Continuous ink supply system description. CISS: installation on your own. How to tell good ink from bad

CISS ELEMENTS 1

Ink tanks familiar to CISS

Ink trail

CISS ink tanks connected to printer cartridges

Continuous Ink System, CISS - a device for an inkjet printer that supplies ink to the print head from refillable reservoirs. Thanks to CISS, printing costs are significantly reduced, and the user receives savings measured in tens of times.

The device consists of ink reservoirs connected by a silicone cable to cartridges that are identical to the original ones, but do not have the usual filler inside. Since the CISS is completely sealed (except for the pressure stabilization compartment), the vacuum is compensated by the flow of ink from donor containers through a multi-channel loop into the CISS cartridges. This ensures that the necessary ink is always available in the print head. Using CISS allows you to achieve savings when printing up to 60 times compared to conventional cartridges due to the low cost of alternative inks compared to original ones.

Positive aspects of using CISS

Disadvantages of using CISS

CISS are not original solutions from manufacturers, but are supplied by participants in the secondary market. As a result, manufacturers lose significant income (the price of one milliliter of official ink is more expensive than French perfume) and sometimes try to complicate the use of such systems using chips or other mechanisms. As a result, CISS is not available for all printer models on the market.

• The main problem rests on the incorrect positioning of the ink tanks, which should be placed either at the level or just below the head. If placed higher, due to pressure, ink may begin to leak into the printer and damage it. If the position is too low, air will begin to flow into the print head nozzles, causing the nozzles to dry out.
• The entire system, especially the internal cartridge and hoses, must be deprived of air during installation. The presence of air will inevitably cause the printing nozzles to burn out. inkjet printers with thermal printing form ( Hewlett Packard, Canon).
• Printer manufacturers may attempt to waive warranties when converting the printer and using compatible Supplies. Which, however, is considered illegal in most countries - since the warranty can be denied if and only if the modification caused a breakdown, but not in cases independent of the modification. On Hewlett-Packard printers, for example, the warranty status changes from full to altered. It is worth noting, however, that printing with alternative inks will save money (which would have been spent on original cartridges) many times greater than the cost of a new printer.
• Moving the printer from place to place, any change in position in space should be done with the utmost care.
• In very rare cases, clogging of the print nozzles can occur - especially if the filling process is not kept clean and separate syringes are not used. The chance of contamination when using CISS is significantly lower than when using refilled or alternative cartridges, and is equal to that when using original cartridges (residues of dried ink on the receiving holes of the head itself) since refills are very rare and ink is not poured directly into the print head, but only into external system submissions. The blockage is very easy to remove with special means.

CISS and printer manufacturers

IN Lately There is a tendency among manufacturers of printing devices to make it difficult to install CISS on modern printers for third-party companies that are not financially dependent on them. It is not profitable for manufacturing companies when users who have purchased a printer use CISS instead of buying original cartridges (usually expensive and quickly running out). For example, Epson often changes the firmware of chips on its printers, so it may turn out that the chips are on cartridges or on CISS purchased from third party manufacturers, do not support the printer version (if the difference between the printer release date and the sales date is less than 4 months). To prevent the installation of ink-conducting tubes from CISS, printer covers that are structurally more closed and inaccessible, electronic control chips on cartridges, and other methods of making it difficult to install such systems are used.

Nevertheless, in the fall of 2011, the first printer models on the market with pre-installed CISS manufacturer: Epson L100, Epson L200 and Epson L800. These printers can only be refilled with branded Epson ink, which are distributed in special containers of 70 ml each.

CISS manufacturing companies

On this moment There is intense competition among manufacturing companies in the consumables market. Development of color technology inkjet printing could not but lead to the development of an entire branch of the industry, working to improve old and develop new coloring compositions, divided between manufacturers of “ink jets”. The demand for CISS is driven by the rapid development digital technologies which happened in last years. Technological progress has led to the widespread use of digital photographic equipment and, as a result, increased the demand for printing pictures at home. Also, the use of CISS is widespread in photo studios, as it can significantly reduce production costs. In the post-Soviet space, we can highlight such companies selling CISS as 7COLORS (Russia, Ukraine, Israel), Ciss, Revkol, INKSYSTEM (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, EU, Middle East), WWM (Ukraine), SPSYSTEMS (Latvia), IST, Resetters, Liteprint (Ukraine), Printchip (Belarus), ColorWay, Patron, etc.

Notes

Links

Wikimedia Foundation.

2010.

What is CISS

Something like an intro
A man bought a printer, prints texts, drawings, photographs, everything is fine only from time to time, from time to time he has to replace the cartridges with new ones.
There comes a time when changing or refilling cartridges gets boring, especially when there is a large volume of printing - just started printing - the cartridge runs out.

That’s when you start to think about how to attach a bottle of ink to it (the printer) and forget about changing cartridges.

Continuous feed systems were first used in 1993-94 in NovaJet plotters from EnCad. It consisted of 500 ml ink cans, which were connected through tubes to inkjet heads (this principle has been preserved to this day). CISS
- this is a system of communicating vessels designed to receive ink as it is consumed into printer cartridges from donor containers.

Ink is supplied through elastic tubes (a kind of cable) connecting the printer cartridges and ink containers. Due to the created vacuum in the cartridge chamber, the ink from the tubes fills the space of the ink spit out during the printing process.
Typically, CISS is desirable and more expedient to use in inkjet printers with a built-in print head, this is due, first of all, to high resource heads, although in principle, CISS can also be installed on a printer with a PG located on a cartridge. (By the way, I installed my first CISS on a printer with a cartridge with a built-in PG).

What else positive can be said about CISS?

Let's start with the printer's performance, which is determined not only by the printing speed, but also by the complexity of the technological operations for changing the cartridge or refilling ink, as well as the percentage of defects as a result of the end of ink in the cartridges during the printing process. If you do not have a continuous ink supply system, then the ink in the cartridge will sooner or later run out and it will have to be replaced. At the same time, depending on the type of printer with a new cartridge, you have to perform various technological exercises for cleaning and adjustment, which can take 10-15 minutes (and sometimes more if the new cartridge turns out to be defective). Next, keep in mind that you have several cartridges installed on your printer (or one with several chambers) with different colors and that they run out at different times. Therefore, in the case of several color cartridges, they will have to be changed several times more often, and with one color cartridge with several cameras, you will also have to throw it away with unspent ink (unless, of course, you refill the cartridge yourself). Thus, the average printing time per page and, most importantly, the cost increase significantly. Needless to say, all these problems can be avoided by using a printer with continuous ink supply (CISS). This will allow you to increase the performance of your system by 15-20%, all other things being equal.

This system is also of great importance for reducing operating costs. Firstly, ink for such systems is 3-5 times cheaper than ink in cartridges. Secondly, defects due to ink running out during the printing process can be avoided.

Thus, the use of a continuous ink supply system can significantly increase productivity and reduce operating costs, reduce printing costs several times and increase overall quality works
In a number of cases, during the manufacture of CISS, the technical drainage of ink into the diaper (absorbent sponge) of the printer is converted into drainage into a separate container.
During standard operation, the printer counts the number of printed pages and the number of technical cleanings - which are necessary for normal operation of the printer. Technical cleaning is carried out by the printer itself according to the programmed program + cleaning performed by the user. Once the required amount of data has accumulated, the printer stops working until the diaper is reset.
When draining the drain into a separate container, the diaper with “certain literacy” can be reset manually and continue operating the printer with CISS. But this is a separate question.

Well, now you can go directly to the CISS itself

There is nothing complicated, much less tricky, in making CISS; the main thing is to understand the operating principle.
Having understood the principle of operation, you can independently manufacture and install CISS on the printer, and this will not be difficult.
There are people on the forum who can assemble CISS from scrap materials, and, what is most surprising, all these CISS will work perfectly.
It seems to me that if Yukha ends up on a desert island, he will find something to make CISS out of there too.
Seems distracted.

How can you install CISS on the printer?

In my opinion, there are two ways:
1. Order a CISS in the RESETTERS store, and following the instructions (which are attached) install it (the CISS) on your printer.
2. Order from the resetters store something that is difficult to make at home (chips, cable) and make the rest yourself. By the way, with a certain skill and experience, you can also make a train yourself.

So, what does CISS consist of?

1. Donors - containers in which ink is located.
2. Loop – through which ink flows from donors to cartridges, capsules, damper chambers and further to the PG.
3. Cartridges, capsules, damper chambers.

Chapter I Donors - containers

Donors are containers in which ink is located and, as needed, goes to the PG.
In the very first CISS, 200 ml were used as donors. ink bottles, a hole was made in the lid for a tube that went down to the bottom, and an air filter was placed in the lid there.

Subsequently, such donors were abandoned, since the rate of ink flow out of such bottles is different and depends on the amount of ink.
Although 200 ml. Ink bottles continued to be used, adding a hydrodonor based on a cap from “GALA” (dishwashing liquid).
The result is a kind of Mariotte vessel, where the flow rate of the liquid constant and does not depend on the amount of ink in the donor.


Rice. 02

Rice. 03
Now we need to tell you a little about the Mariotte vessel, its principle of operation.

Well, now let’s look at how a donor made according to the principle of a Mariotte vessel works.

I think it would be right if we divide this issue into several stages.
1. filling the donor and its work.
2. how to reconcile or balance the donor and PG.

How to properly fill the donor and its work.

Rice. 09
1 – compartment where the ink is located.
2 – air compartment.
3 – tube through which ink flows from the donor to the PG.
4 – hole for filling the donor with ink.
5 – plug for the air compartment.

I would advise that before filling the donor with ink, check it for leaks, regardless of whether you bought the donor or made it yourself. If the donor is not sealed, it will not work, so it is better to immediately make sure that it is sealed.
There are many different donor designs on the market, but the principle of operation is the same.

Many people buy ready-made CISS, and some manufacturers’ instructions say that it is necessary to equalize the ink levels in the large and small compartments. This is a deeply erroneous statement, since when leveling the levels in the compartments, your donor will not work according to the principle of a Moriott vessel, but will work like a regular container - “a bottle with a straw to the bottom” Fig. 01.
I want to say right away that there should be ink in the large (ink) compartment, and ONLY AIR in the small (air) compartment.

So how do you properly prime a donor?

For example, consider the donor circuit in Fig. 09.
As I already said, for the donor to work, there should be no ink in the air compartment; for this, before you start filling the donor with ink through hole 4, you need to close the air compartment 2 with a plug 5. This is necessary so that the air compartment does not fill up during refilling ink. After filling the donor with ink (compartment 1), tightly close the filler hole 4 with the plug and open the plug 5 in the air compartment 2. I repeat again, there should be no ink in the air compartment 2. If, after some time, ink appears in air compartment 2, it means that air is leaking into compartment 1.
This may happen because the filler hole 4 is not tightly closed, or if the donor was made independently, the seams are poorly taped. But if we previously checked it for leaks, then there is only one reason - the ink compartment plug is not tightly closed.
Close the ink cap tightly and pump out the ink from air compartment 2.
To do this, take a 10 - 20 ml syringe. connect it using a piece of tube from the dropper with fitting (fitting) 6 for the ink outlet from the donor and carefully begin to pull out the syringe piston, the syringe will begin to fill with ink, and the ink level in the air compartment will decrease.

Use a syringe to completely pump out the ink from the air compartment. As soon as the air compartment is empty of ink, you will notice this immediately, as air from the air compartment will begin to flow into ink compartment 1.
It will be seen how air in the form of bubbles from compartment 2 enters compartment 1. The donor is working.
Disconnect the syringe with the tube from the outlet and leave the donor alone for several hours, while observing whether ink appears in the air compartment.

There is also another way to free the air compartment from ink. I wanted to write, but I remembered that I already mentioned this method on the Episode forum, so I decided to find it.
To make Episode’s advice/answer more clear, I’ll explain the essence of the question.
The person complains about a bad seal, although he installed the purchased CISS, as he writes, exactly according to the instructions and provides a photo of the instructions and a photo of filled donors as proof.
Here is Episode's response in full:

“About the ink levels in your donors.
1. Burn it, throw it out the window, give it to a neighbor, or, as a last resort, eat your instructions for the CISS.
Another option is to send it back to the CISS seller as a token of gratitude.
2. Head in the parking lot. You open the cap on the ink compartment. The ink levels in the compartments are equalized. You take a 50 cc syringe, if you don’t have one, then a tube: one end in your mouth, the other sealed into the hole in the AIR compartment.
Blow until all the ink goes into the ink compartment. Close the ink compartment with a stopper. All. You don't have to blow. As a result, you should have in the ink compartment no more than 90% ink, no less than 10% air. In the air compartment There SHOULD NOT be any ink. AT ALL!
There is another option. Tilt the donors, and thus move the ink from the small air compartment to the large ink compartment. Choose which one is easier for you.
3. Always, I emphasize, there should always be only air in the air compartment, and not an ounce of ink. The presence of ink in the air compartment indicates that the CISS is not sealed, or that it has not been refilled correctly.
4. In the ink compartment, the ink level should not be allowed to drop below 20-25% of the total volume.

Only if all these conditions are met can you try to get a high-quality print, and stable work CISS donors.
If these conditions are met, then it will be possible to look for the cause of your stripes in the photos.”

If you made the donor yourself and have little experience in using the donor, then I advise you to carry out all these tests with water, since the chances of getting stained with ink from head to toe are almost zero.
In some donor designs, when refilling them with ink, the air compartment is not visible, since it is located inside the ink compartment. So how do you know how a donor works?

If our donor works like a Mariotte vessel, then during the printing process air bubbles appear in the donor in the large (ink) compartment and you can hear them “gurgling”. This air from the small (air) compartment enters the ink compartment, replacing the ink used for printing. This is especially noticeable when the printer prints for 20–30 minutes.
If this does not happen, then your donor is “an ordinary bottle with a straw to the bottom,” and you must urgently remove the ink from the air compartment.

Donor in Fig. 09 is also convenient because you can refuel it almost at any time, you just have to close the air compartment with a plug, open the refueling hole 4 and calmly refuel. Next, close hole 4 with a plug and open the air compartment. That's it, the donor is ready to continue working. The inconvenience is that when the donor is fully refilled, the air compartment is not visible and you only have to guess whether the ink got there or not.
The situation is different with the donor in Fig. 08, I refill it when the ink is almost out, because when refilling, ink appears in the air compartment, and as mentioned above, if there is ink in the air compartment, the donor, like a Mariotte vessel, will not work.
Then you need to disconnect the cable from the cartridge and use a syringe to pump out the ink from the donor until the air compartment is free of ink (until the air “gurgles” in the ink compartment).
In general, with refueling and refueling of the donor Fig. 08, a lot of “headaches”, but I’m already used to it, although I like the collapsible donors from resetters better.

There is a misconception that there should still be ink in the air compartment, albeit in a minimal amount. And if they are not present at all in the small (air) compartment, then the system is supposedly faulty. I will repeat this erroneous opinion once again. And the complete absence of ink in the air compartment only indicates that the donor design is correctly balanced. And lucky is the one who has such a donor.
The presence or absence of a minimum amount of ink in the small (air) compartment is determined by the design of the donor and depends on many factors, including atmospheric pressure.
When there is even a minimum amount of ink in the air compartment - 2-3-4-5mm.
we turn on the printer to print until it (the printer) uses up these 2-3-4-5mm. ink, the donor as a Mariotte vessel does not work, but will start working only after there is 0 (zero) mm in the air compartment. ink.
Well, that's another question.

Let's take stock

1. In a fully and correctly filled donor, in a small (air) compartment there should be no ink.
2. In the large (ink) compartment, there should be 80 - 90% ink and naturally 20 - 10% air
3. If there are still 2-3mm in the air compartment. ink - no big deal, they can also appear or disappear with changes in atmospheric pressure.

You can fill in any color instead of any other (if the ink type is suitable), the printer doesn’t care. If you confuse Magenta and LightMagenta, the printer will not notice. You will notice.
You can fill all donors with black. You can fill different shades of gray to print black and white photos.
Color rendering will be entirely up to you.
And some colors may differ in properties (fluidity, density, viscosity,...), i.e. clog the PG print head more than others.
It also happens that part of the color of one manufacturer is filled in, part of another.
It happens less often that one type of black is poured - pigment ( if the printer allows ), the rest are water soluble. Or vice versa.

Decide for yourself, if unsuccessful, flush the PG and buy new printer To you.

4. Manufacturer and brand of ink available in your region.

Real guarantee of compatibility of alternative inks with original ones NO. One chemical is precisely known ink composition is different. There are cases precipitation in some inks, which may cause fatal print head clogged PG. The ink should not contain air, so it is not recommended to shake it, much less turn it into “carbonation” with vigorous refilling from a syringe.
However for pigment On the contrary, there is advice to shake the ink periodically, since the pigment tends to settle to the bottom.
In short, JBond's recipe is "mix but don't shake"...

5. Manufacturer and brand of paper available in your region
6. Any feedback on the print quality of your Printer + Ink + Paper combination?
The printing result greatly depends on the amount of Printer + Ink + Paper
In some cases, achieve normal and good results It is possible only by calibration (profiling).
How to profile yourself and at home? , Ch2, Ch3, Ch4, Ch5 nearby. topic with all parts, rar archive, 494k.

7. Selection of CISS, systems available in your region, alternatives.
Capsule, damper, cartridge. (Start) , .
An “alternative” to CISS is refilling of original cartridges and refillable PZK cartridges.
... (beginning) that today.
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... About .
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8. What chips are included in the CISS.
... Ordinary, as on the originals (hardly nowadays)
... Autochips are separate for each cartridge
... SCSI chip (one or connected with dummies)
... One original cartridge is connected
What's happened
So, ordinary chips that are reset by a resetter, and autochips that reset themselves, are subject to fan cleaning. CISS on cartridges has a greater chance of getting chips with fan-shaped cleaning.

9. What ink containers are included in the CISS
Most containers (donors) are made in China, some may leak.
Implementation options:
... Without stabilization (jars)
...
Most modern donors are manufactured with a Mariotte vessel (stabilization device).
All donors with stabilization can work with “disabled” stabilization, i.e. in jar mode.
If, in addition to the main one - the ink compartment (ICH), donors also have an air compartment (IA), then they are intended for stabilization.
Without VO, donors only work like jars.

Prepare
... Tweezers
... Blunt nose scissors cut drip and tape
... Paper clips, paper or clothes pins, or clips
... Hair dryer
... A clean dusting cloth
... A place to work that is not afraid of spills of ink, water, etc. liquids
... A strip from a plastic bottle (preferably straight) to support the soft train
... Stationery tape for attaching the strip to the cable

1. My printer is absolutely new, is it worth installing “original” cartridges or straight CISS?
It is not necessary to put it, but it is possible.
If you don’t install it, you don’t need to flush the PG.
If you install it, you can make sure that the printer itself is working and there are defects.
Very It is advisable to do it on original cartridges . You will see that:
* printer is working
* the printer prints with all nozzles
* what colors on the print have shades
* prepare for the future control test for comparison
Moreover, it is advisable to do in advance not only standard test, but also extended tests from other programs (AP, BRS-Test,..) Links to programs are in the rubricator

Total.
My choice is to set and rinse.

2. Is it necessary to flush the PG before installing the CISS or not (or does it depend on the answer to question 1)?
We carefully read at the beginning of CISS SELECTION about the types of ink and the problem of washing.
My choice is always to rinse! It will take a little time, it will protect you from hemorrhoids... Cost of error = cost of printer.

3. Is it necessary to check the CISS in any way before installation?
Not necessarily, HOWEVER, VERY healthy.
During storage, donors and other CISS parts could collect dust and debris! .
Do you really want to pour this garbage into the printer's head along with ink?
Donors and plume joints may leak or leak air! .
You'll be tired of dealing with streaks in your photos.
* Depending on your type of ink, fill the donors with distillation or MM BEFORE connecting.
* Check the joints of the cable and fittings visually and by shaking the syringe, the liquid should not protrude, bubbles should not appear inside near the joints!
* Chip check + simultaneous flushing:
... We inspect the CHIP (cartridges with chips) everything should be neat, smooth and even, without flash, rags, burrs and other unnecessary protruding parts. However, do not be too quick to saw the outside sides; the strip may begin to fall out or will not fall on the contact pads. Without fanaticism!
...
... According to the instructions, we install the CHIP (before laying the cable). With cartridge CISS the number is there, but it won’t work.
... We cut pieces of 1.5-2 cm from the dropper according to the number of printer colors.
... We put it on the nozzles of the syringes, pull the pistons out of the syringes and put them on the fittings instead of the cartridges.
... We make sure that the syringes will not touch the stationary parts of the printer; if in doubt, we shorten the syringes by cutting them or tilt them slightly
...Pour into syringes flushing fluid as much as possible
... Turn on the printer and watch how the flushing leaves the syringes (the printer has turned on standard cleaning)
... The printer is not ready to print, check the error code according to the printer instructions. Usually - no ink.
If the chip has a button, initialize it CAREFULLY according to the instructions
If the CHIP does not have a button, then turn off the printer and install the chip again.
And we study chip problems on the forum.
... When the printer has calmed down and is ready to print, add rinse to the syringes
... We start regular cleaning, adding flushing in a timely manner, then
... We insert the paper into the tray and print the photos until traces of ink appear on the paper. After 1-2 prints, top up.
... now we print black text, because... When printing in color, black may NOT be CONSUMED at all.

4. Is it enough to follow the installation instructions for the CISS or do you need to “finish it with a file”?
It depends. For the most part, the components of all CISS are Chinese.
See previous checks

5. Is CISS adjustment necessary? Isn't it enough to just plug in a unit of cartridges and pour ink into the cans?
If you have read the topic “What is CISS” from the beginning, then you already know...
If not yet, too bad. . This is the key concept!
The quality of balancing determines the accuracy of ink supply to the head.
Poor balancing leads to streaks, blots and misprints.
Configuration is required, required, and may be required again. Regardless of the type of system installed.
Since balancing can change when significant factors change: the amount of ink in the donor, temperature and pressure. Those. Balancing may change during printing and when idle!

Marriott's rake No. 1 - "fountain"
For normal operation of Marriotts, the ink compartment must be isolated from the atmosphere; insulation is achieved using a water seal (“ink seal”).
As ink is consumed, air bubbles are drawn into the ink compartment from the air compartment to compensate for the loss of ink volume.
Due to the presence of air isolated from the atmosphere, Marriotts are very sensitive to the temperature and pressure of the air in the room (atmosphere), as well as the heating of the donor (the air in the emergency room).
As a result of a drop in pressure in the room or when the air in the CHO is heated, the air in the ink compartment expands and pushes the ink into the air compartment (AC).
Essentially, VO is an expansion tank for ink.
Typically, the air compartment has a small volume and an even smaller horizontal cross-sectional area.
If the VO cannot accommodate all the ink being ejected, it will cause it to spill out or splash out, in other words, it will "fountain"

Fountain in OFFICES and PROS

The larger the cross-sectional area, the lower the height the ink will rise.
The smaller the cross-sectional area of ​​the VO, the more air in the ink compartment, the more the donor is heated, or the more the air pressure in the room drops, the stronger the spitting will be.
In practice, every start of the heating season can lead to a fountain.
By the way, cooling too! Since after cooling, heating is very likely, and cooled air contains more molecules than hot air, so the phenomenon during subsequent heating can be even more spectacular.
To combat fountains, it is recommended:
... do not allow the ink volume in the donor to decrease by more than 80..90% of the total volume. Those. air should be less than 10..20% of the volume of the PO.
...prevent heating and cooling of the donor
The exact amount depends on the volume of VO.
The "fountain" may not rise until it exits the donor, but even with some rise
The "fountain" is accompanied by rake No. 2, since a rise in the ink level in the VO violates the balancing conditions.

Marriott's rake No. 2 - "Stripes!"
In order for Marriotts to work, they must Right refill (see "Refilling donors").
Otherwise, you can get jars instead of Marriotts.
What will happen in this case, see "OFFICE Rake No. 1"
Users Very Often Fill Incorrectly without realizing it.
This is due to poor understanding by users of operating principles and poor donor designs (when the air compartment is hidden inside the ink)
"OFFICE" type donors
OFFICE type donors from different suppliers (all made in China) are more similar to each other than pancakes from the same frying pan. However, there are varieties.
OFFICES with a “partition” and “without a partition”. This means a way to organize the air compartment (VO) - separating a part from the Ink Compartment (ICO) by a partition. Another way is to form a VO, a short round compartment, as a separate independent part - an insert. Therefore, the top view is slightly different.

OFFICES with short round air compartment(without partition, KaKa-OFFICES, in straight um sense).


,

Rake No. 1 refers to OFFICES with a short round VO (without a partition).
The design of the "OFFICE" donors (without a partition) is very interesting (IMHO - outstanding) and is designed, in principle, to eliminate the appearance of a fountain. It also makes balancing easier. However, due to the implementation, it turned out to be complete shit.
Here the stabilization is built on a slightly different principle, so the designers considered it permissible to reduce the volume of the VO.
KaKa-OFFICES also know how to give a "fountain".

RAKE donors of the "OFFICE" type No. 1 - "It will strip!"
In addition to improper refueling, OFFICE donors have a second reason for the rake, their own.
Specifically, in more than half of the cases "OFFICES" NOT CAPABLE work in marriott mode.
The design features a short round air compartment (AIR) and two round reed valves. The first is on the lower edge of the air compartment, the second is from the inside under the upper surface of the donor between the air compartment and the wall closest to the VO. Externally similar donors "Office" not with a round compartment, but with a partition, are free from the described rake.
Therefore, the principle of operation of stabilization in OFFICES differs from the classic Marriott.
When the pressure in the CB decreases (the amount of ink decreases or the external pressure increases), everything is as usual. In this case, the upper valve closes and the lower one opens. An air bubble enters the BO through the open bottom valve and compensates for the pressure difference.
However, when the pressure in the emergency room increases (the air in the emergency room compartment has heated up, or the air pressure in the room has decreased), the operation is different.
In this case, the lower valve closes and does not allow ink into the VO, and the upper valve opens and releases excess pressure.
The idea is brilliant. At proper operation, the effective ink level (if the amount of ink is more than ~40 ml - the volume up to the lower cut of the VO) is always at the level of the lower valve, and the threat of “fountains” is completely removed.



The top valve is hidden there, the petal of the valve, the top valve
In practice, both valves can cause trouble.
The lower one is prone to sticking, which prevents the passage of air from the VO to the PO.
The top one, on the contrary, does not always close. Mostly always open.
For guaranteed launch marriott you have to pierce the bottom valve and fill the top valve with sealant (removing the top trim).
In this case, one must be wary of heating the donors, as well as pressure surges. Otherwise, maybe fountain.
Details in the links to donor topics. Also see “What is CISS”, “Refilling donors”, “Balancing”,..

Why is this bad? More details - balancing, overflow
Jars and Marriotts are balanced differently. Jars - according to upper level ink in the donor. Mariotte - to the upper level of ink in the VO (i.e. along the lower edge of the air compartment - under normal conditions). OFFICES can work like mariots with an ink level of at least ~40mm - the lower cut of the VO (if there is less ink, the water seal disappears, the air in the ink compartment is directly connected to the atmosphere). Like jars - on the contrary, there should be less ink, the bottom cut should be BO. open.
When balancing OFFICES like Marriotts, the orientation is at the level of 40 mm. In this case, filling is possible to the top.
If a fully charged donor leaves the stabilization mode, the control level for balancing jumps to the top.
As a result, instead of a precisely dosed supply of ink, there is an “overflow”; much more ink is supplied than necessary.
Moreover. The ink flows by itself - by gravity!
Moreover. Ink flows even when the printer is turned off.
Where do they go? First they collect in drops on the nozzle plate. Then they are smeared on the plate.
During operation, the excess partially falls on the paper.
Excessively ink-saturated areas appear on prints.
When not in use, they partially drip into the mouth guard. Everything that is smeared on the plate begins to dry, forming a crust.
The crust prevents the nozzles from spitting and throws off the “sight”. The “bone blasting” begins.
Now unprinted areas appear in addition to overprinted ones.
The phenomenon becomes noticeable to anyone when the steps jump out of their places in test prints.
Further development leads to clogging of the nozzles, which may temporarily occur during the printing process.
Then the nozzles fall out and come back.
For good.
The difficulty is that without experience you may not recognize the cause. "Flushing doesn't help!"- a common cry on the forum.
First you need to eliminate the root cause, then deal with the consequences.
Water-soluble ink is washable. The exception is debris that gets into the PG with ink.
It may not be washed out with debris.

OFFICES with partition free from the described rake No. 1 due to the lack of valves.

RAKE donors type "OFFICE" No. 2 - "Filters"

The kit for "OFFICE" type donors usually includes air filters in the shape of a top (spinning top).
At any temperature, the process of evaporation of liquid occurs. The ink also loses moisture.
In this case, the fumes pass through the air filters, and the filters become damp.
It is also possible for the filters to get wet when donors tip over and during a “fountain” (see “Mariottes”). In the photo “OFFICE with filters” you can see two filters stained with paint from the inside (black and magenta)
One day, the filters will become wet enough to completely block air access to the VO.
As a result, the pressure will clog the ink channel tightly.
When you start cleaning, ink can still get into the PG, but this will only worsen the situation.
There will be no color when printed.
Next, the ink will dry out and simply removing the filter will no longer be enough.
Additionally, washing will be required.
Beautiful air filters can be kept as souvenirs, made into beads, or thrown away.
If you use filters for their intended purpose, be sure to remove and dry them often.

Ways to protect donors from dust

The CISS continuous ink supply system (the name “uninterruptible ink supply system” is often also used) is today one of the most effective ways reducing the cost of a printed sheet on inkjet printers (hundreds of times cheaper than using original cartridges and tens of times cheaper than using disposable non-original cartridges). The use of CISS is very beneficial for users who print a lot and often.

As practice shows, the most stably working CISS are cartridge ones. Once correctly installed and correctly adjusted, the cartridge CISS subsequently demonstrates fairly stable operation. Structurally, a modern cartridge CISS is a system of communicating vessels (special cartridges installed in the printer, and external containers- donor banks with elements of a “Mariotte vessel”), hermetically connected by elastic tubes. Several tubes are usually soldered into one cable for easy installation into the printer. External CISS containers are designed for storing and uniformly supplying ink to cartridges as they are consumed. Due to the air vacuum created during the printing process inside the ink reservoir of the cartridge, ink of the corresponding color from the external CISS donor containers flows through the tubes into the cartridge. As a result, the cartridge is continuously refilled CISS ink from a donor container of a given color, into which ink must be periodically added. You can refill the CISS with ink of different colors at any time by stopping printing and simply adding ink to the jar of the corresponding color. The most important thing is to strictly follow the instructions for opening and closing the plugs on the filling and air openings of the CISS donor cans when topping up. The stability of the ink supply to the printer will mainly depend on this.

Quality of CISS work different manufacturers is determined by the quality of design and manufacturing of CISS cartridges and donor jars. All systems offered by our company provide high-quality work with correct use. The delivery set of all our CISS includes instructions for refilling and operating them.

As an example, the photographs show several samples of CISS that our store offers:

CISS "IST" ("Ink System Technology")

cheap, but high-quality CISS
with donor containers of 80 ml or 50 ml:

In many ways, the quality of work of CISS from different manufacturers is determined by the quality of design of donor jars. A uniform supply of ink from CISS donor containers is achieved by their special design. Donors are not just cans or bottles. Their design includes special elements of the “Mariotte vessel” - a classic physical device, a hydraulic stabilizer of fluid flow velocity. It is the correct design of the “Mariotte vessel” that ensures uniform supply of ink to the CISS in wide range differences in ink levels in donor banks. Moreover, in general, the “Marriott vessel” is not the structural part of the donor can (two compartments - air and ink), but the entire ink supply channel - starting from the air hole of the donor can and ending with the nozzles of the printer’s print head. More precisely, from the first air/ink boundary (between the two compartments of the donor can) to the second air/ink boundary (at the exit of the nozzles from the head). As a result, in a “Mariotte vessel” correctly filled with ink, the speed of ink passage at the second boundary of the vessel (that is, at the exit of the nozzles from the head) should be constant (regardless of the height of the ink column in the ink compartment of the donor jar) and proportional to the height difference between the first and the second boundaries. During operation of the CISS, you need to take advantage of the opportunity to regulate the speed of ink passage in the supply channel during printing - moving the donor containers vertically relative to the print head, thus changing this height difference. (In reality, you need to set the first border no higher than the second, otherwise the ink would flow by gravity from the print head).

A frequently asked question is what does the expression “properly inked Mariotte vessel” mean? Correctly filled - when in the CISS donor container the ink compartment is filled with ink above the boundary between the ink and air compartments, but at the same time the air compartment is completely filled with air and free of ink.

If the original cartridges of your printer model contain electronic chips that permanently block the operation of the cartridge and the printer when the ink in the cartridge runs out (chips with complete blocking more common in EPSON cartridges), then the cartridges from the CISS kit usually also contain chips. But, unlike original cartridges, modern CISS for EPSON usually use special chips with the ability to reset (zero) - either self-zeroing or with forced zeroing by a button - which is very convenient. Cartridges with resettable chips do not need to be periodically removed from the printer and forced to be reset using programmers, resetters or other similar devices to reset information in chips. That is, a printer with such a CISS can operate truly continuously, without technical pauses.

CISS kits for CANON or HP printers (if the printer model uses cartridges with chips) are often supplied in two versions - with or without chips. Most models of desktop printers and CANON or HP MFPs, as a rule, do not block printing based on a chip signal about the end of ink in the cartridge (as happens in EPSON), and therefore their chips do not require forced reset. (The CANON or HP printer maintenance program simply periodically notifies the user about the benefits of purchasing new original cartridges). Therefore, if there are no chips in the CANON or HP CISS set, and the instructions say about the need to replace chips from empty original cartridges, then the user only needs to replace the chips from their own empty original cartridges to the cartridges from the CISS set. Don't let this scare you. Rearranging the chips is done according to the instructions very simply and does not affect the functionality of the system.

For some CANON and HP printer models that use original cartridges, combined with a monoblock print head, you will find interesting CISS constructors in our assortment. Monoblock cartridges combined with heads include HP cartridges 21 22 27 28 56 57 58 59 100 102 121 122 123 129 130 131 132 134 135 136 138 140 141 901 and CANON PG-37 40 50 510 512, CL-38 41 51 511 513 CISS constructors are universal sets of parts for self-assembly of 4-color, 5-color or 6-color CISS according to the instructions. The kit of such construction kits contains all the necessary parts for assembly, except for cartridges and ink (they are purchased separately or the user already has them, so as not to overpay). You will connect such a CISS to serviceable original cartridges and they will serve you for a long time and economically. You can purchase ink depending on your preference for a particular ink brand. You need some drilling skills (you need to expand the technological holes under the labels of the original cartridges). A high-quality drill of the required diameter is included. Each CISS constructor kit includes detailed instructions written by our engineers for assembling and installing CISS from the constructor onto original cartridges. If you have long played with children's construction sets, then it will not be a problem for you to assemble a decent CISS for your printer in half an hour according to our instructions.

Based on our experience, a few special words should be said about CISS continuous ink supply systems for CANON and HP (Hewlett-Packard) printers. The design of many CANON cartridges and most HP cartridges, as practice has shown, is unfriendly to refillers. And the patent system is strict for developers of CISS and refillable cartridges. We have come across few CISS developments with empty starting cartridges for Canon printers and HP, which would work as stably and trouble-free as products for EPSON. The reason is that most CANON and HP cartridges are monobloc. In monoblock cartridges (where the print head and ink reservoir are combined in one block), there is a dense mesh microfilter on the inside in front of the print head. It is designed to clean ink from dust particles that penetrate into the cartridge along with air during printing. But in an empty cartridge (when it is a new empty cartridge for refilling or when the ink in the cartridge has been used up), the filter is an obstacle to the free flow of ink to the print head during refilling. An “air lock” forms between the filter and the head when the cartridge is empty. During the usual “non-factory” refilling of a cartridge with ink from a syringe, the air lock does not allow ink to reach the print head. It seems that you filled the cartridge reservoir to the top with ink, but the cartridge does not print! It is unrealistic to mechanically reach the air plug and destroy it in a monoblock cartridge - on the one hand, the design of the head prevents it, on the other, the filter. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you never use up all of your monobloc ink and never purchase empty cartridges for subsequent refilling, if you do not have a special device for forcibly “pumping” ink through the print head of the cartridge. Only with such a device is it possible, under “non-factory” conditions, to suck out the air plug from a freshly filled cartridge in a couple of seconds without damaging the internal filter and head, which will ensure the operability and service life of the cartridge. In our assortment there are 2 types of cartridge holders - and - designed specifically for pumping many black and color CANON or HP cartridges immediately after refilling with ink. The price of such a device is ridiculous, but the benefits are enormous. If you attach a CISS to a used or refilled cartridge, then the described holder for bleeding will definitely be useful to you. By the way, if you do not use CISS, but simply refill your CANON cartridge or HP, then such a holder will also not be superfluous. When refilling, an air lock forms in the cartridge, and not in the CISS. Bleeding sucks excess air out of the cartridge and removes the plug. Everything starts to work. The print quality of CANON and HP monoblocks is ensured by the cartridge. For this reason, we recommend connecting CISS constructors to new cartridges so as not to deal with the problems of airy or dried out old cartridges.

Sets of modern cartridge-type CISS may include a full set of cartridges for the corresponding printer model, or cartridges may be purchased separately (this is typical when we are talking about monoblock cartridges). Typically, external donor containers ( different shapes, designs and different volumes from different manufacturers), an elastic tubular cable made of silicone or polyvinyl chloride plastic for ink supply and instructions for installing and operating the CISS. Besides, various manufacturers can expand the supply kits of their CISS with different accessories and materials. For example: fasteners for fixing the cable on the printer, ink of various brands, syringes and clamps for initial filling of the system, air filters for cans, gloves, video materials, warranty and service obligations with different conditions and deadlines, etc.

Accordingly, the prices of systems depend on their design, materials, configuration with various accessories, cartridges and inks, warranty obligations and the level of technical service available to the user. We recommend purchasing CISS unfilled (without ink in donor jars), and buying ink separately in bottles and pouring it into the CISS yourself. Because this is the only way you can see with your own eyes what kind of ink you got, and that the CISS was filled with ink not in the distant past. Beware of those CISS that are sold with ink, especially at “junk” prices!

Advantages of using CISS:

· the user receives constant and large savings on consumables - on average 50...100 times compared to traditional use disposable cartridges. One set of CISS cartridges, when used correctly, lasts a very long time. There is no need to change cartridges at every refueling - no need to waste money. It is enough from time to time to top up the CISS containers with ink from separately purchased bottles, syringes or canisters;

· CISS quickly pays for itself by saving on cartridges;

· CISS does not harm the printer if you use high-quality ink and follow the operating rules of the system;

· installation of CISS in many printer models is simple and is carried out by many users independently according to the included instructions. But you need to soberly assess your skills, since in order to output the CISS cable in some models (usually MFPs), you need to disassemble the printer body or cut holes in the body for the cable output.

Disadvantages of “classic” can CISS:

· installation of a “can” CISS is not reversible in all cases. If necessary warranty service printer service center may void the printer's warranty if it shows signs of disassembly or tampering with its design;

· not all printer models (especially MFPs) will be able to install the CISS yourself and then configure it. Additional monetary costs may be required for the services of service specialists. In the future, the less often the printer prints, the more often you will have to face the need to restore the normal supply of ink from CISS cans. (Combating ink backflow when the printer is idle and airing of print heads). Especially when using pigment inks, which require periodic shaking of cartridges, cables and cans to stabilize the pigment dispersion.

How to choose the right CISS and not regret it?

· if there is a lot and often, practically without interruptions (print shop, photo studio) - a “can” CISS will suit you;

· if it’s not enough and occasionally, reusable refillable cartridges (REC) are suitable for you

2. If CISS is more suitable for your printing frequency, then first of all understand the design of your printer body:

Does your printer have a design option to move it out of the case? flexible cable CISS without squeezing it. This is extremely important - because of this, it can be problematic to independently install CISS in some models of printers/multipliers without drilling or cutting additional holes in the case.

The CISS cable must be brought out from the top of the cartridges and led out through some hole or gap in the printer body, in its cover, or between the body and the cover.

Printers can print from open lid, mechanically blocking the lid opening sensor. In MFPs, in many cases (but not all, especially in MFPs with a massive scanning unit), you can leave the scanning unit slightly raised by inserting some suitable object into the gap. Often the cable is output through a rectangular hole for feeding/receiving paper.

(For reference, the diameter of each cable tube is about 3mm, the number of tubes is equal to the number of simultaneously used inks in your device, the tubes are welded into a flat ribbon cable. Thus, the size of the cable in diameter is [diameter of one tube]x[number of tubes]).

If the design of the printer body does not allow you to extend the CISS cable independent efforts, then you will have to contact a specialized service center for installing CISS (we recommend), where they will provide you with the service of cutting a hole in the case (with your permission) and installing CISS on a turnkey basis. Otherwise, you and your printer will have to limit yourself to purchasing a set of refillable cartridges (“mini-CISS”) instead of a large CISS, which is less profitable in terms of the cost of a printed sheet, but is also much more profitable than printing with disposable original cartridges.

3. If the design of the case allows you to extend the CISS cable, then find out and write down information about the model of your printer and the set of cartridges for it. You will need this information to correct order CISS:

What is the name of your printer model (manufacturer, alphanumeric model designation);

· how many cartridges are included with your printer;

· what are the names of all the cartridges of your printer (alphanumeric designation of each cartridge);

· how many cartridges can be installed in your printer at the same time (this is important, since in some printer models the cartridges included in the kit can be installed in different combinations).

4. Check out the advantages of CISS offered by our store, our prices and make right choice. Pros of CISS offered by us are:

· reliability of structural components (these systems have been supplied to Russia for several years, so the design of the proposed systems has been significantly improved compared to samples of previous generations);

· silicone cables for new models (silicone plastic does not change its rigidity and flexibility with changes in temperature and mechanical loads, compared to polyvinyl chloride PVC plastic);

· wide equipment (including special donor containers for ink of all colors, air filters, funnels and convenient cable fastening, which is not always offered for the same money);

· sale with a guarantee (the buyer is insured against manufacturing defects). We have a guarantee for all CISS;

· good prices and attractive offers to our customers.

Example of installing CISS on the EPSON Stylus Photo R270 printer

It looks like the CISS is installed on newer EPSON models: 1410, R290, R295, T50, T59, P50, T26, T27, TX117, TX650, PX650, etc.

And for those users who operate the printer non-intensive(several dozen sheets per week), or whose device design does not allow the CISS tubular cable to be easily pulled out of the body without cutting holes (this happens with many MFPs, especially CANON), good option Refillable cartridges reduce the cost of a printed sheet and save on consumables. From time to time they need to be refilled with ink through the provided filling holes, not separate external containers, as in “can” CISS, but the internal reservoirs of the cartridge.

Refillable cartridges are completely new specially designed cartridges which the user can easily refill with either ink or cleaning fluids. Cartridges containing cleaning fluid become cleaning cartridges. In case of printing with long interruptions, cleaning cartridges can be used periodically to effectively clean the print head channels of dried ink.

Before purchasing, please pay attention - CISS and refillable cartridges for EPSON Stylus Photo R270, R290, R295, R390, 1410, RX590, RX690, T50, T59, P50, T26, T27, TX117, TX650, PX650, etc. printers, and also for EPSON Stylus C79, C91 and a number of MFPs EPSON series CX, equipped with chips at different times different versions and, depending on the chip version, may not work with printers of some release dates! This is due to repeated upgrades of the firmware of printer control programs by the printer manufacturer. Be sure to consult with the seller of CISS or non-original cartridges BEFORE purchasing CISS or refillable cartridges - will they fit the chip version of your printer based on its release date!

Inkjet printers are convenient and efficient printing devices. Due to their low cost, they have become publicly available. However, one should not think that equipment manufacturers set minimum prices for noble reasons. The main income is generated from the sale of consumables, which include replacement cartridges. Their price can be 30-60% of the cost of the printer. It is quite natural that users ask reasonable questions: what is needed to refill cartridges and is it possible to do without regularly purchasing them?

IN South Korea A printer was created that can do without a cartridge or ink at all. For its operation, only the Sun is needed, since the device operates using its energy, and the resulting images are not printed, but burned.

Basic savings options

There are three main options for saving on ink for inkjet printers:

1. Purchasing non-original cartridges. They are indeed cheaper, but can cause printer failure.
2. Use of refillable cartridges. Not a bad option, but you will have to resort to frequent manual refueling.
3. Installation of CISS.

What is CISS

CISS is an abbreviation that stands for continuous ink supply system. It supplies ink to the print head from special refillable reservoirs. The CISS includes ink containers and a silicone cable with which they are connected to cartridges or capsules. Depending on this, a distinction is made between cartridge and capsule CISS.

In the first case, cartridges are used that are identical to the original ones, but are not equipped with a chip that reports the lack of ink. In the second, transparent capsules are used, installed on the input needles of the print head. The main requirement for both systems is tightness. While the printer is running, the amount of ink in the cartridges or capsules decreases. As a result, under the influence of excess pressure, paint begins to flow from the CISS containers. When installing them, you should follow the rule: the bottom of the tanks should be no more than 1-2 cm below the level of the print head nozzles.

Advantages of using CISS

The practical application of a continuous ink supply system gives a number of significant advantages to users:

1. First of all, it should be noted the possibility of tangible savings material resources. For example: when using inexpensive, popular models of Canon color inkjet printers, CISS allows you to reduce costs by 50 times even when purchasing the highest quality ink.
2. The absence of the need to frequently change the cartridge minimizes the risk of head damage due to air getting into it.
3. You can use ink of any color suitable for a particular occasion.
4. Quite labor-intensive operations of replacing and especially refilling cartridges are eliminated.
5. The operation of replenishing ink in containers is greatly simplified.
6. It becomes possible to print large volumes of documents or images without stopping.
7. Doesn't get dirty environment used cartridges.

Disadvantages of CISS

1. The cost of CISS exceeds that of refillable cartridges.
2. You must purchase the system separately from the printer.
3. Installation of CISS requires care and precision.
4. We can talk about a certain unaestheticness of ink containers near the printer.
5. The use of CISS is considered a re-equipment of equipment, therefore manufacturers refuse warranty obligations.
6. Rearranging or moving the printer becomes quite a complex procedure.
7. In case of prolonged inactivity, the ink may dry out in the silicone cable, which will entail the need to replace the head. This disadvantage can be called conditional. Prolonged downtime in any case entails drying out of the ink.

When choosing a refill system, it is important not only to know what a CISS for a printer is, but also to soberly weigh all its advantages and disadvantages. Only with this approach will it become a means of effective savings.