Canon Printer sale

[K P]

Oh the way I mean it is that although I do agree that it is incredible to get an 8300 for just a few hundred more than a 6300, which of course gets you way more ink, its not all usable ink.  More ink is being used in the priming of the lines, and each cart is just so much more expensive when you have to replace it.  The big hit is when you start having to buy more ink carts at $170 a pop.  You might just replace 5 or 6, and then the printer dies, and then you have to figure if its more cost effective to buy a new printer, or perhaps new print heads.  It happened to my 6100.  Had to buy a $500 print head, and hoped the other one didn't go.  And since then, only a few months ago, I've probably bought 8 or 9 carts.  So if the other head goes very soon, then I've just pumped lots of money into a printer that I can never get back if I don't get to use up what's already in there.

So all I mean to say is that although it is an amazing deal to get $1700 worth of ink or whatever the number works out to, you will never be in a position to use up all the ink at once and retire the printer.  That extra ink might only work out to $700 extra cause $1000 will be left in lots of ink carts that may be more than half full when the thing dies.

[149113]

The rebate is definitely on till 3/31. What is unclear from the website is if the discounted pricing at http://www.proimagingsupplies.com/Canon-c177/ will stay the same until 3/31.

[Jrobichaud]

Oh the way I mean it is that although I do agree that it is incredible to get an 8300 for just a few hundred more than a 6300, which of course gets you way more ink, its not all usable ink.  More ink is being used in the priming of the lines, and each cart is just so much more expensive when you have to replace it.  The big hit is when you start having to buy more ink carts at $170 a pop.  You might just replace 5 or 6, and then the printer dies, and then you have to figure if its more cost effective to buy a new printer, or perhaps new print heads.  It happened to my 6100.  Had to buy a $500 print head, and hoped the other one didn't go.  And since then, only a few months ago, I've probably bought 8 or 9 carts.  So if the other head goes very soon, then I've just pumped lots of money into a printer that I can never get back if I don't get to use up what's already in there.

So all I mean to say is that although it is an amazing deal to get $1700 worth of ink or whatever the number works out to, you will never be in a position to use up all the ink at once and retire the printer.  That extra ink might only work out to $700 extra cause $1000 will be left in lots of ink carts that may be more than half full when the thing dies.

I think that your ink argument is flawed. You mention that the ink costs more on the 8300 when in fact it's just the opposite. A 130ml tank for the 6300 costs about $75 whereas the 330ml tank for the 8300 is $130, 2 and 1/2 times the ink for $55 more.  Your argument about more in in the lines to the head, you're kidding right?

[K P]

I think that your ink argument is flawed. You mention that the ink costs more on the 8300 when in fact it's just the opposite. A 130ml tank for the 6300 costs about $75 whereas the 330ml tank for the 8300 is $130, 2 and 1/2 times the ink for $55 more.  Your argument about more in in the lines to the head, you're kidding right?

I think the price I saw for 8300 ink was $160, but of course it is still much better.  But imagine this scenario.  You've just replaced 4 or 5 ink carts, and the other 6 or 7 are like 30% to 80% full.  Now your print head dies, or some other flaw actually that makes you really consider if you should pump more money into it or let it retire.  Maybe there is a new model that just came on the market with much better ink.  Now when you consider you have 5 carts that are 80 to 90% full (hence 330ml *5 * 80%=1320ml) and lets say all the others add up to roughly 40% (7 * 330mL * 40% = 924ml)  So it looks to me like this printer has 2L of ink in it.  Now if you can sell your just opened carts to someone, great, but how much will you get?  I don't think I would be buying an unsealed ink cart from anybody.  So it looks to me like this printer is dead with 2 L of ink in it.  It is just impossible to reach the end of a printer's life with using up most of the ink inside.

I'm not disagreeing that the 8300 is an amazing deal over the 6300 if you have the space for it.  But I just think that it is not realistic to say that you will get to use up all the ink from an 8300 that you get over the ink in the carts on the 6300.  And yes, from what I hear, the 8300 does take considerably more ink to prime than a 6300.

[tim wolcott]

Printers dying.  Really are we going there.  I've printed at least 1100 prints so far.  I get 700 ml cartridges which is even better savings..  But I guess if your printer at some point dies which these are built very well.  Everything at some point dies but the next generation printers will have the same ink set that I know for sure.  So if you buy one printer and it dies then you will need another.  But so far these printers do take beating and keep going.  They prefer to print than stay still.  The heads will have to changed at some point.  But cost are incredible, as I said to Canon I buy a printer for 2400 dollars and every 20 minutes I can print a 2400 dollar print. 

Back when we invented the pigment printing process in 1991 before inkjet it cost 1200 dollars to make the same print.

But surely inkjet is one of the best things ever to happen to photography.  The ability to create your own prints at such repeatability and perfection is amazing.  When we created the first pigment inkjet print 1994 it cost about 45.00 for the paper and the ink was still cheap.  Now paper is even cheaper and ink is still cheaper yet.  BUt the quality is still going up.  But we reaching the point of diminishing returns.  I don't see a lot more changes coming.  So enjoy this time its a great time to be a photographer.  All these advanced tools to get control, but don't get caught up in the over analyzing horse shit.  Photography is still about the five major points.  Lighting, composition, angle of view, depth of field, choosing the right lens for the job and I will add the sixth if shooting color that is COLOR COMPOSITION.  T

[tim wolcott]

Just thought I would add that the sale has been extended for all of you need to find your table cloths and candles to squeeze it into your home.

But kidding aside they did extend this for another month.  T

[bupalos]

Yowza. Glad I saw this. I was close to putting THE 3RD printhead in my year-and-a-half old 7900. That would have been 1200 bucks and a lot of stress replacing it myself.

I feel totally liberated.

Of course...now I'm a slave to canon. I hope she's a better master.

[149113]

I'm close to doing the 8300. Right now it's just a space issue - 3rd floor apartment. Would have to consider placing it in storage until I move to a house in May/June.