my printer is smoking!

Or, it should be. I am printing my family calendars (a bit late!). I have three different versions -- full size for the wall, a cd size, and a badge calendar that you hang on a purse. I am just working on the big one at the moment, but I need 5 copies to give to family members, so it's a lot of printing. I always try to stretch the ink past the point when the printer starts giving me the "change the ink" light, but it's a dicey calculation to know how long it can go. I wish I knew the right formula for it-really-is-out-of-ink, because invariably I print one too many pages and get wonky, unusable colors on the final print. Probably I'm wasting more ink on that last page than I'm saving by insisting that the printer keep going. Anybody else have the secret to how long the cartridges really last? I have a Canon Pro 9000, if that matters for the ink experts out there.

The calendars sound awesome! I usually print stuff out at Costco now, or similar, b/c ink is soooo expensive. But some things I do print at home. I also run my cartridges dry, and when I think they're REALLY getting low, which is several pages after I get the warning, I watch carefully as the pages come out and cancel the print if it starts looking wonky. I don't know if there's a better way to do it....just sort of guess-work! But I DO know that if I changed them when it said "getting low", then I'd waste a LOT of ink!

I also find that if I'm printing a lot at the same time I seem to be able to go a long time without getting the dreaded "low ink" message. But, if I print sporadically, I get the message often, or at least it seems often. I wonder if there is something that makes the printer think it's low when I haven't printed for a while -- does the ink stagnate?

I know, I notice that too!

Mine seems to do that too, although not always...it's a tricky beast to figure out! I don't think the ink is supposed to stagnate; it's supposed (in theory) to stay fresh long-term. But who knows what lurks in the printers small electronic brain? I always suspiciously supposed that the "low ink" warnings were given WAY too early and often because selling ink is how the ink companies make big $$$, and I figured they want to squeeze as much out of us as they can.

I refill my cartridges and they have worked great for me - tons cheaper too- Two problems I've had though- if I run a cartage dry, then the refill guy says they can't refill it because it will just gunk up. Second, I have an HP printer and the cartridges have built in "expiration" dates. so even if I fill them they then stop working I have found if I rotate the cartridges that I can trick my printer. So I have 3-4 semi empty cartridges in my drawer.