THAT'S IT! SOFTDISK G-S HAS TURNED TO THE DARK SIDE!
Don╒t let the name fool you. The MacInker is not a Macintosh product, it predates the Mac by several years. So what is it? Perhaps the best buy available for anyone with a dot matrix printer. The MacInker is a stand-alone device whose one purpose is to restore life to dead printer ribbons. Essentially, the MacInker puts new ink in old ribbons. There are several models of MacInker to choose from and one is designed specifically to re-ink the cartridges used by the ImageWriter printers. That's the one we will look at in this review.
I purchased a MacInker almost four years ago. At the time I was purchasing a new ribbon every other month, and when I saw an ad for Computer Friends (who, by the way, sell a number of peripheral devices, not just the MacInker) the item that caught my eye was the MacInker. It looked like a great idea, it had a money-back guarantee, so I thought, what the hey, I'll buy it. So I did.
Since then I have bought only a few ribbons, and most of them have been of the color variety that my MacInker can't handle. (Of course Computer Friends DOES offer a MacInker that does color ribbons too.) As a general rule, I get about two months of use out of a ribbon before it needs re-inking, but I generally re-ink after about a month because I like that "fresh ribbon" look that I get.
APPEARANCES AND MECHANICS
What does it look like? The ImageWriter version of the MacInker is a black rectangle, about one and a half times the size of a paperback book, with a small black cylinder at one end, and a protruding, rotating gear at the other. There are also small protrusions that serve to hold the ribbon cartridge in place while the MacInker runs. A small motor is housed underneath the MacInker, and the power cord runs from the motor to a wall socket. The off/on switch is located on the power cord. To use the MacInker is simplicity in action. Simply put a ribbon in place (it╒s almost impossible to install it incorrectly), fill the black cylinder with ink (but not too high╤look for the highwater mark) and flip the switch on.
It is a little tricky to position the ribbon itself. You╒ll have to pull it out and place it around the black cylinder, where a tiny hole allows the ink to flow from within the cylinder to the ribbon fabric. When the ribbon is inking properly, you can see a dark line of ink soaking into the ribbon as it slowly disappears into the cartridge body. I used to try to ink the ribbon "properly," that is, I would allow the ribbon to work its way around the MacInker twice. To do this, I marked one ribbon with "white-out" and timed the whole operation, then I would simply run the MacInker for that length of time to ink a ribbon. As I got more familiar with the machine, I began simply filling up the cylinder and running the MacInker until the reservoir was empty, plus a few extra minutes to "work the ink in." I have (accidentally) let the MacInker run for more than three hours on at least one occasion, with no damage either to the MacInker or to the ribbon.
It takes a while to re-ink a ribbon, but it is fascinating to watch. I would rank it somewhere between watching paint dry and watching grass grow. Just about the only problem or complaint I have ever had is not with the re-inking mechanism itself, but with the ink bottle they supply you with. It is very easy to make an indelible mess on virtually any surface, so be careful. You don╒t have to purchase special ink to use the MacInker, and since I still have a little ink left from the original bottle, I have never had to order more, but Computer Friends does offer extra ink bottles (in a variety of colors) if you want to order them. When my bottle runs out, I╒ll probably run down to the nearest office supply store and get a bottle of the same ink used to re-ink stamp pads. I hope it works.
Just about the only mistake you can make while re-inking a ribbon is to put too much ink into the reservoir and then running the MacInker too long. If the ribbon becomes soaked with ink, the advancing mechanism inside the ribbon cartridge will stop working, and if you aren't watching things closely, this can result in a big mess. At best you╒ll get ink all over your MacInker, at worst you can lose the ribbon if it becomes hopelessly tangled and jammed inside the cartridge.
TAKE CARE...
One word of caution. You can╒t re-ink a ribbon forever. The literature that comes with the MacInker has testimonials like "I've re-inked a single ribbon a hundred times!" While you may be able to do this, it is not advisable. Every time you print, your ribbon gets slightly frayed by the pounding of the print head on the ribbon fabric. If a ribbon is significantly frayed, it can actually damage the print head. While there are no hard and fast rules, you should keep a close eye on your ribbon╒s fabric. If it looks a bit like a tatterdemalion to you, it's probably already too far gone. I don╒t know a "best" guideline to recommend disposing of re-inked ribbons, but I usually re-ink my ribbons about 10-15 times before finally disposing of them. How do I know how many times I've re-inked a ribbon? I mark the ribbon cartridge each time I re-ink it. As you can see, if a ribbon lasts two months between re-inkings, then the ribbon cartridge should last you a couple of years. I rotate ribbons, so my ribbons last longer. I have only thrown a couple of ribbons away because I became distrustful of their fabric integrity. I have thrown more away because of jamming problems with the ribbon advancement mechanism.
A final warning for parents. This mechanism is designed for power computer users, with little thought for the little tykes that may be roaming around your household. The motor has exposed wires (insulated, but separate from the main cord) that are colorful and will tempt those youngsters. The MacInker itself is light enough for a child to easily yank from a table or counter. There is no warning of the toxicity of the ink, but it is fair to say that young children should seek a less noxious beverage.
CONCLUSION
It is fair to say that there are few items in the computer market that actually "pay for themselves," but the MacInker will pay for itself within a year for heavy printer users. In my opinion, just the convenience of always having a freshly inked ribbon is worth the price of the MacInker.
