Fade-resistant bulk ink options for XP15000 (what combination)

[Ink stained Fingers]

You can screw off the top of the Epson bottles - you need some force or a plyer, and I use a long needle on a syringe which I poke into the ink hole of the Canon bottles, so no drilling etc necessary

 

[crgrove]

Hi all, about two years ago I started refilling my XP15000 with third-party ink (Inktec from eBay, CMYKRGy). It resulted in severe colour differences compared to OEM, but after profiling (i1pro) it performs excellent. It does not clog or stain, works straight after power up even after 3 months of not using the printer and is really cheap.

The only problem is that the ink fades fast (especially on cheaper papers, but still) and the color balance is effected unevenly. Prints turn red after apx. three months, even when outside direct sunlight. Therefore, I am looking for an alternative in the form of affordable more OEM inks (e.g. Epson ecotank/Canon megatank).
The goal is extend the longevity of framed photos and personal archival (not requiring 100+ years, but decades would be nice).

What option would you recommend today, given I can do my own profiling equipment and risks of fading, clogging & print-head damage should be minimized?

1. Canon GI53 (CMYKRGy), all the right colours, but it will be Canon ink in an Epson printer (a while ago Ink Stained Fingers kindly replied that this should be no problem).
2. Epson Ecotank 114 CMYKGy + original Red 478XL cartridge (which is barely used, but frequently flushed when refilling, still way more expensive though)
3. Epson Ecotank 104/105 (what is the difference?) CMYK + Canon GI53 R+Gy
4. Any other inks/combinations?

Looking forward to your experiences and/or advice!

I've had good results with Precision Colors, a Canadian company that has a depot in the US for shipping. The owner, Mike, is very picky.
precisioncolors.com

 

[MLS]

Yes, I've read quite some positive stories about Precision Colors, but is not available in the Netherlands. Besides that, OEM inks are stated to be better in terms of fading, so I pulled the trigger and ordered Epson 106 CMYK, Epson 114 Gy and Canon GI-53R. So, thank you for all the relevant input above and in other posts.

The only thing I'm still not certain about are possible long-term interaction effects of using a Canon ink between all those Epson-branded inks, i.e. discolorations from dye substances that interact with each other on paper over the years. Hopefully different dyes are quite inert to one another and paper types, ozone etc. will remain the decisive factor for a print's longevity.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I'm even mixing other Epson inks like 664 or 104 , not the 106. and other dye inks in small bottles before print, just to reduce the number of bottles I have in the cabinet, that's for printing internet/short term stuff with no regard to colors or longevity. I haven't seen chemical reactions since a long time with such mixed inks (there is something with some Canon yellow ink). Since most of these are fast fading inks prints look like it after a few years, but no different to those inks individually. They fade already in the dark, in sleeves, in albums, everywhere.