HP C3180 Eats Ink!

I do not recommend this printer because of the ridiculous amount of ink it uses (just as another reviewer here stated). The ink cartridge for this printer is rated at 220 pages and costs around $20! Here's a transcript of my communication w/ HP as well as some useful tips to stop the bleeding but is only somewhat better than before:

Purchased in April 2007 (1 year ago) in Europe.
problem_description : The black ink cartridge ran out of ink very prematurely. I printed 2 small photos and 85 pages and it ran out in less than a week of purchasing the printer. If I had known it would use this much ink, I would have bought another printer.

I would like a couple of new cartridges. Thank you. By the way, I tried to register through your software and had trouble. It would not connect to your server. I will try again now though.

HP's response:
Thank you for contacting HP Total Care.

This is Norah from HP All-in-One Technical Support Team and I am
replying in regard to your query relating to HP Photosmart C3180
All-in-One.

I gather from your email that our All-in-One ran out of ink very
prematurely.

I truly regret for the inconvenience caused.

The cartridge is running out prematurely because the HP Photosmart C3180
All-in-One ink cartridge capacity is ink only of 5ml.

I request you to buy a new cartridge.

From the link below you can find the HP local support center:

http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/wwcontact_us.html

Thank you for using HP Total Care and giving us an opportunity to serve
you. Its been pleasure assisting you today.

Sincerly,

Norah
HP Total care

My response:
I just bought a new cartridge; it cost the equivalent of $24! With an anticipated capacity of 210 pages as is stated on HP's website, that is over 12 cents per page and that is just for plain black and white print outs. That is very expensive! Are you saying that only the cartridge that came with the printer has a capacity of 5ml or that all model #336 cartridges have a capacity of 5ml?

HP's response:

Thank you for writing back.

Firstly, I regret for the delay in replying to your mail.

Due to some
technical difficulties that have slowed down our response time
considerably. Most of the time we respond to emails within an hour or
less, depending on the complexity of the problem. We are sorry about any
inconvenience caused by this delay.

I really appreciate your efforts in resolving the issue.

However, the cartridge 336 model consists of 5 ml of ink volume and
capacity of 210 pages. The capacity of the pages are different If we
select the printing mode and quality mode. Incase of fast draft mode the
output will be more pages. If the print quality is set to best mode then
pages will be less. All the HP 336 cartridges are similar to 5 ml.

If you have further questions, Please write to back to me with results
and I would be happy to assist you.

I look forward to assist you. Have a Nice time!!

Sincerely,

Reed
HP Total Care

My response:
Hi, I'm using the printer sparingly no thanks to your outrageously
highly
priced low ink capacity of 5ml cartridges and the printer already says
that
the ink is halfway. This is on the 'fast draft' setting by the way.
Until
now, I have always had good experience with your printers in terms of
quality and longevity of the cartridges. Now, I spent the equivalent of
$24
for a new cartridge and looked up how long it will last on HP's website:
210
pages. This means that it'll cost me 12cents per page- outrageously
expensive! How does your company expect to fight against the secondary
market of ink refills? You shouldn't practically force good, brand
loyal
customers like me to look into alternatives.

HP's response:
Thank you for writing back.

From your mail I understand that you are experiencing with the ink
related issue.

Sir, this issue could occur when the dry ink time is
decreased.

To correct this problem, increase the ink drying time in the print
properties.

In the software program being printed from, click File and then click
Print.

Select the option to open the print properties (usually Properties or
Setup).

Click the Features tab.

Click Advanced features.

Use the Drying Time slider to increase the amount of ink drying time,
then click OK. This will slow print speed.

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NOTE: Clicking the link may give an error indicating it is invalid. If
this occurs, copy the portion of the address
on the remaining line(s) and paste it at the end of the
address showing in your browser until the complete address is displayed
in the Address box.

This is usually a paper related problem. Some papers do not accept ink
as well as others. This is especially true of transparency and some of
the less expensive photo papers. Perform the following steps to
determine or correct the problem:

1.Verify that the paper is an Inkjet rated paper. Paper designed for
laser printers and copiers can have a coating on them that does not
allow the ink to be absorbed correctly. Some store branded photo papers
may also not allow the ink to dry properly. Try printing on some
different paper from a different manufacturer.

2.Paper varies in weight. The weight of the paper will be marked on the
packaging. Heavier papers tend to work better than lighter papers.
Printing on plain paper that is 70 g/m2 (20 pounds) or less in Best mode
may put more ink on the page than the paper can absorb easily. Try
printing with a heavier paper or print in Normal mode.

3.Try changing the Paper Type setting to Plain/Inkjet and setting the
Print Quality setting to Normal, and then print again. If the ink still
will not dry, the paper is the problem.

4.Try a paper from a different manufacturer and see if different results
can be obtained.


Now check the functionality

If you have further questions, Please write to back to me with results
and I would be happy to assit you.

I look forward to assist you. Have a Nice time!!

Sincerely,

Reed
HP Total Care

1 year later:
HP's tips have been helpful BUT I still use this printer sparingly and it hasn't ceased to disappoint me in how much ink it eats just for regular black and white printouts! Buyer beware! HP used to have all of my respect but it's lost a lot w/ its price gouging on ink.