Need advice on Continuous ink system

[jjch_sg]

Have got an Epson R310. Considering whether should install a continuous ink system or not. Anyone is using it? Any comment/feedback/advice?

[nickmak]

Originally Posted by jjch_sg Have got an Epson R310. Considering whether should install a continuous ink system or not. Anyone is using it? Any comment/feedback/advice?

I use a continuous ink system for my Epson Photo 830U. I believe the ink comes from Epson themselves. It gives good photos and I've printed about 50+ photos and the colour rendition is close to the ones using the catridges... Only problem is when the ink stops flowing from the tanks to the printer, its a real hassle to fix that problem and you can have ink spilling everywhere. So far I've been using these systems on about 10 prineters in the office and its a great way to save $$$... except you just when there are problems...

Regards,
Nick

[yaoxing]

Originally Posted by nickmak I use a continuous ink system for my Epson Photo 830U. I believe the ink comes from Epson themselves. It gives good photos and I've printed about 50+ photos and the colour rendition is close to the ones using the catridges... Only problem is when the ink stops flowing from the tanks to the printer, its a real hassle to fix that problem and you can have ink spilling everywhere. So far I've been using these systems on about 10 prineters in the office and its a great way to save $$$... except you just when there are problems... Regards, Nick

From which vendor did you get your CIS?

[nickmak]

Originally Posted by yaoxing From which vendor did you get your CIS?

I'm living in Bangkok currently so all the CIS are from a local manufacturer. Their brand is called 'Ink-Man' and are quite well known in the printer market. If you come to Thailand you can search for them in any big computer market like Seri Center in the Eastern side of Bangkok.

Regards,
Nick

[yaoxing]

Originally Posted by nickmak I'm living in Bangkok currently so all the CIS are from a local manufacturer. Their brand is called 'Ink-Man' and are quite well known in the printer market. If you come to Thailand you can search for them in any big computer market like Seri Center in the Eastern side of Bangkok. Regards, Nick

Wow...... Bangkok.... too far for me....

Any idea which CIS is the best in Singapore? Considering Inknovation, but might also want to try out other market followers. But it's a system I'll be buying into, so need to make the right decision right from the start.

[jjch_sg]

Anyone using the Sepoms CIS?

[tim]

Originally Posted by yaoxing Wow...... Bangkok.... too far for me.... Any idea which CIS is the best in Singapore? Considering Inknovation, but might also want to try out other market followers. But it's a system I'll be buying into, so need to make the right decision right from the start.

I have a Epson 900 CIS by Inknovation, also a (U.S.A's parts) CIS for 1160 and going to put a CIS on my 2100 soon. Therefore I have a bit of experience to share my opinon.

There is no "best" CIS, most important is whether the company who sell you, can give the support cos' there's bound to have a bit of bugs now and then. I would suggest to use a CIS IF you use more than one set of ink cartridges in a month. IF not then I would recommend to use refillable cartridges.

But bear in mind NO aftermarket inks are the same with Epson therefore you will need to tweak a bit with the color profiles in order to have the same print-out.

[tim]

Originally Posted by jjch_sg Have got an Epson R310. Considering whether should install a continuous ink system or not. Anyone is using it? Any comment/feedback/advice?

Based on what I saw and heard, I would not recommend you to put a CIS on a R310; only IF it's on the R210.

Get the "Smart cartridges" from Inknovation or Sepoms refillable for the R310.

[jjch_sg]

Originally Posted by tim Based on what I saw and heard, I would not recommend you to put a CIS on a R310; only IF it's on the R210. Get the "Smart cartridges" from Inknovation or Sepoms refillable for the R310.

Also consider the refillable cartridge solution. Less worry. And actually cheaper starting cost! The Sepoms is only $10 each.

[tim]

Originally Posted by jjch_sg Also consider the refillable cartridge solution. Less worry. And actually cheaper starting cost! The Sepoms is only $10 each.

jjch_sg, if you have'nt bought yet, go check-out InkStation at Sitex'04. They are selling all CIS for S$120 with inkset.

However I have no ideal if they are good or not but it's cheap.

[Zplus]

Originally Posted by tim jjch_sg, if you have not buy yet, go check-out InkStation at Sitex'04. They are selling all CIS for S$120 with inkset. However I have no ideal if they are good or not but it's cheap.

Heh! I am eyeing that too but do not now how good/bad it is. Anyone knows how's the ink quality...?

[jjch_sg]

Originally Posted by tim jjch_sg, if you have not buy yet, go check-out InkStation at Sitex'04. They are selling all CIS for S$120 with inkset. However I have no ideal if they are good or not but it's cheap.

Thanks for the info. Haven't bought yet. There are three system, all on promotion, with additional one using refillable cartridges:

- Sepoms CIS - $219, include installation, around 100+ ml of ink to start with
- Inkstation CIS - $120, need to install by yourself, around 50ml ink to start with
- Colorlink - $169, system looks exactly the same as Sepoms. around 100+ ml of ink to start with
- Sepoms refillable transparent cartridges - $26/$30 per 125ml ink + $3 per cartridge, work out to be $194 with 125ml ink each
- Sepoms refillable cartridges - $10 each + 1 free cartridge + 1 free vacuum filler. I think each cartridge has about 10+ml of ink.

[jjch_sg]

Finally bought the Inkstation CIS system during Sitex. Self-install at home. Installation is not difficult. So far, print a few photos, it works without any problem. But when I pull out the rubber air seal, I did get my hands dirty with inks. I also need to cut some foam to fill the gap below the cover to ensure the ink "ribbon" can move without hitting anything.

[Zplus]

Originally Posted by jjch_sg Finally bought the Inkstation CIS system during Sitex. Self-install at home. Installation is not difficult. So far, print a few photos, it works without any problem. But when I pull out the rubber air seal, I did get my hands dirty with inks. I also need to cut some foam to fill the gap below the cover to ensure the ink "ribbon" can move without hitting anything.

Did you buy during the show @ 120? Which printer are using it on and any banding or difference from the original inks?

Very curious to know....

[yaoxing]

Originally Posted by Zplus Did you buy during the show @ 120? Which printer are using it on and any banding or difference from the original inks? Very curious to know....

Banding shouldn't be due to the ink quality. Banding can be solved by recalibration or cleaning of the printheads most of the time.

[tim]

Yes, banding is not due to the ink quality.

It's due to air in the system that's why you have lines in the print-out. Therefore you need to get rid of the air; as I said before you need good support from your vendor who sold you.

[jjch_sg]

Originally Posted by Zplus Did you buy during the show @ 120? Which printer are using it on and any banding or difference from the original inks? Very curious to know....

Yes, I bought it in the show after talking to folks in all three CIS booths. It is at $120 for R310. Apparently, they are the old and new system. The old system is the one that you see in the website. And new system is the one that they are promoting. I first talk to one of the guy. My biggest concern is about post-sales support. Therefore, I have rule out the Colorlink. For the inkstation, you can get support from the shop in Sim Lim Square. Secondly, their ink is much less expensive than Sepoms ($10 vs $24 per 100ml). But the $120 suppose will get you the new system which has around 60ml of ink while the Sepoms system will give you about 120ml of ink. When I place the order, the guy ask another "expert". The "expert" say for R310, better to use the old system. Seems that the new system will work for R210 but not that well for R310 (not sure why since the two printers are twins). Therefore, I actually get the old system which has more ink. I ask what is the main difference between the old and new. The "expert" told me that the new system has smaller ink tank and has lower cost therefore can sell at lower price.

My printer is completely brand new. Nothing has printed before I install the CIS system. Therefore, will not be able to compare with original Epson ink (my original cartridges are still shrink wrapped).

So far, the system is good. At the beginning, there are air inside the tube, I also worry a little bit. But during the charging of ink, the ink is sucked from the ink tank and filled up the link. My first nozzle test does have 3 nozzles blocked and my first few prints has a very slight banding due to the 3 blocked nozzles (but you have to be very careful to look at it to see the banding). After a few prints and a cleaning cycle, the blocked nozzles are gone. Now, the print does not have banding. In terms of color, it is pretty good. I try printing using different paper (bought differnt one in Sitex to try it out). The result on the cheapo paper (6 cents per 4R paper, 170g) is not very good, color is flat. Luckily, didn't buy much. Switch to Sepoms Premium Glossy paper (235g, about 10 cents for each 4R paper), color is much better. Colour seems to be as vivid as I expect. But noted that I print the photo using original Epson profile. I think if able to have the exact profile of the ink, the color may be even better. Now need to learn more about color space...

[yaoxing]

The problem with these CIS and third party inks in general is that they don't have the color profiles for their inks. I spoke to a young chap at InkStation and he said they never think of Color Profiles in the first place. If they did, they can be a leader in CIS market in Singapore.

[jjch_sg]

Agree. I just try to print one of the processed RAW file in Photoshop using 16 bits. Found that there is a color mismatch. I think that may be some color profile or may even be a bug in Photoshop. Now browsing around web to see if there are solutions...

[yaoxing]

Come to think of it. Epson surely knows about the existence of such third-party CIS vendors capitalising on the design of Epson printers that favours the use of CIS. (Some Canon models as well.) If one day Epson comes up with its very own CIS add-on at a reasonable price (about 50% more than other brands), would that turn the market to its favour?

To me, in terms of print quality, the Epson ink makes no mistake. I'm using a Epson Stylus Photo 1290 which I bought from Tzuen at a good price. I was considering the use of a CIS, but after seeing the print quality of the original ink, and hearing feedback from CIS users here, I think I would postpone the idea until CIS technology has improved, at least in terms of colour profiling.