key thing with epson is the print head is in the printer. hp makes the print head part of the ink cartridge. DO NOT USE NO EPSON INK... I've clogged mine once and lost the whole printer. Also, do not let ink get too low; OBEY the low-ink warning :)
i feel your pain. i have a 1280, great printer, but the epson ink prices are not so friendly...
a couple of my class-mates started using non-epson ink, as you mentioned, 1/6th of the real stuff. i'm about to give in, too, but haven't purchased/tried them yet. so far, my friends haven't found any problems yet. the quality is as good as the original.... so try it out, let me know!
there are a couple of the non-epson brands, incl. the ones on ebay, aparently this is the safest so far:
No, don't use no-Epson ink. Like what happened to Steve, our Epson 4000 was destroyed from granules in the cheap ink that clogged up the head. Apparently repeated cleaning damages the printer, so we eventually had to throw it away.
as said before, the inks may work fine, but overtime they will clog the printer up. i have also seen friends try to save a few bucks to only have to go out and buy a new printer.
The clogging issue is somewhat dependent on the use frequency of the printer. If this is a printer that is heavily used on a daily basis - in an office for example - then clogs almost never happen. If it will sit unused for weeks at a time then it's much more likely to clog (even with Epson inks) and so I wouldn't do it.
We've used mainly "cheap non-Epson ink" in our Epson 1280s for years and have not encountered problems with clogging - but these printers are in use several times per day and don't really get a chance to dry out/clog. The one problem is that some of these cheap inks fade more quickly.
We've worn out a 1280 just through heavy use - eventually the roller mechanism wore down and it would have been as expensive to fix than to replace. The ink never created a problem.
the low ink issue relates to sporatic use. if you do not use your printer that much, say once per week, and the low ink light is on for more than a month, the print head may dry out or clog. again, this is only my experience, but it seems to be a common thread among epson printer users... factory and non-factory ink included.
With the example of the Epson 1280: the pair of Epson cartridges for this printer lists at $52.15. The printer itself currently sells for about $400 and there is a $100 rebate available. So even if the cheaper no-brand cartridges were just 50% of the cost of Epson cartridges you'd be making up the cost of the printer over just 11 sets of cartridges.
With less expensive printers the cost of the printer is made up much more quickly: with the basic little Epson C86 (currently available for $98 and there's a $20 rebate) the lowest-priced package deal for the 4 Epson cartridges this thing uses is over $60. If cheapo cartridges cost half of this you'd have made up the cost of a new printer in just 2 or 3 refills.
Of course, from an environmental standpoint I don't like the idea of throwing your printer away every few cartridges. So I still think that if you're at a high risk of clogging up your printer - for instance because you use it only sporadically - that you stick with the Epson cartridges.
But, if you're using the printer every day then I think the small risk of irreversibly clogging the printer is usually going to be offset by the worth of the printer itself vs. the cost of the ink.
a photographer I did work with a while back used refillable bottles, connected through tubes, that ran into his 1280s. It worked, but looked like a pain.
From my experience, as everyone seems to be pointing out, don't do it!
There is a big quality difference, esp in the black. NEver had problems with clogging, but I didn't do it for too long.
I have an Epson that I used to use only once or twice a week and it clogged horribly. To the point where I had to clean the nozzles 7 times in a row before it could even print with all the colors. That would waste a ton of ink. I'll never get an Epson again for that reason. I like how the HPs come with a new print head with each cartridge. I'm planning to get either the HP 9650 or the Canon i9900. If anyone has used these, could you share what you think of them?
Dec 8, 04 5:43 pm ·
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non-epson made ink for epson stylus printers
is there anything wrong with this...
i know for the "best" results i should stick to epson inks, but the price for other brands is about 1/6th of the price...
can anyone recommend a good make? a good source/supplier?
don't do it.
Best thing to do is buy a new printer
and buy the brand that your offices uses.
Thus you will have free ink any time you want.
key thing with epson is the print head is in the printer. hp makes the print head part of the ink cartridge. DO NOT USE NO EPSON INK... I've clogged mine once and lost the whole printer. Also, do not let ink get too low; OBEY the low-ink warning :)
it's a tough one....
i feel your pain. i have a 1280, great printer, but the epson ink prices are not so friendly...
a couple of my class-mates started using non-epson ink, as you mentioned, 1/6th of the real stuff. i'm about to give in, too, but haven't purchased/tried them yet. so far, my friends haven't found any problems yet. the quality is as good as the original.... so try it out, let me know!
there are a couple of the non-epson brands, incl. the ones on ebay, aparently this is the safest so far:
http://www.myinks.com/Catalog.aspx?ModelNumber=113
good luck!!
No, don't use no-Epson ink. Like what happened to Steve, our Epson 4000 was destroyed from granules in the cheap ink that clogged up the head. Apparently repeated cleaning damages the printer, so we eventually had to throw it away.
invest in a Lyson continuous ink system.
note: This link goes straight to the CIS. The site uses frames so if you want to get to the navigation shorten the url to the homepage.
yep, don't do it. fuchs, what's up with the low ink not get too low? i have an epson 2200 and i don't want to screw it up.
I ordered some for my R300 last week. It arrive yesterday. Ill let you guys know how it works out. Discountinks.com
as said before, the inks may work fine, but overtime they will clog the printer up. i have also seen friends try to save a few bucks to only have to go out and buy a new printer.
The clogging issue is somewhat dependent on the use frequency of the printer. If this is a printer that is heavily used on a daily basis - in an office for example - then clogs almost never happen. If it will sit unused for weeks at a time then it's much more likely to clog (even with Epson inks) and so I wouldn't do it.
We've used mainly "cheap non-Epson ink" in our Epson 1280s for years and have not encountered problems with clogging - but these printers are in use several times per day and don't really get a chance to dry out/clog. The one problem is that some of these cheap inks fade more quickly.
We've worn out a 1280 just through heavy use - eventually the roller mechanism wore down and it would have been as expensive to fix than to replace. The ink never created a problem.
the low ink issue relates to sporatic use. if you do not use your printer that much, say once per week, and the low ink light is on for more than a month, the print head may dry out or clog. again, this is only my experience, but it seems to be a common thread among epson printer users... factory and non-factory ink included.
many thanks steve
One more thought about this ink issue:
With the example of the Epson 1280: the pair of Epson cartridges for this printer lists at $52.15. The printer itself currently sells for about $400 and there is a $100 rebate available. So even if the cheaper no-brand cartridges were just 50% of the cost of Epson cartridges you'd be making up the cost of the printer over just 11 sets of cartridges.
With less expensive printers the cost of the printer is made up much more quickly: with the basic little Epson C86 (currently available for $98 and there's a $20 rebate) the lowest-priced package deal for the 4 Epson cartridges this thing uses is over $60. If cheapo cartridges cost half of this you'd have made up the cost of a new printer in just 2 or 3 refills.
Of course, from an environmental standpoint I don't like the idea of throwing your printer away every few cartridges. So I still think that if you're at a high risk of clogging up your printer - for instance because you use it only sporadically - that you stick with the Epson cartridges.
But, if you're using the printer every day then I think the small risk of irreversibly clogging the printer is usually going to be offset by the worth of the printer itself vs. the cost of the ink.
a photographer I did work with a while back used refillable bottles, connected through tubes, that ran into his 1280s. It worked, but looked like a pain.
From my experience, as everyone seems to be pointing out, don't do it!
There is a big quality difference, esp in the black. NEver had problems with clogging, but I didn't do it for too long.
I have an Epson that I used to use only once or twice a week and it clogged horribly. To the point where I had to clean the nozzles 7 times in a row before it could even print with all the colors. That would waste a ton of ink. I'll never get an Epson again for that reason. I like how the HPs come with a new print head with each cartridge. I'm planning to get either the HP 9650 or the Canon i9900. If anyone has used these, could you share what you think of them?
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