How good is the Epson C88+? i plan to pick one up

[fotofreek]

Websnail - I thought that Epson, with its multinational reach, was able to stop production/distribution of compatable carts worldwide (except for the knockoff center of the world, China!) Thanks for the info. I expect that there will now be clandestine sources in the US with some connection to Asian, European, or other sources. The internet has created a great worldwide community, and people from many couontries participate and contribute on this Forum.

 

[fotofreek]

Warlock110 - The online sources that most people here use for Canon printers are Alotofthings (Formulabs inks), Hobbicolors, MIS (assumed to be Image Specialist inks) and Precision Colors who identify their inks as Imaging Specialist inks.

 

[warlock110]

Warlock110 - The online sources that most people here use for Canon printers are Alotofthings (Formulabs inks), Hobbicolors, MIS (assumed to be Image Specialist inks) and Precision Colors who identify their inks as Imaging Specialist inks.

cool, thanks man, i think i just might pick up the C88 after all, it's cheaper than the IP3500, the IP4500 is too expensive for me. And i have to buy the refill inkpack or w/e i need (like 50 bucks). so it's not good, i think i'm just gonna stick with the C88


BTW: is formulabs ink sold by alotofthings good for regular use?

 

[fotofreek]

Good for Canon printers. I don't know about Epsons. We'll have to let an epson user answer that one. for the ip4300 or ip4500 printers - 2 oz of each color and 4 oz of pigment black in a kit from hobbicolor costs $18. That is a fair amount of ink for light to moderate use. A similar kit plus refill tools and instructions from Precision Colors (Image Specialist inks) costs about $27. Same for Formulabs sensient ink from Alotofthings with tools and instructions. All plus shipping, of course. MIS prices are now higher - $50 with a set of tools for refilling. Once you are set up for refilling you don't need a kit - individual containers of ink will do.

 

[warlock110]

Good for Canon printers. I don't know about Epsons. We'll have to let an epson user answer that one. for the ip4300 or ip4500 printers - 2 oz of each color and 4 oz of pigment black in a kit from hobbicolor costs $18. That is a fair amount of ink for light to moderate use. A similar kit plus refill tools and instructions from Precision Colors (Image Specialist inks) costs about $27. Same for Formulabs sensient ink from Alotofthings with tools and instructions. All plus shipping, of course. MIS prices are now higher - $50 with a set of tools for refilling. Once you are set up for refilling you don't need a kit - individual containers of ink will do.

the IP3500 refill doesn't look that bad, do you know how many times can you refill that canon cart that comes with the printer before you have to get new carts?

 

[fotofreek]

best to have a backup set of carts for a few reasons. By having a full, refilled set on hand, when you need to change a cart in the middle of a print run you aren't delayed in finishing your work (or play??) Also, the least time the carts are out of the printhead, the least possibility of ink drying in the intake port of the printhead. I've never counted how many refills I've done in each cart, but you need to look up the thread on purging the carts by Grandad35. When the cart has been refilled several times and doesn't feed as well you can purge the carts and start over again with several refills. The purge device is easily made out of a few dollars worth of hardware store items. Someone also just posted a technique by using a garden hose spray attachment.

aftermarket Bci-6 carts were readily available, but the new chipped carts aren't, so purging is more important. Anyone with a printer with the new chipped carts might talk to someone at their nearest Staples, Office depot, Office Max, etc. They have deals for people to turn in certain empty carts and get a credit on a new ink cart. None of them do this with Canon carts, but some customers throw their empties into the recyle bin anyway. I've picked up empties at a few stores and purged them for refilling.

 

[warlock110]

So assume that i do buy the Canon MP520, it comes with 4 carts (canon carts). After i use it up, do i buy the "refill kit" or the "ink" only? I believe that the kit contains empty cart, not sure if i do need that? thanks.

 

[fotofreek]

The aftermarket carts you would buy do not have the required chip on them adn you would have to "transplant" a chip from a canon cart to get the printer to accept it. Better to refill genuine Canon carts and leave the chip intact. As I mentioned in my last post, you should have an extra set of carts, change them out when the reservoir part of the cart is about 80% empty, and refill the emptied cart at your liesure. Keep all carts, empty or refilled, sealed at the outlet port and in a baggie or refrigerator carton with the lid tightly sealed so they don't dry out.

I don't know of any refill kits that come with aftermarket carts. There are aftermarket prefilled carts, but, as I mentioned above, they don't have the chips on them. For that reason, you buy refill inks (from one of the vendors that people on this forum have used successfully) and have an extra OEM Canon set on hand. Scavenge for empties, buy an extra full Canon OEM set, or buy a printer with them if one goes on sale for essentially the price of the carts alone!

If you are primarily interested in photo printing, step up to the MP printer that has four dye-based inks plus the pigment based ink for text printing. For a llittle more money you will get more true blacks in your pictures. The printers with three dye based inks (yellow, cyan, and magenta) make black by combining the three colors. The four dye-based ink printers have yellow, magenta, cyan, and black for photos in addition to the pigmented black ink for plain paper text printing.

 

[Fenrir Enterprises]

I experimented with refilling a C88 and C88+ last year. My biggest complaint was that with both OEM and refill cartridges, the printer is incapable of printing any kind of blue tone lighter than navy blue (at least, if you stick with pigment inks. I never tried dyebase. The OEM are pigment.). Also, Epsons are trickier to refill than Canons are. If you're going to go Epson, try to find an R220 or R200 (R340 and R300 are the same with card slots if you can't find the basic models).

Canon: Easier to refill, can refill original cartridges, can print on CDs with some models with a region setting change. Chips not (easily) resettable, thermal printheads wear out faster but last quite awhile if taken care if (i.e. don't let it dry out).

Epson R220 series: Resettable chips, capable of using pigment ink (I've been using pigment in my R220, a dyebase Epson, for over a year now), SSC utility can reset waste tank counter, piezo head will last longer. Slightly more complicated to refill and prone to getting airlocks, massive amount of ink waste on cleaning cycles, refillables getting harder to find, older models harder to find, newer models (R260 and up) not resettable yet (at least the waste tank counter)

C88+: Wastes even more ink than the R220, dull colors, must drill through case to add waste tank modification.

Unless you're expecting to do massive amounts of printing, I'd reccomend Canon. Our local Circuit City still stocks the older IP4200 for $60. You might want to call your local store and find out.

 

[websnail]

Websnail - I thought that Epson, with its multinational reach, was able to stop production/distribution of compatable carts worldwide (except for the knockoff center of the world, China!) Thanks for the info.

No, the got the trade commission in the USA to agree that what was happening was illegal, against their patents or some such in the USA. The directive had to be signed into law by Bush and I expect that's what happened.

It has not effected Europe or any other non-USA country at all, beyond their already existing laws, etc... Of course that doesn't mean Epson won't use the agreement in the USA as a "look they did it" rational for other countries with their lobbyists.

EDIT: Whoops, I was forgetting that some companies in the UK were attacked legally about 6 to 9 months ago (possibly longer - memory you know ). In the main I think they were the ones who were prolific in selling massively underpriced cartridges that had very poor quality ink. In the main they left those with higher prices alone but I'd need to check that. Either way the approach there was using their patents rather than trying to use trade restrictions.

I expect that there will now be clandestine sources in the US with some connection to Asian, European, or other sources. The internet has created a great worldwide community, and people from many couontries participate and contribute on this Forum.

Well I can't see anyone being stopped from sending them in small amounts as "presents" but as far as home suppliers the USA has just lost the bulk of them.

I do know that the Chinese are trying to foist their excess stock on anyone who'll have them, as evidenced by a rather harried supplier for my stuff in Holland. He's taken to screening his calls because they've gotten so persistent :-/