Pigment/Dye Ink System on Canon Pixma Printers Explained

Canon Pixma series printers are preferred by many businesses because of its exceptional speed, print quality, and remarkable features. It is for this reason that Canon continuously innovate printers of this type for different working environments. One notable printer is the Canon Pixma iP4600. It is a mid-range inkjet with impressive speed image quality that makes it one of the best in the market for photo printing.

The technology infused in Canon Pixma iP4600 is responsible for its outstanding speed while the Pigment/Dye Ink System is for the image quality. Pigment/Dye Ink System, as the name suggests, is a mixture of pigment-based ink and dye-based ink. For the Canon Pixma iP4600 it operates with 5 individual ink tanks or ink cartridges. One tank is pigment-based ink (PGI-220BK) and the remaining four are dye-based inks (CLI-221 Series). The ratio between these 2 different inks produces images in rich and vivid colors.

Pigment/Dye Ink System - Ink Versus Dye

Pigment-based Ink

A pigment ink contains a carrier liquid and tiny pigment particles - the combination of these results to a colored powder mixed in water. There are 2 advantages to pigment-based ink. One it is fade resistant; in comparison to dye ink, it fades much slower due to its UV light resistance properties. And two, its water resistant, which makes it an ideal ink for shirt and textile printing. The only downside to this particular ink is its susceptibility to rub off since its particles cannot be absorbed on paper easily.

Dye-based Ink

Dye ink is a fusion of water and water-soluble dye that creates a thicker zero particle mix. As mentioned above, it easily fades after prolonged exposure to sunlight for a period of time. And compared to pigment ink, it has a lower water resistance level that makes it susceptible to bleeding, smudges, and smear. Yet, its resultant image quality remains superior over pigment ink due to its complete liquid property, which results to subdue color tone. Additionally, this liquid property allows easy absorption when printed on inkjet paper. Moreover, dye ink is cheaper than the pigment based ones.

Pigment/Dye Ink System - How Both Work Together in the CANON PIXMA IP4600?

The difference between the two types of pigment inks serves as basis for users to choose which is more apt for their needs. But the idea of putting them together in an inkjet is at an advantage since the output is exceptional. Hence, users of Canon Pixma series printers which uses the Pigment/Dye Ink System can only expect to achieve quality, crisp, and clear image printouts that are fade and water resistant.

Purchasing the Ink Tanks

Canon Pixma iP4600 uses PGI-220bk and CLI-221 ink tanks. These replacement ink cartridges are widely available online. You can purchase an OEM which is costlier or you can opt for cheaper ones like compatible and remanufactured cartridges. Regardless, you will get exceptional print quality.

Save 60% on Your Printing Budget with a Toner Refill Kit

Can you really save money when you use a toner refill kit? Yes. I have asked myself this question countless of times before finally settling on a firm answer. But coming up with an answer was not an easy coup. I had to get over my doubts and apprehensions on whether it is okay or not okay to refill an empty cartridge and administer the process on my own. Nevertheless, when I finally decided to go for it, I never looked back.

The promise to get ample savings may seem too good to be true but on the contrary, laser printer users who have sampled a compatible toner refill kit can attest to the authenticity of this claim. Normally, a compatible toner refill kit is 60% cheaper than an OEM product. To cite an example, an OEM replacement cartridge retailed at $80 has a cheaper toner refill kit counterpart at $20. Owing to the design of toner cartridges, a limit of 3 refills has been recommended; though this is not endemic to all brands because others can withstand 5 to 6 refills or print cycles. Nonetheless, the user still can save a few hundred dollars when a cartridge is reloaded 3 times with compatible toner.

The meager pricing of this consumable however does not imply inferior print quality and yield for refilled toner cartridges. Though produced by a third party manufacturer, the compatible toner powder supplied with toner refill kits has been expertly engineered to provide top of the line print quality and yield. In fact, compatible toner can duplicate or even exceed the performance of the OEM toner. Why is this so? It should be noted that compatible toner was manufactured using the material and particle size specifications of OEM toner, which allows this third party consumable to produce OEM-quality prints. Furthermore supplied with the same gram weight, compatible toner can likewise keep up with the yield rating of the OEM toner cartridge.

How to Refill a Cartridge without a Fill Plug?

Here, I will outline the procedure for a melt-and-pour type of cartridge. To state the obvious, this type of cartridge, does not come with a fill plug; therefore, the user is required to melt a hole on the cartridge's casing to access the toner hopper, which holds the toner supply.

Accessing the Waste and Toner Hoppers. Melt holes over specific sections of the cartridge using a sufficiently heated refill tool - one each for the waste hopper and another over the toner hopper to serve as fill hole. Thereafter, empty the waste hopper from residues of toner and seal the hole with electrical or duct tape. Do the same for the toner hopper, but do not seal the fill hole just yet.

Conducting the Refill. Open the toner powder bottle supplied with the kit and carefully attach the funnel cap to the brim to facilitate transfer of toner from the bottle to the hopper. The funnel cap will likewise help minimize any instance of spills. Following transfer, seal the fill hole with electrical or duct tape.

Reloading the Cartridge to the Printer. Shake the cartridge back and forth to evenly distribute the toner powder filling the toner hopper before loading it back to the laser printer. Perform a test print thereafter.

A third party compatible toner refill kit has been described as a redeemer, simply because it has reduced consumable replacement expenditures and brought laser printer technology closer to budget-conscious users.

How to Recycle Empty Toner Cartridges?

In the intent of recycling or reusing empty toner cartridges, the printer user has 2 options. Recycle by either returning the empty consumables to the printer manufacturer or personally instituting refills on cartridges with the use of compatible toner refill kits.

Option #1. Return the cartridge to the printer manufacturer

Toner cartridges are manufactured almost entirely out of polymers or plastic. Containing only small amounts of metal and other components, the empty cartridges are often rejected in many recycling facilities. Thus, most (if not all) print manufacturers have became committed to accepting, reusing, and recycling empty cartridges through establishing recycling programs.

To recycle toner cartridges by returning to printer manufacturers, users are usually advised to do the following:

1. Stuff empty consumable inside its original packaging or the box by which the replacement cartridge was shipped in. Additionally, the cartridge should be sealed inside the accompanying plastic bag.
2.  If possible, wrap some newspaper around the cartridge before packing to avoid any instance of damage while in transit.
3. Send the packed cartridge through the local Post Office. There may be additional instructions that printer users must do, so it is best to visit the manufacturer’s site for guidelines. Also, check whether the manufacturer or the user will shoulder the return fee. But normally printer manufacturers do not include a free return label on its packaging so that related courier fees are shouldered by the user in the delivery of empty print cartridges to the OEM's recycling facilities.

Option #2. Refilling toner cartridges with toner refill kits

Owing to the high cost of OEM toner cartridges, many users endeavor the refill of empty consumables with compatible toner powder. Typically, a compatible toner refill kit designed to refill cartridges are retailed at least 40% less than the OEM counterpart. Despite the huge price difference, OEM print quality and yield is sustained by the compatible toner equivalent. The more cost effective option therefore is to recycle toner cartridges by refilling its empties. The procedure pertinent to the refill is outlined below.

1. Unload the empty cartridge from the laser printer and pluck out the toner plug. Use a small flathead screwdriver or in the absence of one, the thumbnail will do. When a toner plug cannot be found, printer users will need to create a fill hole. Refer to instructional guidelines included in the refill kit. 
2. Position the cartridge with the fill hole turned over a plastic sheet lined trashcan to dump old toner from the cartridge.
3. Shake the bottle of compatible toner to loosen clumped toner particles.
4. Open the bottle of toner, screw on tightly the supplied funnel cap and slowly transfer toner into the toner chamber through the fill hole.
5. Following transfer of toner powder, reseal the fill hole using the toner plug.
6. Shake the cartridge slightly to distribute toner evenly inside the cartridge before reloading it back into the printer and commencing with print jobs.

The whole refill process is really easy and a compatible toner refill kit is bundled with how to refill toner instructional manual as added convenience to first time users.