Choosing an ink-level monitor
Submitted by srlinuxx on Tue, 01/01/2008 - 09:02.
Thanks to the OpenPrinting Database and the Common Unix Printing System (CUPS), printer support on GNU/Linux is much easier than it was at the turn of the millennium. However, one area in which support still lags is in the detection of ink levels in inkjet printers.
Chances are that an ink level utility will be available only if you have a Canon, Epson, or Hewlett-Packard printer -- and even then, only if you're lucky. If you have an Epson Stylus, you may be able to use Mtink, while for other printers by these manufacturers, your best bet is one of the graphical displays for the Libinklevel library.
To use either Mtink or a Libinklevel front end, you need to know your printer's manufacturer and model and the parallel or USB port with which it connects to your computer. Although both programs have some degree of auto-detection, in both cases it is unreliable.
Ink level problem is fundamental ? Hermetic seal only ?
First, inks for inkjet started with clothing dye(salts) and water. Unfortunately, it dies up in the cartridge too fast. So, glycol is added to slow down the drying due to humidity level. Air conditioned room dries up ink very fast(in a month?). For some one who has been refilling inkjet cartridges for over ten years, glycol percentage is very important for quality ink refill.
Equally important is to use scotch tape on nozzles and air vent when ink cartridges are not in use. Or have the inkjet cartridge sealed in plastic bag preventing humidity level to dry up the water content.
Cartridges can be repaired by soaking in hot water(160F), to remove salt. Let it dry thoroughly. then refill thru a hole, which then has to be sealed with rubber stopper. It is that simple.
Footnote:
Clothing dye(black or colors) is very cheap in the super market. Water from bottles(filtered) will work(do not use too much water for dense color). Glycol(ethylene) is used in automobile antifreeze, which is toxic(do not ingest!). You can make small batches and use very little(drop) antifreeze that has ethylene glycol. Typically 2.7% glycol(wetting agent), 0.3% alcohol surfactant(or 3% antifreeze) and 97% water and dye. Of course, this is experimental, and can not supersede quality control of factory inkjet inks.
Save money on inkjet cartridges ? fundamentals ? tapwater ?
Inkjet cartridges are the expense of any cheap printers. When they dry up, only the water evaporated. The dye and glycol are still there. So, if you refill, the composition became too thick, and the cartridge with its piezoelectric device gets clogged up.
But, the residues when it dried up, tell you how much water to fill the level backup. You only need tap water, which is usually 10,000 ohm-cm pure. It may have PH of 8(Framingham water from the salt melting snow and ice). Fill it thru a hole that can be sealed with rubber stopper again. By filling up to the level left by the dried up ink, the composition of the ink will be correct. This is if you can see thru the clear cartridge or thru a hole on opaque cartridges.
When the ink finally exhausted, then you can use refill ink and still maintain the correct composition always, in the cartridges for many years to come. Black ink is the best to experiment with, later you can learn how to refill color ink cartridges with tapwater.
Footnote:
On some inkjet cartridges, they work on equalized pressure, such as HP`51626A. After you refill the cartridge with ink, and rubber stopped it. You remove the scotch tapes on the piezoelectric holes and the air vent. Then you have to shake downward to eject some excess ink, until a slight vacuum is created in the cartridge to stop any more ink leakage. This is the real secret on how to use this type of cartridge, to stop any ink leakage due to pressure not equalized by pushing the rubber stopper into the cartridge.