Refilling carts for my Epson R2000

[DWPhotos]

Hello all
My name is David and I've been a photographer for many years but since I converted to digital very few of my images have made it out of my computer. With 2 grandkids and gigbytes worth of images of them on my computer, I decided it was time to try my hand at printing. After reading up on various printers I decided an Epson R2000 would be a good starter printer. So far I'm very impressed with its output and am having a blast printing out photos. But as you all know the cost of ink can quickly kill your buzz so I'm now looking into refilling my carts rather than buying them pre-filled. With this in mind can anyone suggest refill co's that I should look into? I have found one vendor - inkjetcarts that sell refill kits for R2000's but I have no way to judge the quality of their product so I'm hoping someone can give me a thumbs up or thumbs down as well as other vendors to look at.

Thanks in advance
Dave

Also, I come across people on Amazon selling the entire set of ink carts for slightly more than a single cart costs retail. Is it safe to assume these sets are counterfeit Epson inks or are they genuine and selling so cheaply due to not being in a cardboard box like the retail versions?

 

[joseph99929]

Hi David,

Let me answer your questions about third-party cartridges and refill kits:

If they say "OEM" or "genuine" they are likely counterfeit (which is not necessarily a bad thing), unless the guy only has a few units for sale (implying he may be liquidating his personal stuff). Be wary of any company that claims to have a large number of original cartridges for sale at a reduced price.

If they don't make any such claims they are either legitimate remanufactured or legitimate compatible cartridges (again, not bad).

Be aware, however, that by using third-party (compatible/reman) supplies, you will be getting ink cartridges filled with a third-party ink. Generally, from a reputable supplier, these cartridges will work just fine and produced very similar results to the original, but at a lower cost. However, do be aware that bad pigment dispersions can clog pigment-based printers like your R2000.

I would advise to only buy from a reputable third-party source. Anyone selling cartridges they claim are "genuine" or "OEM" at a highly reduced price in large quantity are lying and are therefore not a reputable source. Trust a company, even if they are more expensive, with a high reputation, and preferably a USA-made or European-made cartridge.

Now, on to the refill kits...

First of all, refilling original R2000 cartridges is impossible. You need to find either a CISS or refillable cartridges for your printer. I personally prefer refillables because they are easier to install and set-up, do not require printer modifications, and generally work better than CISS.

When buying bottled ink, ask your supplier whether or not the ink is pigmented (the answer should be yes) and whether or not flushing the printer lines is needed (the answer should be no). If your ink supplier doesn't know, move to another one.

One final remark, refillable cartridges with bottled ink will generally produce better results than compatibles. This is because most websites sell USA-made ink from reputable manufacturers who will not change their formulations and that are proven reliable. With compatible cartridges, there is no way of ensuring you are getting a consistent product. Many website owners don't even know whether their suppliers are changing ink formulations or even using proper pigmented, color-matched inks in their cartridges.


I hope this answers your questions. Please don't let this scare you. There do exist reputable sources for R2000 inks (and refillable carts / CISS) as well as cartridges. Other members on the forum will be glad to point you to them. If the inks and cartridges didn't work, these companies could not be in business. Do let me know if you have other questions,