come with a built-in CISS already?

Look, I'm not gonna overthink this or give you some long-winded lecture. Honestly, the best move here is to just grab a Brother International printer from Groupon. Here’s the deal: whoever used this one was clearly using genuine Brother ink. Since Brother's Black is a pigment-based ink, it basically turned into concrete inside the machine. Trust me, I've been around the block, and there is zero chance we're getting that stuff cleaned out.

But honestly, the Cyan Yellow and Magenta are working like absolute beasts. They’re 100% spot on. And I don't think it's just a fluke, either—I ran into this exact same thing with three other printers where the Color 100 was perfect, but the Black was totally trashed.

So, why exactly are we pitching this as the solution?
Look, the thing is, we’ve got those permanent 10ml ink tanks available for it. Plus, the printer actually uses optical sensors to check the ink levels. There aren't any annoying chips involved, either. Basically, when you're running low, it just tells you. Also, Brother inkjet printers come with a built-in CISS right from the factory. They also feature 90 nozzles per color, which puts them neck-and-neck with your Cessna Citation. Honestly, just go look up what an Epson L with 90 nozzles per color actually costs. Once you see that, it'll click why they market this series so aggressively—it's all about the profit margins.

Look, if you aren't super picky, that missing Black ink isn't even a real issue. Honestly, since most people can't see fine details like that anyway, you won't notice any visual difference between using actual Black pigment and just mixing Cyan, Yellow, and Magenta to make a dark tone. If you just set your printer settings to "Photo Glossy Paper" permanently, the machine will work perfectly fine without any Black ink at all. On glossy paper, the printer doesn't even try to use the Black cartridge because it physically won't stick to the surface. Plus, there's a huge upside: you only have to refill three tanks instead of four. Ink is dirt cheap regardless, so honestly, this setup makes total sense if you want to save a few bucks.

So, if you've really wrapped your head around it, this whole investment is going to cost you... $33 For an MF device? Plus. $67 What about those refillable cartridges? $33 It’s $300 plus tax. Honestly, you're getting a compact multifunction printer that works like a charm thanks to the built-in factory CISS. Plus, the capacity is literally double what you're running right now.

If you’re looking to go with an external CISS for the $50, you’ll get the outside bottles, and once you say "go," you just hook them up to those permanent tanks on top. There isn't any professional installation, testing, or extra warranty coverage if things go south with a claim.

Just a heads-up, check their stock—they only had two of those units left.