Continuous ink system. Who uses?

Crispin

Hi All,

I was reading the thread http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=23862 (Needing a wide carriage printer comparison) and was surprised to see someone using these systems.

I have seen them for sale, very cheap, at computer flee markets.
As much as I would like one because a) You not gonna run out of ink, b) Cheaper, I'm concerned about the printer and quality.

I have always thought, as with refills etc, it will be a low quailty ink and be bland or fade quickly.

My one attempt with 3rd party cartridges ruined my Canon a few years back.

My question is: How many of you use them (or 3rd party tanks) and what is the quality and fade like?

I would at worste, with my current opinion, use them on a office desktop colour.

colourbox

I just voted for both "original ink" and "continuous flow" because I have two printers. My 2200 uses Epson original ink and my 1280 uses a CIS with special black-and-white quadtone inks.

I have always thought, as with refills etc, it will be a low quailty ink and be bland or fade quickly.

The ink quality is not always lower than the original inks. Some people run 3rd party inks not to save money, but to use better or different inks than the original inks, such as an archival quadtone set. If you want bulk color inks that resist fading, you might try the pigment inks from mediastreet.com. Last time I tried them a few years ago I could not get them to profile well so I gave up and bought the 2200. Maybe they're better now.

My current CIS works OK, but in my experience they are a bit finicky and you have to have a tinkerer's mindset to get past small issues that turn up from time to time. If you are doing this for an office, not photo, printer, then it might be worth looking into a color laser instead.

CharlieCharlie

Epson Canon HP Ink Systems: Which Ones Work? Who to Trust?
I have been using a continuous ink system purchased from eBay for over a year with absolutely no problems for my Epson R1800 and R2400. I have also been searching for the best one on the net but they are look the same but with different names.



It looked quite simple when I got with tubes attached to empty cartridges and tanks. How different would it be from one manufacturer to the next and is it worth paying $200 for one (often empty) when I can get it for under $80 on eBay already with ink? If you properly install it and take care of your printer well such as turning it off when not in use, the system will save you hundreds and even thousands of dollars a year.



All printer manufacturers make most of their money off of selling you their expensive cartridges so it is in their best interest and the interest of websites selling the manfucturer's printing supplies to bad mouth products that will block their profits. Beware of bias forums set up by such websites. There are many of them all over the internet.



The best thing to do is to look for actual buyers of these systems on eBay and read their comments. I have also seen posts on forums from what looks like the ink system manufacturer's themselves self praising their own products and pretending to be actual customers.



eBay members are real and ordinary people who have no bias. Printers are so cheap now but the cartridges have remain very expensive for obvious reasons (making money and breaking the backs of hard working individuals). My system came with a 60 day money back return policy but I had it for over a year and have seen no problems. The bulk ink is very cheap at only $25 to fill all 8 of my colors with 100 ml each or 8x100 ml of ink. 800 ml of ink is about 80 cartridges that I would have had to purchase from Epson if I did not have this system. Each Epson cartridge is around $14 so you do the math ($14 X 80) and find out how much I saved for $25. When purchasing a system just make sure you buy it from a seller with a reputable feedback.



Chris

Menomonee Falls, WI

CharlieCharlie

Ink System w/ 30 Day Free Trial and Printer Protections Policy: Hmmm? Read up on it.
You may want to try http://www.kyson.yangportal.com. They offer a 30 day free trial and their ink is made in the USA. Not imported. They also provide a printer protection program where if their product damages your printer in any way, they will pay for the cost of replacing the printer.

Chris