HP DeskJet 940C and 959C - why the different black cartridge?
Helen
in Spring 2001, I'm intrigued by the recent (US only?) launch of the
DeskJet 940C. I note the latter model has changed to the HP "15" black
inkjet cartridge, whereas the 959C uses the "45", like the 950/952
before it. I just wondered whether there is any actual quality
difference between the 15 and 45 (does the 15, being newer, have a
smaller droplet size or anything?). I'm aware that a 959C will only
take the 45, and the 940C takes the 15 only.
Mind you, despite it being quite an "old" cartridge, I have found the 45
can give exceptionally good quality when combined with the right paper.
I printed a scientific document (with positively tiny superscripts and
even super-superscripts etc.!) recently on two different brands of 80
gsm plain white paper - i.e. affordable, "no frills" general paper stock
- which are technically the same according to the packet specs and
look/feel the same. Yet one brand gave typical "inkjet" results - a
slight ink bleed, probably still pretty good when compared with all
other brands/models of inkjets out there, but I suspected the printer
could do better; and indeed with the other brand the results are
literally indistinguishable from laser printer output. I was actually
surprised at just how good the results were here, and will stick with
that paper stock from now on (and hope that they don't change their
supplier!).
Anyway, apart from the black cartridge, the 940C and 959C actually
*look* the same, except (from what I can see in the tiny product
illustration) the 940C appears to have the larger, more central paper
support as found on the 990C etc, which is perhaps why it can hold 150
sheets in the input tray versus 100 on my 959C.
As an aside, I was surprised to see, on checking if answers to this
cartridge question were posted there, that the HP Support Forums for
home products are suspended indefinitely. That seems a great shame - I
found them a very useful source of information when I first got my 959C.
H
brook
HP's strategy of late has been to resurrect old models with some cosmetic
changes and call them economy home printers (see 640C 840C) both use the #15
cartridge.
In the case of the 940C (there is also a 920C) its the same trick both use
the #15 cart and are once again economy home use.
The #15 cartridge is nothing moer than a 51645A with less ink ~25ml versus
42ml there is also the 51645G ~20ml.
The droplet size for the #15 and 51645A is ~25picolitres.
The 45A or 45D will not work in the 920 / 940 which is deliberate
Here HP have made the correct choice as the requirements for black text
only at 600DPI is perfectly adequate, better in fact than epson dye inks on
plain paper (this will get some comments :) ).
Besides 5 pica drop size with pigmented ink would probably be less reliable
if implemented in the 51645A
If you want print black text and also some greyscale graphics without using
the colour cart. then use the settings to print
"greyscale" "black only" the colour cart. will be bypassed, but the
greyscale not so fine due to droplet size, but still very acceptable and
you will save on costly colour ink.
If you want better greyscale then leave settings at default and the 5 pica
drop size colour will provide very smooth greyscale.
In my view home economy models are not good value if they use the #15
cartridge. there is also duty cycle pages per month here the home models can
be as low as 1000 pages / month the office models may be as high as 3000
pages per month.
The Deskjet forum is gone HP stopped it.
"Helen" <Helen...@nottingham.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:3BB346...@nottingham.ac.uk...
Tom Krishan
"brook" <suzy...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:9p04l4$fgchc$1...@ID-98245.news.dfncis.de...
> The 45A or 45D will not work in the 920 / 940 which is deliberate
Are you sure of this? While in a Staples store, I swapped the 45 out of a
HP952 and place it in the HP940 (and conversely replaced the 15 back into
the HP952). Both printers still worked with no error messages that a wrong
cartridge had been inserted.
Tom
brook
Here are usefull printer tests / diagnostics / resets for levels
DeskJet 900 series
The 900series printers has a distinct trait, whereby it can identify its
cartridges! That is to say that, if you refill a cartridge that it already
told you was empty, it will not recognise it as being full. There are
various tactics, to try and get around this problem:
A. You simply ignore what the printer tells you.
B. Get yourself TWO other cartridges. Since the printer can only identify
two cartridges at a time, it will have forgotten the first one by the time
you move onto the third. Each time you insert the third cartridge, it will
be treated as if it were never in the printer (i.e. the printer won't
recognise it).
C. You use the internal service-menu and manually adjust the identification.
D. You fool the printer, by covering over the contact.
Alexander Frank was so decent to give us tips C. and D..
DJ 970 Printing test: (this is not in the printing manual)
Turn on the printer letting go of the power key, then push the power key and
hold it in that position. With your other hand, you press the "FF" (Form
Feed button, which has a picture of a sheet of paper on it) button, and / or
the "X" button . The "FF" button is used for numbers less than 10 (-1, -2,
to -9), whereas the "X" button is used for numbers which are a multiple of
10 ( 1-, 2-, 3- etc.) After you have pressed the "FF" or the "X" buttons the
given amount of times, let go of the power button.
-1 : Flower (head first)
-3 : Alignment
-4 : P/C, Page count
-7 : Paper-indent-exactness?
-8 : Never-ending Test (pages full of "H"s)
11 : P/C, Page count, Paper-sizing-dates
12 : ROM-Dump, P/C, Alignment-dates
20 : Simple cartridge cleaning
21 : Further cleaning
22 : Intensive cleaning (uses a lot of ink)
31 : Flower continued
41 : Cartridges-identification-dates / filler situation
84 : Nozzle test, like in the old HPs
Leading the printer to believer the cartridges are new:
Status: refilled cartridges in the printer.
- Turn on the printer.
- Open up the cover, remove both cartridges.
- Place both cartridges infront of you so that you can see the contact foil,
with the nozzles facing downwards.
- With adhesive tape, cover the four upper contact points on the far left
contact column of both cartridges
- something like this: X . . . X . . . X . . . X . . . . . . . . . . .
- Reinsert the two cartridges.
- Close the cover.
- Open the cover again after 2 or 3 seconds.
- Wait until the printer gives you the cartridge carriage (If there seems to
be a problem with either of the cartridges, ignore it)
- Open the cover, remove the two cartridges.
- Place both cartridges infront of you so that you can see the contact foil,
with the nozzles facing downwards.
- Remove the adhesive tape.
- With adhesive tape, cover the four upper contact points on the far right
contact column of both cartridges
- something like this: X . . . X . . . X . . . X . . . . . . . . . . .
- Reinsert the two cartridges.
- Close the cover.
- Open the cover again after 2 or 3 seconds.
- Wait until the printer gives you the cartridge carriage (If there seems to
be a problem with either of the cartridges, ignore it)
- Open the cover, remove the two cartridges.
- Remove the adhesive tape.
- Clean the contacts well.
- Reinsert the two cartridges.
- Close the cover.
- That's it !!!
Now for the test and safety:
- Begin Printing-test 41.
- Hold onto the Power button, 4 * X (press "X" four times), 1 * FF (press
"FF" once), let go of the Power button ->at the very bottom where it says
"Remaining Quantities:", 100% (or 99) should be stated twice.
- Begin the cartridge alignment (if the printer doesn't do it automatically
itself).
- Hold onto the Power button, 3 * FF (press "FF" three times), let go off
the Power button.
brook
"Tom Krishan" <tkri...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:9p1i9s$9r5$1...@tikehau.netreach.net...
with the 51645A 42ml and the 51645G 21ml why would HP create the #15
also you will find on HP web site that HP do not list the combination that
you said worked in the shop
specific printers ie 940 hp list only #15 not 45A / G
and with the 970 the #15 is not an option.
Greg Hughes
for printers, so take it with a grain of salt. He really seemed to
know what he was talking about, unlike some other reps. He said that
it is a marketing ploy by HP to sell you less ink for more money, thus
increase their bottom line. After saying that we swapped cartridges
between the two different machines, and printed fine with no
discernable differences. He basically said the new cartridge was a
waste of money. For what it's worth...
MM