Epson Stylus Photo 1400 : Refill vs. CIS vs. Suicide

[md462x]

Hello All,

I recently purchased an Epson Stylus Photo 1400 wide format printer. I am a graphic design student and tired of all the money I have been forking out having projects printed at places like Staples and Kinkos. So, I bought this printer.

It does a wonderful job, I must say. But $60 for a new set of OEM cartridges just isn't realistic for me. I understand that this magical 'Claria' ink is dye based and different from your normal pigment based ink, however I am EXTREMELY skeptical when it comes to these special proprietary formulas... If some bum can make crystal meth in a hotel room than surely someone can figure out a decent way to make a reasonable generic hybrid ink, right?
Excuse my sarcarm, but everyone i've talked to so far has not been able to offer me any information other than 'claria ink is special', followed by a programmed sales pitch for epson.

I have seen the empty refillable and auto resetting cartridges in addition to the CIS systems available on ebay. My question is:

(A) Is there a comparable ink (dye based / hybrid) that I can refill such cartridges with that won't ruin my print head?
(B) Is there any additional benefit to a CIS beyond not having to refill?
(C) Am I a total idiot for buying this printer?

Thanks
Mike

 

[Ken_CW_Honolulu]

Hello All,

(A) Is there a comparable ink (dye based / hybrid) that I can refill such cartridges with that won't ruin my print head?
(B) Is there any additional benefit to a CIS beyond not having to refill?
(C) Am I a total idiot for buying this printer?

Mike

The Epson Stylus Photo 1400 takes the T079 Series of cartridges. The originals are problematic to refill for all kinds of reasons (Low Ink Sensor burns out, Nine Pin Microchip, air bubble issues, etc etc).

However, there *was* an eBay solution:

http://stores.ebay.com/InkJetCarts

Doesn't look like they have 79's in stock now, but you could email them and see what's up.

 

[websnail]

The 1400 has a Lyson solution available if you do some googling. I have discussed it at length with my ink supplier in Holland and he's indicated he'd like to make a few minor alternations (he's a perfectionist) but otherwise it's mean't to be pretty solid.

The catch is that the Lyson inks are pretty pricey so if you can get an empty kit that's a good start.. As to the rest, Image Specialists or OCP inks are on my recommended list although I tend to rely more heavily on the former.

Hope that helps.