Using replacement or non-oem ink cartridges

I have a Canon PIXMA MP620 wireless printer. I am in the midst of purchasing new ink for it. As you all may know, genuine ink from original manufacturers costs an arm and a leg. I found a great deal on compatible non-oem inks for my printer. But before I buy it, my question is: is it perfectly safe to use non-oem ink cartridges? What are your experiences with using non-genuine ink?

I've only used non-oem ink once, and that was on my old, dying HP printer. Mind you, I do not print photo's with my printer and I don't need prints that last 200 years. I am just your basic printing user.

Thanks

 

Buy the replacement ink cartridges. I own a Pixma IP5200R photo printer and also use replacement cartridges.
I don't know if the MP620 is different but here's how it works on mine:
The printer uses replaceable cartridges which only contain the ink. The canon printer uses a separate print head which remains in the printer (not so with a HP or most other printers).
This means, you can buy cheap replacement cartridges, because they don't have to contain a print-head.

Each cartridge contains a small chip which counts the pages and estimates the ink level. Now you can buy a cumbersome refill kit and refill the genuine cartridge with ink. Stupid. You can buy ready to use replacement cartridges without chips, that's what I do. Then you have to remove the chip from the genuine cartridge, put it in some adapter, put the adapter in the printer and then insert the ink tank in this adapter. Because the chip continues to count it thinks that you print with an empty cartridge. The canon software guesses that you use replacement ink and offers you to shut down the chip and to continue printing without ink measurement (great).
You can also buy some sort of chip resetter with which you should be able to reset the chip and thus, the printer thinks you use genuine ink and you get a ink measurement display back. I haven't tried it.

The drawbacks:
1. You don't know, if you don't use the chip resetter, how much ink is left, except you take the tank out and look at it.
2. replacement ink isn't as good as genuine ink, it's a fact. This is important to know. So avoid emptying the ink tank totally. Else it's possible that your print head will plug up, starts printing thin white lines in some colors, and you have to clean it.
3. Even when you replace the tank early enough it's still possible that the print head will plug up, then remove it, put it in Isopropyl alcohol over a night and it should be ready the next day again.
4. The same can happen with genuine ink, the chances are just a small bit lower.

 

thanks for the detailed information. the replacement ink cartridges i am looking at have their own chips installed, so i don't have to take them off the old ink cartridges.

if i install the replacement ink cartridges with their own chip, will they be able to calculate how much ink is left, and function as if it were a genuine ink cartridge?

can replacement ink cartridges damage the print head/nozzle or the printer itself?

 

if they have their own chips which are reseted already, well then I expect that the Canon software will show you how much ink is left, just as it is with genuine cartridges.

Replacement ink can 'damage' the print head, because it's not guaranteed to be as clean and filtered as genuine ink always, however this is a very rare situation and if you notice white lines, then you have to clean the print head, which is easy and should work, and as already said, the same can happen with genuine ink.
If they fit in the holder then they can't damage the printer.
Only the printhead is the important part in the printer.

 

thanks, i've already placed my order and will probably be installing in two weeks when I get back home. i'll see how it all goes. thanks again.