( 
)Since I am the exclusive American distributor for RKS Technik out of Germany, I thought I should take a moment to share my knowledge of this particular technological advancement. I have received lots of questions, because all manner of rumors arise saying, this and that, about who developed the technology. So to clear the air, here is the truth about the resetters as I know it first hand from the original developer RKS Technik.
First I want to say the resetters I am referring to here are those that do not need to be attached to a printer to reset the chip. They do this completely independent of the printer. Still circulating are some early resetters which sold for $300 each, which do need to be attached to the printer.
Instead what this guide is about is the small independent models that, for the most part, run on battery power. These came into the market place at price under $100. Today you can get one for between $20 and $53. And may even get one for less as part of a refill kit from the big German ink supplier Sudhaus Patrone
The Engineer & The Models
When RKS Technik, an award-winning, German, Innovative Technological Company since 1972, first engineered a resetter for Canon cli-8 & pgi-5 chips, they made it in red ABS plastic. The bottom was set in place and was not designed to open easily because the battery they chose was rated for 1500 resets, which they concluded would be more than the average person would reset before buying a new printer.
This red resetter contains one large long-lasting Mitsubishi battery. If you purchased directly from RKS, or one of their exclusive distributors, it came with a full two year replacement warranty.
As the resetter went into the hands of customers, a percentage of them broke down after resetting between 10 and 20 cartridges. Due to this fact, RKS redesigned the red battery-operated resetter, and released the new blue resetter in October 2008.
The new blue resetter has a different and more stable configuration with three small batteries, and a removable base, so you can change them out if the need arises. We have been shipping these since they were first released and as of January 2009, have had none break down or returned.
In addition to these two models, RKS also has a professional model which is designed for continuous use. It looks exactly like the red resetter, except it does not have batteries, but comes with a power converter and plugs into the wall. These are excellent for cartridge refill businesses. We have sold many of these, and they are fine workhorses. We have never seen a problem with them.
The Many, the Hype & the Rumors
When you search for Canon Chip resetter, you will find many come up today on Ebay. You will find lots of red ones, some blue ones, and even a green, and white one.
Do they all work? Since I have not tested all of them, I cannot answer this question.
But I am willing to bet that each one does work.
The real question you need to ask is not do they work, but for how long will they work?
If you do not have a warranty, and the company you purchased from is outside your country, and perhaps across one of the ponds, then if your resetter stops working - what do you do?
And how much is it worth to you, to be assured that when your printer says you have an empty ink cartridge, that you can pull it, reset the chip, and put it back in the printer immediately? This is why you should always consider buying from a company that offers a warranty and one that is local, or at least as close to local as you can get.
The biggest rumor I have consistently heard is that Sudhaus Patrone is the innovator of the Canon chip resetter. This is not true. It has grown as a rumor because Sudhaus sells the red resetter as a loss leader item in their refill kits to get people hooked on their ink. They purchase enormous quantities of the red resetter from RKS.
Another rumor I hear, is that all resetters for Canon cli-8 and pgi-5 ink chips that are made in China are not made well, or will not work. Though we have not tested all of them, we have spoken to all the companies that carry them, and these companies are technology companies, not just counterfeiters. So I suspect that all of them will work, but what do you do if you buy one and it is the faulty lemon of the bunch? Even the best companies like Canon, HP, Lexmark, Kodak, Dell, etc, all have a lemon from time to time. That is why we need a warranty. And a warranty in China will do you little good unless you live in Asia.
When the market started to change last Fall, we began searching the Asian market place for a resetter that would be equally dependable. One that we could sell with a warranty. Fortunately we found another fine company, and now carry the OM resetter at a lower price than our RKS model. Both come with warranties that we stand behind.
The really nasty hype that I have seen on Ebay is a major concern to me. I think of Ebay as a big community, a family of shop keepers if you will, but some not as respectable as others. It is also because of one such seller that I felt a need to write this guide.
If you see an ad that says blue resetters are fakes, this is completely false. As I have already told you, RKS is the innovator for these new blue resetters, and of course there are now several Asian copies. So do not allow this kind of advertising to cause fear.
As simple rule of thumb I live by is if a seller is attempting to scare me into purchasing his product, then I take two steps back, slow down and more fully evaluate what they are offering. You should not be pressured into any sale. As my dad, a real estate broker, used to say; "Don't fall in love with a house. There will be another one. Make sure it is what you want and at the price you can afford."
That advice works for just about anything you purchase.
I think I have covered the main issues regarding the resetters for Canon pgi-5 and cli-8 inks.
In case you are new to chip resetting, I will briefly explain it. As Canon discovered that people were starting to refill their cartridges for a few pennies, thus avoiding paying the high cost of Canon ink cartridges, they developed the ink chip. This little chip tells the printer that the cartridge is a canon, it indicates how much ink is left, and when the cartridge is empty.
Unless a cartridge has a canon type chip on it, the printer will not recognize it and therefore will not print.
If you refill an original Canon cartridge, which of course has this chip, and then put it back in the printer, the printer will recognize it, but say it is empty. Because the chip has not been reset. There is a way to override this but it will not work for faxing. And if you over-ride it, you can end up voiding your warranty with Canon.
Thus the resetter for these chips was born. Once reset the printer recognizes the cartridge as a canon and also will read ink levels just like the original ink cartridges.
I will write a guide on the latest updates in Canon chip development, and also will shortly offer a guide on the new RKS Technik breakthrough that is coming out in the next week or so.
If you have any questions, email me at inkjetreset @ gmail.com
Michele Avanti
owner inkjetreset
exclusive American RKS Technik Distributor
ADDENDUM: This just in, February 18, 2009 - RKS has just started shipping their newest version of the Canon Cli-8/Pgi-5 battery operated resetters. This one is Version Four. It looks a lot like the original red one in that it has a rocker bar, pins, and runs on one large mitsubishi battery. But it is blue with three ridges on each side, and includes a completely new circuit board. Also the adapter for the smaller cli-8 cartridges fits deeper into the unit and does not slip at all. These are super easy to use. Holding the cartridge in place seems to be even easier than the previous models.
First I want to say the resetters I am referring to here are those that do not need to be attached to a printer to reset the chip. They do this completely independent of the printer. Still circulating are some early resetters which sold for $300 each, which do need to be attached to the printer.
Instead what this guide is about is the small independent models that, for the most part, run on battery power. These came into the market place at price under $100. Today you can get one for between $20 and $53. And may even get one for less as part of a refill kit from the big German ink supplier Sudhaus Patrone
The Engineer & The Models
When RKS Technik, an award-winning, German, Innovative Technological Company since 1972, first engineered a resetter for Canon cli-8 & pgi-5 chips, they made it in red ABS plastic. The bottom was set in place and was not designed to open easily because the battery they chose was rated for 1500 resets, which they concluded would be more than the average person would reset before buying a new printer.
This red resetter contains one large long-lasting Mitsubishi battery. If you purchased directly from RKS, or one of their exclusive distributors, it came with a full two year replacement warranty.
As the resetter went into the hands of customers, a percentage of them broke down after resetting between 10 and 20 cartridges. Due to this fact, RKS redesigned the red battery-operated resetter, and released the new blue resetter in October 2008.
The new blue resetter has a different and more stable configuration with three small batteries, and a removable base, so you can change them out if the need arises. We have been shipping these since they were first released and as of January 2009, have had none break down or returned.
In addition to these two models, RKS also has a professional model which is designed for continuous use. It looks exactly like the red resetter, except it does not have batteries, but comes with a power converter and plugs into the wall. These are excellent for cartridge refill businesses. We have sold many of these, and they are fine workhorses. We have never seen a problem with them.
The Many, the Hype & the Rumors
When you search for Canon Chip resetter, you will find many come up today on Ebay. You will find lots of red ones, some blue ones, and even a green, and white one.
Do they all work? Since I have not tested all of them, I cannot answer this question.
But I am willing to bet that each one does work.
The real question you need to ask is not do they work, but for how long will they work?
If you do not have a warranty, and the company you purchased from is outside your country, and perhaps across one of the ponds, then if your resetter stops working - what do you do?
And how much is it worth to you, to be assured that when your printer says you have an empty ink cartridge, that you can pull it, reset the chip, and put it back in the printer immediately? This is why you should always consider buying from a company that offers a warranty and one that is local, or at least as close to local as you can get.
The biggest rumor I have consistently heard is that Sudhaus Patrone is the innovator of the Canon chip resetter. This is not true. It has grown as a rumor because Sudhaus sells the red resetter as a loss leader item in their refill kits to get people hooked on their ink. They purchase enormous quantities of the red resetter from RKS.
Another rumor I hear, is that all resetters for Canon cli-8 and pgi-5 ink chips that are made in China are not made well, or will not work. Though we have not tested all of them, we have spoken to all the companies that carry them, and these companies are technology companies, not just counterfeiters. So I suspect that all of them will work, but what do you do if you buy one and it is the faulty lemon of the bunch? Even the best companies like Canon, HP, Lexmark, Kodak, Dell, etc, all have a lemon from time to time. That is why we need a warranty. And a warranty in China will do you little good unless you live in Asia.
When the market started to change last Fall, we began searching the Asian market place for a resetter that would be equally dependable. One that we could sell with a warranty. Fortunately we found another fine company, and now carry the OM resetter at a lower price than our RKS model. Both come with warranties that we stand behind.
The really nasty hype that I have seen on Ebay is a major concern to me. I think of Ebay as a big community, a family of shop keepers if you will, but some not as respectable as others. It is also because of one such seller that I felt a need to write this guide.
If you see an ad that says blue resetters are fakes, this is completely false. As I have already told you, RKS is the innovator for these new blue resetters, and of course there are now several Asian copies. So do not allow this kind of advertising to cause fear.
As simple rule of thumb I live by is if a seller is attempting to scare me into purchasing his product, then I take two steps back, slow down and more fully evaluate what they are offering. You should not be pressured into any sale. As my dad, a real estate broker, used to say; "Don't fall in love with a house. There will be another one. Make sure it is what you want and at the price you can afford."
That advice works for just about anything you purchase.
I think I have covered the main issues regarding the resetters for Canon pgi-5 and cli-8 inks.
In case you are new to chip resetting, I will briefly explain it. As Canon discovered that people were starting to refill their cartridges for a few pennies, thus avoiding paying the high cost of Canon ink cartridges, they developed the ink chip. This little chip tells the printer that the cartridge is a canon, it indicates how much ink is left, and when the cartridge is empty.
Unless a cartridge has a canon type chip on it, the printer will not recognize it and therefore will not print.
If you refill an original Canon cartridge, which of course has this chip, and then put it back in the printer, the printer will recognize it, but say it is empty. Because the chip has not been reset. There is a way to override this but it will not work for faxing. And if you over-ride it, you can end up voiding your warranty with Canon.
Thus the resetter for these chips was born. Once reset the printer recognizes the cartridge as a canon and also will read ink levels just like the original ink cartridges.
I will write a guide on the latest updates in Canon chip development, and also will shortly offer a guide on the new RKS Technik breakthrough that is coming out in the next week or so.
If you have any questions, email me at inkjetreset @ gmail.com
Michele Avanti
owner inkjetreset
exclusive American RKS Technik Distributor
ADDENDUM: This just in, February 18, 2009 - RKS has just started shipping their newest version of the Canon Cli-8/Pgi-5 battery operated resetters. This one is Version Four. It looks a lot like the original red one in that it has a rocker bar, pins, and runs on one large mitsubishi battery. But it is blue with three ridges on each side, and includes a completely new circuit board. Also the adapter for the smaller cli-8 cartridges fits deeper into the unit and does not slip at all. These are super easy to use. Holding the cartridge in place seems to be even easier than the previous models.
Guide created: 01/06/09 (updated 10/22/09)
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