Printer Question - Third party ink systems

[Matt K.]

Does anyone have any experience with third party ink systems, whether it is refillable cartridges or continuous supply system? Wh is a trustworthy manufacturer? I have looked at the InkRepublic (http://www.inkrepublic.com/Index.asp) and the EFillInk (http://www.efillink.com/), but there are others out there. Just wanting to know if anyone has any experience with this stuff, and if there are any recommendations at all.

[AcadieLibre]

I will not use 3rd party ink for my photo printers and if it is under warranty even more reason to stay away at least for now. I do not know how much printing you do but outside of clogging issues you need to know how long the ink lasts when printed. I know if I stick with Epson I have some reasonable expectation it will perform like the say it will but with 3rd party will the ink stand the test of time and remain vibrant? On a daily inkjet I can see using 3rd party ink but when I am printing and I want my prints to maintain their vibrancy, colour and last and if it means I have to stick with Epson inks I will.

This is just one article about 3rd party inks and I am sure there are positive articles about it, but to me the risk just is not worth it. Cheap Ink Probed | PCWorld (http://www.pcworld.com/article/111767/cheap_ink_probed.html). I do all my own printing and since you spent time researching and buying a quality printer why risk it on the ink???? Your call but personally I cannot recommend anything but Epson ink for your Epson printer and you take a risk once you go with 3rd party inks.

I shop around for paper and will buy 3rd party paper but it has to be from a company that I know their reputation and they are known for the paper quality and for Ink there are some 3rd party companies that have reasonable reputations but not where I am willing to trust them with my photos. I like printing my work to be archival quality and it may cost more but it is worth it. I have never had any issues with Epson inks period.

I am curious what others have to say on the subject also.

[Gremlich]

If you were running an HP printer, I would recommend 2nd or 3rd party, but Epson ink is damn great stuff and I don't think I want to take any chances. $32 USD from Epson per ink tank for the R3000 or you can get a complete 9 tank set through B&H for $234 USD and shipping. Plus, it never hurts to watch Epson for discounts.

[Matt K.]

Thanks, you two. Well yes, I have read mixed reviews of third party ink. And I know that Epson ink is really good. But really, since I bought the printer I want to put it to use. Have not printed out a lot of images, but I am already out of photo black and light magenta. Some paper sucks the ink back like there is no tomorrow. Unfortunately I cannot get the cheaper Epson cartridges from B&H .... something about an "agreement" with Canada. I call it the "pay up suckers" agreement. So the search is ongoing, and I hope I will get some more input from the forum ....

[AcadieLibre]

When you buy a printer you do not get a full cartridge usually it is enough for a few prints. They are starter cartridges or they used to be but I cannot see them changing it. Could be why you only got a few prints out of the ink you received with the printer.

[Matt K.]

When you buy a printer you do not get a full cartridge usually it is enough for a few prints. They are starter cartridges or they used to be but I cannot see them changing it. Could be why you only got a few prints out of the ink you received with the printer.

Methinks those were real cartidges, AL, but ya never know ... they showed "full" in the printer, and if they have smaller ones to start out with, then they would have to change their chips as well. Not sure if they would do that. But once the thing is totally empty, then I will measure the capacity of it ... supposed to be 26ml.

[Andrew]

While they may use special formulations I wouldn't think the printer manufacturers have a corner on the ink market. Try doing a search for reviews on Canadian companies

Printer Ink & Toner Cartridges, HDMI Cables, iPhone iPad Accessories and more | 123 Ink Cartridges Canada (http://www.123inkcartridges.ca/)

Welcome to CanadaInk.com Your Canadian Printer Supply Super Store! (http://www.canadaink.com/)

[Marko]

I'm with A.L. here - I will only use Epson Ink in my Epson printer (3880) for my photography. For me it's about print consistency and longevity and quality...not worth the risk.

That said...I have another cheap multitask printer for every other type of printing...and for THAT printer...I ONLY use 3rd party inks.
Thanks for the links Andrew!

[Matt K.]

Well I did it. I ordered the cartridge system from inkjetmall (http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl/c.362672/sc.11/category.53650/.f), developed for the R3000. My experience so far was very positive with the answers I got to all my questions. Seems to me these people know what they are talking about, and they do not seem like a fly by night operation. Apparently they are also very heavy into specialized black and white conversions of inkjet printers, with a whole gamut of greys. Longevity is a nice thing, for all those concerned with "how long does the print last"; however, I don't sell my prints, and if the print should fade in my lifetime, I'll just print it again. No biggie. So that is not what would steer me away. Further, there is apparently a law that protects consumers from "we don't cover this in our warranty" BS.

So I will keep you all updated once I have received the inks and put them in my beloved R3000.

[Gremlich]

cost differential?

[Matt K.]

cost differential?

Big time .... you pay most likely 300 bucks for a set of 9 Epson cartridges, or $ 1.28 per ml. If you buy the initial setup from inkjetmall (http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl/c.362672/sc.11/category.53650/.f), you pay around 370 bucks (including freight to Calgary, which is about 70 bucks), for a ml price of $ 0.35. Almost a quarter of the cost. Once you have the cartridges, you only buy the ink, which will further reduce your cost , and the cheapest way would be to buy 32oz bottles, which will bring the cost of your ink down to ~ 14 cent per ml.