FAQ-Q? R-Jet Tek and OCP ink experience?

[l_d_allan]

Refill newbie.

In the FAQ, it mentions:
Q: Who are some of the main manufacturers of ink & cartridges discussed on this forum?
A: Alotofthings -
A: HobbiColors -
A: Image Specialists -
A: Inkgrabber -
A: Inktec -
A: MIS -
A: Sensient Formulabs -
A: Wiredbeans - (AcuJet)

I live in Colorado Springs, CO, which is where R-Jet Tek is located. My understanding is that they are distributors for OCP ink, as well as refill supplies for individuals and companies.

In the above list, R-Jet Tek seems to be conspicuously absent. Am I "reading between the lines" that their reputation is not so great? Or is it a valid inference that what they sell isn't that applicable to individual refillers?

Have forum members with a LOT more experience than myself had good, bad, or so-so experience with OCP ink and/or R-Jet Tek?

 

[on30trainman]

I have been using OCP ink in my Pro9000 Mk II and ip4500 for a few months now. Works very well. There are several OCP users on this forum. I don't doubt you will be hearing from others very soon. Only downside is having to buy the ink in pints - smallest amount they sell. My Pro9000 has RED and GREEN ink which is used very, very little. I was lucky to find another fellow who had just bought the inks and was willing to sell me 4 oz of each. So, even though OCP is not on that list (by omission), it works very well and is a good choice.

Steve W.

 

[ghwellsjr]

That list is very old and includes venders that no longer exist. You shouldn't read anything into the fact that any particular supplier is absent.

 

[Harvey]

I read a post of an user stating OCP has a strong odor that vanishes in a few minutes. OCP has many ink types and seems to develop several specific formulas in order to get along with printers.

Recently a friend got a supply from Rjet for his Canon, and also told me of this odor, he definetily needed a personal profile, other than that he says its acceptable, he is considering though Image
Specialists to run some tests.

Another thing I remember is this ink has a great fading resistence and you must create your profile to get correct colors. As far of my experience I am happy with HC inks, I dont have to tweak anything, vivid colors and no strange odors, now its my third year using HC and no complaints at all. I recommend you HC all the way.

 

[l_d_allan]

Only downside is having to buy the ink in pints - smallest amount they sell. My Pro9000 has RED and GREEN ink which is used very, very little. I was lucky to find another fellow who had just bought the inks and was willing to sell me 4 oz of each. So, even though OCP is not on that list (by omission), it works very well and is a good choice.
Steve W.

I think our experience may be similar. I haven't done that much printing, but am just now getting the Pro9000-2 reporting "Low" on the Red cartridge, and the Green is getting close to empty.

I guess my thinking is that even though 16 oz will probably last 5+ years and expire before I use it up, it is still so much less expensive than the alternative that it is economically justified. OCP ink from my local Colorado Springs R-Jet Tek is about $15 per 16 oz, which is about the same cost as an OEM cartridge.

 

[stratman]

Canon OEM ink has a two year shelf life per Canon Tech Support. Some have stored cartridges longer than that and not reported noticeable issues. There seems to be more stories on this forum of problems with old ink than those who found no problems with old ink. Of course this is anecdotal reporting and additionally is subject to my recollection at this late hour of the evening.

Storage parameters are key to keeping your ink in spec. Keep away from sunlight, keep tightly closed, and maintain reasonable temperature range.

General consensus has been order up to 2 years worth of ink. It might be prudent to order only up to a 1 year's worth to make sure your ink remains "fresh". Five year's worth of ink is risking waste unless you are splitting the amount with others. Still, $15 for 16 oz (tax but no shipping) is a great deal!

Consider purchasing a lesser quantity than 16 oz per color at first to understand your usage patterns. Once you know your consumption patterns, such as needing twice the amount of certain colors compared to others, as well as how long a given quantity of ink lasts for you, then calibrate your purchases to those parameters using the 1 or 2 year guide.

 

[Bertil]

Some time ago I started using my Canon 4200 after having kept it stored for 3 years approximately-unopened.My 560 had been ruined by lightening during a thunderstorm.I set it up.opened the cartridges and began printing.No problems at all and very nice prints both text and photos.My refillink is kept in the refridgerator with a temperature of 5-6centigrades.I am confident it will last long there.Now I keep a Canon 4700 stored unopened-just in case hoping for longevity .By the way-I gave my son a new 560 multifunction,got his old 560 printer,cleaned the printhead since he had complained of streaks and now it prints as beautifully as ever.

 

[irvweiner]

Bertil, you right on. Get some 2 or 4 oz squeeze bottles and store the remainder in the frig--if you are desperate for a refill-reload you empty squeeze bottle and microwave for 10-12 secs!!

ld allan: here is my updated list of the 'good guys':

These are some of the vendors that are most recommended:
rjettek.com OCP ink cartridge plugs and much more
inkjetreset.com ink,carts,chips and more
http://www.inkjetcarts.us/support/ ink,carts,chips and more
octoink.co.uk/ ink,carts,chips and more
Hobbicolors ink,carts,chips and more
Image Specialists ink,carts,chips and more image-specialists.com/about_us.aspx
Precision Colors inks http://home.eol.ca/~mikling/
Cone Inks color & B&W inks conecolor.com inkjetmall.com

For more info and to build a working knowledge of this subject go to:

dpreview.com good set of forums, especially the inkjet printing forum

Inkjet Printer Forum http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/index.php

Northlight Images: http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/arti mages.html

Luminous Landscape: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/f...ID=9aa25d5f64026fd76b713110d3630317&board=6.0

The Canon, Epson, HP Printer forums on Yahoo, Google

good luck irv weiner

 

[stratman]

Microwaving ink does not intuitively compute. Whether it only takes once or after X number of times, you are changing the characteristics of the ink, never for the better. Also, microwaving the plastic bottles could lead to introduction of chemicals into the ink that also alter the ink's performance, as well as could lead to early failure of the plastic bottle - a squeeze leading to a crack and leak.

Are you microwaving the bottle of ink because the ink is viscous, the bottle is stiff from the cold, or your concerned about performance of chilled ink? The ambient conditions for my MP830 are stated in the manual as "41F to 95F (5C to 35C) and humidity of 10% to 90% (condensation-free)," so chilled refill ink should not be a performance issue.

 

[irvweiner]

I recommended the microwaving of the ink in the squeeze bottle after it has been replenished with ink from the refrigerated bottle. This obviously will occur only once for the ink contained in the squeeze bottle, after refilling the cart the bottle is placed along side the other bottles near the printer. A particular bottle may be microwaved several times per year, but only when I need to print immediately. Typically I do not anticipate microwaving the squeeze bottles under normal use--I do not print 100's of pix per year.

The power level is set LOW, exposure time is short (<10 sec), no high or even moderate temperatures are reached-we are not cooking or making tea. The plastic (PVC) is transparent to the microwave field. In fact, the microwave frequency is set to the resonant frequency of the water molecules.The microwave energy is absorbed by the water thus shielding the dye molecules from radiation. The effect of the integrated microwave energy on the dye molecules is orders of magnitude less than a day in the sun for the bottle of ink or a print. As stated above, this is not part of my standard workflow, so I do not expected the squeeze bottles to exhibit structural failure due to microwave radiation.

Yes, I am concerned about the ambient conditions of my workspace, I have experienced the subtle to moderate change in my prints due to temperature and humidity. The ambient conditions you quote are for functionality--the printer will print, the ink will flow..... But your print color levels are not going to remain constant over the varying ambient. This is my hobby, not a profession, the cost of heating and cooling my 'garage' workspace comes darn close to the price of OEM ink!!!

To my European friends, I admit that I microwave my white wine, 'les bouquet est magnifique'.

irv weiner