Photo Printing Delema

[efuniture]

Hi Guys,
I am hoping someone can help with this problem. I have windows xp pro on a pentium 3 and I have a cannon printer  model BJC 2100sp. Up until now when we want to print a pic we select photo paper and best quality. This would print out decent pics. Now all of a sudden if you select this setting on your printer with the photo print wizard I get a message that this cartridge isnt compatible with this setting install said cartridge and print. It also say's if you want to print using current cartridge pick normal quality and print. This does work but of course it dos'nt print as good a picture. All I can think is this started after the last automatic window updates installed. Is this a scam to make us buy more products??. Anyway to make a long story even longer I did a system restore back to when I knew the last time I printed a good picture and it hasnt made any difference. I dont want to go out and spend a fortune on a cartridge I dont need, help!
Cheers Paul

[CharleyO]

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Perhaps the ink cartridge you have now has enough ink for normal printing but maybe not enough for best quality?       Best quality uses more ink, of course.

 Just a guess on my part but I had a similar thing happen to me once.


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[DavidR]

Are you using a Cannon cartridge or a compatible cartridge?

I have a Cannon iP4000, not a dedicated photo printer and I notice a drop in quality on checking I found one of the cartridges wasn't seated correctly. Once seated correctly things were fine.

I have been using compatible cartridges since my first set ran out with no problems. However, if I were to use it for photos I doubt the quality would be as good as original cannon ink. Tests show fadding appears to be an issue in many compatible (cheap) cartridges.

[efuniture]

 ???Thanks Guys,
I have a guenuine cannon cartridge with plenty of ink so I am at a loss. The guys that sell printers have no idea. I have e- mailed Cannon and still awaiting a response.

[polonus]

Hi efuniture,

If it is not the ink or the cartridge setting or printer, you have to think of something else. If it is a colour printer and you print a full red screen, you have a problem because your red ink may be ended.
If this is not the problem, get the printer installation program (from the Internet site, if you do not have it anymore, together with the Manual (pdf), and try to reinstall the darned installation proggie, that will do it.

polonus

[DavidR]

???Thanks Guys,
I have a guenuine cannon cartridge with plenty of ink so I am at a loss. The guys that sell printers have no idea. I have e- mailed Cannon and still awaiting a response.

Your welcome, when you do find the answer perhaps you will let us know. It may help others in the future.

[mauserme]

I'm more familiar with HPs than Canons, but it sounds like it might be a bad electrical connection between the cartrdige and the printer.  Make sure the contacts are clean and there are no bits of paper or lint blocking the connection.

If you are willing to buy another cartridge you could test the situation by installing the new one.  If the problem goes away the current cartridge is defective.  If not, the printer might need servicing.

[efuniture]

Thanks again Chaps,
I have reinstalled my printer with cd and a new guenuine cartridge and it is still saying cartridge missmatch and the stupid @#%^&* thing is asking for the cartridge that is in it. It will be cheaper to buy a new printer  than get it serviced as they are on special for the price of the black and colour cartridge. So there you go. Our Prime Minister is famous for the slogan 'Life wasnt meant to be easy" and Old Mick Jagger wreckons ''You Cant Always Get What You Want'    I mean How much can a koala bear 
Tie me kangaroo down an all that, Cheers from down under Paul

[mauserme]

Isn't there a national holiday coming soon?  Giving one's self an Australia Day gift sounds like a tradition worth starting.

cheers

[DavidR]

I have reinstalled my printer with cd and a new guenuine cartridge and it is still saying cartridge missmatch and the stupid @#%^&* thing is asking for the cartridge that is in it. It will be cheaper to buy a new printer  than get it serviced as they are on special for the price of the black and colour cartridge.

There are some printers that it is almost cheaper to buy a new printer than pay for new inkjet carts I'm sure the printer is a loss leader to get you on the original inkjet cartridge train, there would appear to be more profit in the cartridges.

I even hear some of the printer manufactures are trying very hard to stop the sale of compatible cartridges. The easy way to do this would be to stop ripping us off and the compatible cartridge manufacturers would either go out of business or the difference wouldn't be great enough to make people look for an alternative.

[CharleyO]

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I even hear some of the printer manufactures are trying very hard to stop the sale of compatible cartridges.

Yep ... they have tried this.   

The easy way to do this would be to stop ripping us off and the compatible cartridge manufacturers would either go out of business or the difference wouldn't be great enough to make people look for an alternative.

Yep, too true, David ... but too easy of a solution for them to think of.   


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[efuniture]

After no response from Cannon I found a guy at INK IT AGAIN who was a former printer tech. He told me it was a resister that burns out in the print head that recognizes the cartridge Number and it would be $80 to replace. I found a much later model wizz bang printer ( with new cartridges of course) for $58  for the whole printer that does great photo's as well. The interesting thing is he told me that all the new printers that are out and coming out are chipped so once the cartridge has emptied you cant trick the machine into accepting the refilled cartridge. However some geniuss has come up with a cartridge chip resetter for $40. Of course the this makes refilling more expensive. I think generic cartridges are here to stay as even though they try to stop them our consumer law allows some things not to be monopolised. (hopefully any way as new cartridges for a basic printer is more than the printer). Anyway Australia day is coming up so the new printer was A Happy Australia Day tooo Me  Hip Hip hooray