<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.