Brother Printer Ink Cartridge Nearly Empty --- After Only 2 Weeks!!!

On Jun 23, 1:44�pm, Big_Al <Bi...@md.com> wrote:

> Been working for years, guess I got the right vendor.
> Granted I send my photos to Walmart to print and rarely print photos at
> home. �For color text printing the ink works fine. � Evenprints CD's
> fine too.

Why would I buy a printer that could print photos, and then send the
photos to Wal-Mart for printing?

On Jun 23, 9:41�am, "FrankV" <Fra...@noaddress.com> wrote:
> The answer to that is never buy another Brother printer. I know because I
> have an MFC-5100c at home and another at my small business office. Both have
> the same problem with ink cartridges. I've learned I have to use the "ink"
> button every few days or the problem starts happening again.
>
> In other words, Brothers is JUNK.
>

How does using the "Ink" button help? And what problem does this
button solve?

<midwest_46@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:86130b22-a8bc-4744-9ff1-7d0c22057a15@26g2000hsk.googlegroups.com...
On Jun 23, 10:34?am, measekite <inkysti...@oem.com> wrote:
> I would upgrade the OS to at least W2k if the hardware allows.
>

In a previous thread, I asked whether I should upgrade to Win XP or to
another Win OS. It was determined that my hardware (RAM, hard-drive
space) was insufficient and that upgrading the hardware would be too
much trouble.

> Since a set of ink costs almost as much as a printer I would trash the
> Brother and buy a Canon on sale. ?You problems with the system you have
> will never cease.
>

Which problems with the system I have will never cease? Are you saying
that Brother ink cartridges will always be used up quickly?

Some of the other posters have said that only the ink cartridges that
come with the printer are low. So, if I buy new cartridges, these
cartridges should last a long time. Correct?

Also, do I have to buy all 4 Brother cartridges at once? Or can I buy
only the yellow, since that cartridge is the one that is almost empty?

Correct. The new ones will last longer
You can buy the colour cartridges seperately
Blair

I have a Brother MFC-215C and never had any problems.

> Also, do I have to buy all 4 Brother cartridges at once? Or can I buy
> only the yellow, since that cartridge is the one that is almost empty?

Here in New Zealand you can buy each colour separately or a package
containing the 3 colours which is much cheaper. For the black same
proposition except the package contains 2 black cartridges. Up to you.

Your cartridge might have been a faulty one. Phone your supplier explain and
try to change it. Also in this part of the world Brother is very obliging.

Serge

<midwest_46@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:ce99764b-172e-4d95-8cad-f59ddc2fdfcb@r66g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
>I have a Gateway computer with the following: 1) a 1400-MHz Pentium 4
> processor, 2) 256 MB of RAM, and 3) 40 GB of hard-drive space.
>
> The computer is running Windows Millennium Edition (ME).
>
> Two and a half weeks ago, I bought a Brother MFC-240C printer. This is
> a multifunction device: printer, copier, fax, and scanner.
>
> ----------
>
> When I installed the ink cartridges, the machine cleaned the ink tube
> system. Then I pressed "Color Start" to test the four colors
> corresponding to the cartridges (black, yellow, cyan, and magenta).
>
> The machine printed out the Print Quality Check Sheet. This sheet
> showed a square pattern in each color. If all small lines were clear
> and visible, I had to press 1 for Yes, and the quality check would be
> done. If there were missing small lines, I had to press 2 for No, and
> the colors would be cleaned. Then the Check Sheet would be printed
> again.
>
> When the Check Sheet was printed the first time, there were no missing
> lines, but (in my opinion) some lines were not clear, especially the
> yellow lines. So, I pressed 2 for No, and the colors were cleaned, and
> the Check Sheet was printed out again. The colors were cleaned four
> times before I was satisfied that the small lines were clear and
> visible.
>
> After the color test, the rest of the installation was done.
>
> ----------
>
> In my regular usage, the first thing I printed out was an HTML page (2
> sheets). Since the HTML page was in color, the printed pages were in
> color as well. After that, during the next 2 weeks or so, I printed
> out or copied about 20 - 25 pages in black and white. Today, I printed
> out 4 pages in black and white, and then the printer showed the
> following message: "Near Empty Yellow", meaning that the Yellow ink
> cartridge was nearly empty.
>
> Now, I will admit that I keep the printer unplugged (from the AC power
> supply and from the wall phone jack) if I am not using the printer. I
> plug in the printer ONLY if I have to print and/or copy something.
> However, the printer is ALWAYS connected to the computer via USB
> cable.
>
> Also, sometimes when I printed something, the machine cleaned the
> print head before the printing occurred. Page 99 of the user's guide
> states the following: "To ensure good print quality, the machine will
> regularly clean the print head." The user's guide then explains that,
> in addition to the automatic cleaning of the print head, the user can
> clean the print head manually (by pressing some buttons). The user's
> guide then states the following: "Cleaning the print head consumes
> ink. Cleaning too often uses ink unnecessarily."
>
> ----------
>
> So, here are my questions:
>
> 1) How can the yellow cartridge be nearly empty after only 2.5 weeks?
> The colors were cleaned 4 times during the color test, and the print
> head was cleaned a few times, but I have printed only 2 color pages.
>
> 2) If cleaning the print head consumes ink and if the machine cleans
> the print head whenever the machine wants to, then how can I stop the
> machine from cleaning itself too much? Is this some scam on the part
> of Brother to get me to buy more ink cartridges? Can Brother be sued
> for this? Do printers from other brands also clean their print heads
> whenever they want to?
>
> 3) Do I have a defective printer? Should I get a refund? I bought this
> particular printer (Brother MFC-240C) because it was the only printer
> a) that was compatible with Windows ME, b) that was relatively
> lightweight, and c) that was relatively cheap. So, should I try to
> find a different printer? Unfortunately, upgrading my computer to
> Windows XP would be too much trouble.
>
>
You should be aware that the ink cartridges supplied with the most printers
contain a very minimal amount of ink. This is because the printer is sold
with virtually no profit. All the money is made selling the ink cartridges
which are vastly over priced for what the are. The minimal ink filling of
the supplied cartridges gets you buying the full price cartridges as soon as
possible.

Many printer buyers have found that a set of replacement cartridges can
actually cost more than the printer did, partiularly at the budget end of
the market.

The problem is areas of the paper using color become fuzzy. I have no idea
what the "ink" button does other than the printer then works good for
another few days. It's like taking the cartridge(s) out and shaking them a
few times. New cartridges do exactly the same thing. The office printer has
been used for a few years and may need some type of cleaning but the home
computer is only a few months old with minimum usage. They both act the same
way.

Frank

<midwest_46@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:f9ed6d38-abd3-488d-870f-9e3185638df2@i76g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
On Jun 23, 9:41?am, "FrankV" <Fra...@noaddress.com> wrote:
> The answer to that is never buy another Brother printer. I know because I
> have an MFC-5100c at home and another at my small business office. Both
> have
> the same problem with ink cartridges. I've learned I have to use the "ink"
> button every few days or the problem starts happening again.
>
> In other words, Brothers is JUNK.
>

How does using the "Ink" button help? And what problem does this
button solve?

On Jun 23, 11:27 pm, midwest...@yahoo.com wrote:
> On Jun 23, 10:34�am, measekite <inkysti...@oem.com> wrote:
>
> > I would upgrade the OS to at least W2k if the hardware allows.
>
> In a previous thread, I asked whether I should upgrade to Win XP or to
> another Win OS. It was determined that my hardware (RAM, hard-drive
> space) was insufficient and that upgrading the hardware would be too
> much trouble.
>
> > Since a set of ink costs almost as much as a printer I would trash the
> > Brother and buy a Canon on sale. �You problems with the system you have
> > will never cease.
>
> Which problems with the system I have will never cease? Are you saying
> that Brother ink cartridges will always be used up quickly?
>
> Some of the other posters have said that only the ink cartridges that
> come with the printer are low. So, if I buy new cartridges, these
> cartridges should last a long time. Correct?
>
> Also, do I have to buy all 4 Brother cartridges at once? Or can I buy
> only the yellow, since that cartridge is the one that is almost empty?

I bought a Brother MFC 665CW multi-function wireless and it is true
that they, like many other printer manufacturers, provide STARTER
cartridges.
I don't do a large volume of printing but I was amazed that I got a
year out of the starter cartridges. Makes me wonder if your's is just
a lemon.
You will need to buy the whole set of four replacement cartridges if
you have run out of just one color per the low ink warning on the one
color. If you don't, then you will just have to make extra trips to
your office supplies store.
I have found my model to be very reliable and trouble free and I love
everything wireless.
I use it with a Dell Inspiron E-1505 laptop, 80 GB HD and 1 GB RAM and
XP Home Edition. I have a Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router.

midwest_46@yahoo.com wrote:
>
> Why would I buy a printer that could print photos, and then send the
> photos to Wal-Mart for printing?
>
>
At the rate you're using ink, Wal-Mart might be cheaper...

Bill

Big_Al wrote:
> measekite wrote:
>>
>>
>> Big_Al wrote:
>>> measekite wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> pjp wrote:
>>>>> First - realize the printer companies are selling INK at an
>>>>> exorbitant
>>>>> price, that's the business model.
>>>>>
>>>>> Second - new printers often have a less than full ink load in the
>>>>> cartridges.
>>>>>
>>>> Not Canon
>>>>> Third - cleaning consumes ink.
>>>>>
>>>> Never cleaned my Canon IP4000 in 4 years
>>>>> Fourth - for black and white/text output etc. consider getting a
>>>>> laser,
>>>>> magnitude less cost involved with consumables.
>>>>>
>>>> True
>>>>> Fifth - inkjets tend to be "use it or loss it" regarding ink, e.g.
>>>>> unused
>>>>> and ink dries forcing cleaning
>>>>>
>>>> Not the case with my Canon IP4000
>>>>> Sixth - buy the cheapest inkjet and when ink runs out buy another
>>>>> over
>>>>> buying just the ink
>>>>>
>>>> Poor advice. Buy the best standard format printer and use OEM ink
>>>> at Costco. The better printer usually will print photos better and
>>>> faster than the cheapest.
>>>>> <midwest_46@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>>>>> news:ce99764b-172e-4d95-8cad-f59ddc2fdfcb@r66g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> I have a Gateway computer with the following: 1) a 1400-MHz
>>>>>> Pentium 4
>>>>>> processor, 2) 256 MB of RAM, and 3) 40 GB of hard-drive space.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The computer is running Windows Millennium Edition (ME).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Two and a half weeks ago, I bought a Brother MFC-240C printer.
>>>>>> This is
>>>>>> a multifunction device: printer, copier, fax, and scanner.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----------
>>>>>>
>>>>>> When I installed the ink cartridges, the machine cleaned the ink
>>>>>> tube
>>>>>> system. Then I pressed "Color Start" to test the four colors
>>>>>> corresponding to the cartridges (black, yellow, cyan, and magenta).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The machine printed out the Print Quality Check Sheet. This sheet
>>>>>> showed a square pattern in each color. If all small lines were clear
>>>>>> and visible, I had to press 1 for Yes, and the quality check
>>>>>> would be
>>>>>> done. If there were missing small lines, I had to press 2 for No,
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> the colors would be cleaned. Then the Check Sheet would be printed
>>>>>> again.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> When the Check Sheet was printed the first time, there were no
>>>>>> missing
>>>>>> lines, but (in my opinion) some lines were not clear, especially the
>>>>>> yellow lines. So, I pressed 2 for No, and the colors were
>>>>>> cleaned, and
>>>>>> the Check Sheet was printed out again. The colors were cleaned four
>>>>>> times before I was satisfied that the small lines were clear and
>>>>>> visible.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> After the color test, the rest of the installation was done.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----------
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In my regular usage, the first thing I printed out was an HTML
>>>>>> page (2
>>>>>> sheets). Since the HTML page was in color, the printed pages were in
>>>>>> color as well. After that, during the next 2 weeks or so, I printed
>>>>>> out or copied about 20 - 25 pages in black and white. Today, I
>>>>>> printed
>>>>>> out 4 pages in black and white, and then the printer showed the
>>>>>> following message: "Near Empty Yellow", meaning that the Yellow ink
>>>>>> cartridge was nearly empty.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Now, I will admit that I keep the printer unplugged (from the AC
>>>>>> power
>>>>>> supply and from the wall phone jack) if I am not using the
>>>>>> printer. I
>>>>>> plug in the printer ONLY if I have to print and/or copy something.
>>>>>> However, the printer is ALWAYS connected to the computer via USB
>>>>>> cable.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Also, sometimes when I printed something, the machine cleaned the
>>>>>> print head before the printing occurred. Page 99 of the user's guide
>>>>>> states the following: "To ensure good print quality, the machine
>>>>>> will
>>>>>> regularly clean the print head." The user's guide then explains
>>>>>> that,
>>>>>> in addition to the automatic cleaning of the print head, the user
>>>>>> can
>>>>>> clean the print head manually (by pressing some buttons). The user's
>>>>>> guide then states the following: "Cleaning the print head consumes
>>>>>> ink. Cleaning too often uses ink unnecessarily."
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----------
>>>>>>
>>>>>> So, here are my questions:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 1) How can the yellow cartridge be nearly empty after only 2.5
>>>>>> weeks?
>>>>>> The colors were cleaned 4 times during the color test, and the print
>>>>>> head was cleaned a few times, but I have printed only 2 color pages.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 2) If cleaning the print head consumes ink and if the machine cleans
>>>>>> the print head whenever the machine wants to, then how can I stop
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> machine from cleaning itself too much? Is this some scam on the part
>>>>>> of Brother to get me to buy more ink cartridges? Can Brother be sued
>>>>>> for this? Do printers from other brands also clean their print heads
>>>>>> whenever they want to?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 3) Do I have a defective printer? Should I get a refund? I bought
>>>>>> this
>>>>>> particular printer (Brother MFC-240C) because it was the only
>>>>>> printer
>>>>>> a) that was compatible with Windows ME, b) that was relatively
>>>>>> lightweight, and c) that was relatively cheap. So, should I try to
>>>>>> find a different printer? Unfortunately, upgrading my computer to
>>>>>> Windows XP would be too much trouble.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----------
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks for any information.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> I have a canon IP4000 and love it. Doesn't use ink that much and
>>> you can buy 3rd party cartridges for about $4 per rather than the
>>> typical $12 at Costco.
>> Poor advice. You get poorer quality results, increased risk of
>> fading, never know what you are buying cause the vendor will not tell
>> you, increased risk of printhead failure, and more.
> Been working for years, guess I got the right vendor.
> Granted I send my photos to Walmart to print and rarely print photos
> at home. For color text printing the ink works fine. Even prints
> CD's fine too.
If you had a Canon and used OEM ink you could print them at home with
your choice of high grade paper.

HeyBub wrote:

midwest_46@yahoo.com wrote:



I have a Gateway computer with the following: 1) a 1400-MHz Pentium 4 processor, 2) 256 MB of RAM, and 3) 40 GB of hard-drive space. The computer is running Windows Millennium Edition (ME). Two and a half weeks ago, I bought a Brother MFC-240C printer. This is a multifunction device: printer, copier, fax, and scanner.



Ah, the old Gillette business model: give away the razor and sell the blades. You can refill the cartridges and/or get a cartridge chip resetter.

unless you want quality and your printer warranty.