Is ink pretty much universal?

[alexzxz]

My theory is that you're just paying for the brand name of ink cartridges. The ink is probably quite similar, except with certain features (chromaflair, durabrite) So a non-OEM refill ink for a Epson cartridge would work for a Canon refillable cartridge?

 

[stratman]

A search on this forum, or at least asking the questions first, would have obviated the need for a poll.

to answer your questions:

1) Poll = NO

2) Epson compatible ink used in a Canon Printer = Technically may be possible. You could also just use food coloring and dilute mustard and ketchup. Do you want to? Results of your hypothesis will range from crap to clog to catastrophe, especially when considering pigment inks used in a dye-based ink printer. The process of ink being laid down on paper is different for the two manufacturers as well, which means the composition of the inks is different to perform appropriately.

"A" for effort on first post for incorporating a poll.

Note to Rob... please disable polling for first time posters.

 

[alexzxz]

Woops, sorry. I know about pigment, and dye inks. Forgot to include that in the post.
How about this?
I actually wanted to ask a more specific question.
I ordered a Canon 5220 and noticed that the ink refill is kinda universal for the Canon inks.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00431NDFQ/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&m=A2NAHESOCRSK6B
16 oz. Nano Water-Resistant Pigment Black Ink Refill Ink for Canon PGI-225, PGI-220, PG-210, PG-210 XL, PGI-5 Ink Cartridges

It can refill for 225, 220, 210, etc. So what I really want to ask is, if I find ink for Canon 220, could I use it to refill my 225 cartridge?

 

[stratman]

Forum consensus is to not use these kinds of universal ink. You can, but the results will suffer. Of course if the results are acceptable to your eye then all is well for the moment (unless the ink is more clog prone for instance).

Canon had formulation changes in some of the inks for each series of cartridge/chip models. It appears that quality aftermarket ink manufacturers noticed differences and reformulated an ink to try to emulate a change(s) in color space of that new ink. Those that make and sell the so-called "Universal" inks are minimizing their costs while trying to maximize profits by essentially fooling the public.

There are several aftermarket inks and retailers respected in this forum. To better assist you, please let us know what country you live (no other specific needed) in since cost varies on location. You can include "Location" in the "Personal" section in the "Profile menu".

 

[alexzxz]

I live in the USA. I mainly make purchases through amazon, though I do have some Paypal cash. Can you recommend some good-quality aftermarket inks for PGI-225 and the CLI-226?

 

[stratman]

Some of the popular places/inks on the forum:


http://www.precisioncolors.com selling Image Specialists ink (click on "Go To Store" to go to eBay sales site)

http://shop.ebay.com/kbay2002/m.html selling Hobbicolors branded inks

http://www.inktec.com/english/main.asp f - Google "Inktec" for retailers

http://www.rjettek.com

If you want to try what some consider the finest Black Pigment ink for the GGI-225 cartridge, then look for KMP brand - see http://www.octoink.co.uk/ or search for a domestic seller. Octoinkjet also sells Image Specialists inks.

Both Precision Colors and Octoinkjet are run by Nifty-Stuff forum members and are considered trusted sources. IMO, Image Specialists ink seems to be the number one aftermarket ink chosen in this forum for Canon dye-based printers.

I suggest you peruse the forum and read up on people's experiences with inks, refill gear and refill techniques. Welcome to the world of refilling. Have fun refilling and saving money!

 

[alexzxz]

Ok, I checked the links you gave me. There isn't a specific ink for the PGI-225. But there is the KMP universal ink.
It's about 30 bucks, shipping included which is equal to my original choice. But it's half the quantity. 500 ml vs 250 ml.
HOWEVER, it does great reviews whereas the one I chose has only one review.
Quality > Quantity for me. The 250 ml will probably outlast the printer.

The image specialist ink, I couldn't really find though. On the PrecisionColors ebay page, there weren't any inks for the canon 225 or the canon 226 or the MG5220 printer.
HOWEVER, I found this:

I've been reliably informed by Image Specialists that the difference in ink between the CLI-8/PGI-5 and the CLI-226/PGI-225 are:

Pigment Black WJ1120 (PGI-5) -> WJ1128 (PGI-225)

Everything else is the same...

... and in case anyone was wondering re: the CLI-8-> CLI-221-> CLI-226
Cyan WJ2032(PGI-5) -> WJ244(CLI-221) -> WJ2032(CLI-226) - Yes it went back


*NB: The WJ code is the Image Specialists reference...

So I could use some for the CLI-221 for the CLI-226, right?

 

[fotofreek]

Phone precision colors and ask about the correct ink for the cart in question. I don't know about the kmp inks, but they've had great reviews on this forum. Do they really call it "universal"?

 

[ghwellsjr]

I thnk the term "universal" applies only to the KMP pigment black ink. They also have a more expensive one that is labeled for the PGI-5 cartridge. Most suppliers use the same pigment black ink for all cartridges (except Canon and Inktec).

 

[stratman]

Read this thread: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=6898

As of 8/14/2011, those specific Cyans had different Part alphanumerics as compared to the images. They still do as of this post. It would appear that there may be an error either with the images or the Part identification (since all the other Part ID's seem to match up with what's shown on the images).

A search on this forum led me to websnail's post you quoted. (http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=40323#p40323) Interestingly, you failed to mention the very next post on the thread. It is from Mikling, the owner of Precision Colors, who discusses the difference in Canon OEM inksets when they moved from CLI-8 to CLI-221 inks. Read Mikling's post and follow the link he provided for more discussion. The gist is that those who are particular about color output may notice shifts in colors going from OEM Canon to Image Specialists inks using CLI-221 inks.

Whether Image Specialists agrees or not with Mikling's findings, or decided reformulation was not essential despite changes in OEM ink, is esoterica as long as you, the consumer, are pleased with your printing output, with or without tweaking printer settings or obtaining a profile for your printer/paper/ink combination.

*Thanks to ghwellsjr for saving me some typing! "Canon PGI-5BK Compatible KMP Ink - Black " and a "Canon Compatible KMP Universal Ink - Black "