Since the topic comes up here from time to time, I just thought I'd brag a little.
I've had a Canon Pixma iP6000D for years.
- Full color
- Photo quality prints
- Refillable ink cartridges (but I'm lazy, so I buy new anyway)
- Two sided (duplex) printing (slow, but it works)
- Allows printing with "low ink" warning, in fact, you can print until it says "okay, now you're screwed, change the ink all damned ready!"
In the last two years, I haven't had much need for it, so it's been sitting on its table, inactive. Plugged in but turned off. Never heard it self-cleaning or anything, I'm quite sure it's "off-off", standby only.
Last week I needed a document, so I turned it on. After this long, I'd expect it needs at least a deep clean. But for the hell of it, I printed a test page.
Just a few jets were sticky, not even clogged.
The test image was actually quite passable, just not up to my standards. So I gave it a single, basic cleaning. Nearly perfect test page after that. Good to go.
With all the P&M people do about printers, why would they buy anything besides this and a laser?
Of course, I doubt these machines are manufactured anymore, but used units should be as cheap as a new POS-1 printer.
Tim