How Do Canon Printers Measure the Ink Level?

[Jonny M]

I've been trying to trick mine by swapping cartridges around, and it reports the correct ink level each time, so it's not just the drivers counting down.

How do the printers measure the ink level? There's nothing clever about the cartridge, it's just a plastic box with some foam in.

[$h@d0w]

Canon printers use an optical sensor to measure the levels, I don't think it's possible to 'trick' them like Epson with chipped carts.

[Jonny M]

Why does it say that the cartridge is full when I take it out then?

[iMc]

why would you want to trick it? if a cart is out, its out!?

[Swafe]

nah....some say its out so you buy a new one, while it still has juice in it

they do this so u buy more official carts, they get more money etc.....with epson its easy, well it is on mine, take cart out, slam it back it and it thinks its a new one, let it do the ink charging malarkey and its good for a few more prints

shaking it while its out is good, gets the ink out a bit more

[ed^chigliak]

My canon ink cartridges are transparent. You can remove them and if the liquid ink side of the cartridge is empty then it needs replacing. If it's not empty then run a cleaning cycle or two and carry on printing. I find the canon pretty straight forward with regard to ink levels. I havn't used a genuine canon cartridge since I purchased the printer and nothing bad has happened. I don't remember what the canon cartridges look like.

Ed^

[Jonny M]

Nah I know when it's run out, was just wondering how the printer knew, since it doesn't seem to be done in drivers.

[SilentDeath]

i took apart a xerox c8 printer which difinatly used optical sensors, i was trying to trick it to run just the motors + electronics without the print head etc.. but it couldnt..

[Lexeus]

If a printer works with optical sensors, then couldnt you just stick something on the side of a cartridge to make it think there was ink there when there wasn't ?