Printing to CD/DVD

[folkboat]

It appears that in the USA there are only two companies offering CD/DVD printers : HP & EPSON.
The HP printer appears to be "thermal" while the EPSON is "inkjet".

I have burnt over 1500 DVD'S and always used a Sharpie............. (its the cheap way of doing it!)

OTOH I now find myself looking for a CD/DVD capable printer. The HP's are the least expensive, however they use "thermal" printing, which requires "thermal" DVD'S. (there aren't many suppliers of DVD+R thermal DVD's). Also there ink cartridges can be re-filled!

The EPSON initially costs more, however it uses a more common "inkjet" printable DVD.
The real issue is the cost of ink cartridges.......I've seen a few re-fill systems on E-Bay however I'm not convinced they are worth a sh@#$.........................

This all lead me to videohelp for "HELP".

Thanks for any input you can provide.

Regards

[minidv2dvd]

hp is "thermal inkjet" it's the same as an epson "inkjet"


p.s. - this isn't "news" and shouldn't be in the news forum

[RBK]

I have both the Epson and the HP injet versions. I am not sure what Epson currently has available but the unit I have works ok for me. I mostly use the HP Photosmart C5280 All-in-One which has a CD/DVD printing feature. You would probably be better off upgrading the software as the version that ships with this unit is pretty lame.

I also use a Casio Thermal printer which work on the shiny surface disks
http://www.amazon.com/Casio-CW-50-CD-Title-Printer/dp/B00007FGUS

As with most printers of this type they really hose you on the ink. The Epson was pretty easy to find 3rd party ink for while the HP is somewhot harder. Casio is the only source for the thermal ribbons.

[folkboat]

OOOPPS..........SORRY WRONG FORUM!!

Frankly I guess I've never paid much attention to printers and there
descriptions.

The EPSON printers say "inkjet" printing, the HP say "thermal inkjet".

What I'm trying to determine is do they both use the same printable
DC/DVD's?

I 've seen printable CD/DVD media specifically for "thermal" printers.

Thanks

[disturbed1]

Perhaps you should Google the terms you don't quite understand

Thermal inkjets

Most consumer inkjet printers (Lexmark, Hewlett-Packard, and Canon) use print cartridges with a series of tiny electrically heated chambers constructed by photolithography. To produce an image, the printer runs a pulse of current through the heating elements causing a steam explosion in the chamber to form a bubble, which propels a droplet of ink onto the paper (hence Canon's tradename of Bubblejet for its inkjets). The ink's surface tension as well as the condensation and thus contraction of the vapor bubble, pulls a further charge of ink into the chamber through a narrow channel attached to an ink reservoir.

The ink used is known as aqueous (i.e. water-based inks using pigments or dyes) and the print head is generally cheaper to produce than other inkjet technologies. The principle was discovered by Canon engineer Ichiro Endo in August 1977.

Note that thermal inkjets have no relation to thermal printers, which produce images by heating thermal paper, as seen on older fax machines, cash register, ATM receipt, and lottery ticket printers.

As far as which is better HP vs. Epson - it boils down to brand loyalty.
Both printers are flawed - it's which flaws you can live with, or work around that matter

[minidv2dvd]

The EPSON printers say "inkjet" printing, the HP say "thermal inkjet".

What I'm trying to determine is do they both use the same printable
DC/DVD's?

they both are the same type of printer and use inkjet printable media.

[zanos]

Ah, so there's no need to actually buy "thermal" printable dvds then, I pressume.

[folkboat]

Went to HP site checked out the ops manual for the 5580...no joy, googled........no joy!

Based on the feedback standard "inkjet" printable media should work for both EPSON and HP

Soooo I'm going to buy an HP 5580 PRINTER, 100 Taiyo Yuden DVD's........PRINT AWAY!!

Thanks for the feedback!

[turk690]

Not so fast. Literally. All inkjets once were not colorfast: water touches your beautiful printouts and they all cascade into a monochromatic composition. Nowadays some inkjet printer models pride on having "waterproof, colorfast" inks. This should mean someone will spit on your work and they'll remain as they are, as smudge-free as when you printed them. Is this HP you're deadset on getting like this??

[rcubed]

Canon printers can also be "hacked" in the US to print on CD/DVDs. http://damnprinter.com/

I use a PRO9000 to print. I also put a light coating of satin lacquer on the printed surface to protect it. I put the DVD on a clean piece of paper on a hard smooth surface, press lightly on the DVD to make sure the edge is in contact with the paper to prevent over spray from getting on the DVD readable surface.

[zanos]

There is one problem with getting an HP photosmart that no one seems to have touched on and that's the availability of cheap remanufactured ink carts. I don't know any site that actually sells them. Generic oem ones are available but they're expensive. I don't know if they're refillable or anything. Same goes for Canon I think. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

[folkboat]

Haven't pulled the trigger yet on the HP 5580..........

The idea that an image printed on a DVD will essentially bleed when
wet..........gotta do some additional research on that.

I live in a 55+ community and will be starting a slide show workshop. As a
veteren computer engineer a sharpie works for me. Lightscribe is a step up,
but frankly I found it dissapointing. (dull, not very sharp, muted)
OTOH a colored image & text on a burnt DVD sure makes it appear professional.
However spraying laquer to seal the image ain't gonna happen.

I've read about the Canon printers and modding, in fact one of the best printers I've
owned was an old "bubble-jet". Non-Canon inkjet refills destroyed it!!!

I guess most people "sharpie" label there ripped DVD's.

Regards

[rcubed]

There is one problem with getting an HP photosmart that no one seems to have touched on and that's the availability of cheap remanufactured ink carts. I don't know any site that actually sells them. Generic oem ones are available but they're expensive. I don't know if they're refillable or anything. Same goes for Canon I think. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Zanos,
Chip resetters are available for Canon printers (not sure if available for all of the Canon cartridges (Google to check)). I buy bulk ink from MSI. (warning not all inks from all sites are equal) I'm on my third round of refills with my Canon Pro9000 using the same cartridges. You can check the prices of inks, but I should get about 10 or more refills on one bottle of ink. My printer takes 8 colors. A full set of new fresh cartridges is about $100. Ink is about $10 a bottle for 4 oz. I have an HP which I refill the cartridges on it also (7960 photosmart). The print heads are part of the HP cartridge and filling the cartridges can be a real PIA, you may have to bleed out some of the ink if you overfill the HP ones. For my HP printer it remembers the last two cartridges put in, so you either have to have 3 sets to swap in then out to effectively reset the printer, or cover over certain pads on the print cartridge to do the reset. The ink supply people generally have info on how to do this. The Canons are a lot easier to refill since the print heads are separate from the cartridges and there is one cartridge per color, so if you do have to replace a cartridge it is cheaper replacing one rather than one tri color. Also the HPs seem to wear out after a few refills - although some people have done 5 or more refills. In all cases you have to drill a hole in the top of the ink reservoir. In the HP case you leave the hole open, for the Canon you have to reseal after filling. Again most bulk ink sites have info on how to do it.

[zanos]

I went ahead and bought the hp photosmart to test. My assessment? It is absolute garbage! Aside from the fact that it's almost constantly making loud grinding noises the ink is literally all gone on 2 cartridges, after only 13 prints at normal quality!!!!!! The other carts are down to half. I was watching as the ink levels were falling with every print! I also printed 12 dvds. This is a total scam! On top of it all printing on dvds is a bitch! For some reason or another the printer requires you to close the cd/dvd tray every now and then, wait for it to make some grinding noises and then you can start printing again. STAY AWAY! STAY AWAY! I'm taking this back as soon as I can.

[rcubed]

I went ahead and bought the hp photosmart to test. My assessment? It is absolute garbage! Aside from the fact that it's almost constantly making loud grinding noises the ink is literally all gone on 2 cartridges, after only 13 prints at normal quality!!!!!! The other carts are down to half. I was watching as the ink levels were falling with every print! I also printed 12 dvds. This is a total scam! On top of it all printing on dvds is a bitch! For some reason or another the printer requires you to close the cd/dvd tray every now and then, wait for it to make some grinding noises and then you can start printing again. STAY AWAY! STAY AWAY! I'm taking this back as soon as I can.

Zanos,
Sorry to hear about your experience. The grinding sound you hear may be the printer positioning the print cartridge higher so that it can clear the DVD tray. My Canon Pro9000 also makes a lot of sounds, but I have been most pleased with it. I had no previous experience with DVD printing with an HP since my 7960 doesn't support DVD printing. Same issue about positioning the print heads when you go back to printing on paper, the printer must adjust the height of the heads. Closing the DVD tray probably indicates to the printer that you are ready to go back to paper. What model of HP did you get? I'm not familiar with how HP does it. The Canon has a separate print tray you open a door on the front of the printer and insert the tray which holds the DVD. The printer software gives messages as to when it is ok to inset the tray to the beginning position and start printing.
rcubed

[zanos]

5460 I believe.

[Nelson37]

Since nobody mentioned it, the Epson cartridges are easily refillable and a chip resetter is $15.00 I've done over a dozen sets of cartridges with no problems.

The refill procedure is not at all tricky, if you get one post back and I'tt run you through it step-by-step.

[zanos]

Which epson model do you have?

[Nelson37]

I have the r200, now on my third one. SFAIK same cartridge system used on most Epsons.

You need the chip resetter, and refill kit.

Trick #1 is to get the hole around the plug ABSOLUTELY FREE OF INK and COMPLETELY DRY. Buff, blot, wipe with damp paper towel, repeat, repeat again until NO TRACE of ink remains. Then buff, blot, dry, wipe with damp towel, and dry again. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP. The SLIGHTEST TRACE of ink on the surface will prevent a good seal, and cause leakage.

Trick #2 is to use a small amount of clear silicone sealant directly under the mushroom cap of the plug, and on the cart surface around the hole. Give the plug a quarter-twist or so, against the top surface of the cart, and then cover the plug with more silicone after insertion.

Trick #3 is to take a piece of electrical tape, 3-4 inches, and stretch this over the plug. Let dry overnight.

Trick #4, if the cart has been stored, is to put a couple drops of the head cleaning solution into the nozzle on the cart and let sit a few hours, then insert into the printer. Have stored refills over 6 months.

Trick #5 is simply to not be in a hurry. Insert new carts, do some head cleaning, then let it sit for several hours. Another nozzle check and off you go.

[zanos]

Those for the info! I have empty remanufactured carts. I'm guessing I can simply buy some some ink and refill those and it'll work, right? I wasn't aware you had to go thru such lengths to seal the plugs though. Where exactly do you keep buying your r200s? Didn't they stop making those like ages ago? I currently have an r220 but at least a couple of the heads are clogged and I don't suspect a cleaning kit/solution will work on it. I once bought it and didn't do anything.

[Nelson37]

Bought the first several years ago, second one died early so I had a bunch of ink and carts, found one at a customer's house still with the original factory carts, barely used so I swapped them some labor for it.

That those plugs were apparently supposed to seal from a pressure fit alone still amazes me. No way in hell. Evolved the above procedure over time, only a couple slight seepage leaks and none after I realized the importance of getting the surface totally clean and dry. You buff with a damp paper towel until you see NO TRACE of color at all, alternating damp and dry several times. Then buff some more.

Often the heads seem to be hopelessly clogged even after several cleaning cycles. A combo of soaking the cart nozzles in the cleaning fluid for a couple hours, then inserting into the printer with the fluid still in the nozzle helps, but I have learned to simply let them sit overnite, then clean again and all is good. Also remember to print something every couple weeks or so.

I used the Stratitec refill kits from Office Depot, got the chip resetter there as well. They don't sell the ink anymore, though it is available on-line. Got a refilled set in the printer, two more sets sealed up in baggies, and enough ink for maybe one more refill. Should last a year or two.

There is also a program to reset the counters on the printer, you need this as my first printer reached the limit number and stopped working. Would print a test page but nothing else, aggravating that a working, functional printer simply reached a pre-set count and became unusable. Don't have the prog name handy, SSC or something like that.

[zanos]

Yes I believe scc utility will allow you to reset it. That's what I did. Unfortunately my printer started to get clogged more and more months after that. I did find an r200 on the street and I took out the virtually clean ink pad and replaced mine, which was soaked, but unfortunately this didn't do anything to help my printer. I would simply have used the r200 but for some reason or another the cd/dvd tray won't respond. The tray is greyed out in epson print cd which utterly strange.

I suppose I'll have to buy another cleaning kit which really sucks because there's no guarantee it'll work. I suppose I'll have to use your method although I'm not certain how soaking the cartridge nozzles will help clear up the clogged print heads in my printer.

[Nelson37]

You leave the alcohol in the cart nozzle and quickly flip and insert into the printer. A fair amount of the solution gets to the printhead, I could tell from the nozzle check.

Never had mine get completely clogged, though. Then again what I have assumed to be poor ink flow from the cart could have been a clog at the head. Couple software head cleans and nozzle checks, repeated after hours or next morning, has always fixed it. Printer is often unused for several weeks at a time.

[Verify]

I have a Canon PIXMA iP4200 and the mod kit. Needed to print 100 DVDs of a video that I took of a friend playing the piano, accordion, and marimba (not simultaneously : )

Used Taiyo Yuden 8X Premium White inkjet printable disks. Took most of a set of color cartages to do the 100 (with full surface printing). Cost about $85 (4x $13=$52 + disks and tyvec sleeves).

They looked nice and the surface dried fairly quickly and resisted smudging with either a dry or damp finger.

The cartridges for the 4200 have a chip that keeps track of the ink used and the last time that I looked there was no chip resetting available.

Some earlier Canon printers did not used chipped cartridges.

[classfour]

Discs: Best = TY Watershields. 70 cents each.

I've used 4 Epson models: 900, R200, R300, R 280.

I use refillable carts or CIS.

All work

Canon and HP owners step up.

[KTH]

Verify, there are chip resetters available for the iP4200 (see links below). I purchased a resetter for my MP610 from the eBay seller listed below with no problems with the transaction. At that time they were selling a red version of the resetter that is called "Redsetter" by most people who talk about it. The blue one listed is probably better since you can change the batteries on the unit. On the Redsetter there are no screws on the unit so you have to break the seal to open it and make modifications so that it can be put together again. I've also posted a link to a site where people actively discuss refilling ink cartridges. Sorry I guess I went off topic a bit.


http://cgi.ebay.com/OM-Canon-Ink-Chip-RESETTER-reset-ALL-cli-8-pgi-5-PGBK_W0QQitemZ220...d=p3286.c0.m14


http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/index.php