Continuous Ink Systems

Hotblack_Desiato_2

Hi All

Apologies if this has been asked before, but a quick search didn't reveal anything.

My Epson 1290 costs an arm, leg and an eye to run, so I'm looking at a continuous ink system (CIS). OK the initial price is more (about £60 on ebay) but at 10x the ink of a cartridge combo (ie B+W + colour) its about 1/3rd the price.

Does anyone have experience with these systems?

TIA

HB

shonisma

I too have an Extortionate Epsom Ink drinker...While having alook around ND-Ink.com last night I came across the system you are asking about but I'm not sure if they do it for your model but well worth a look I think....good hunting...

slowen

My local market has someone selling a continious ink system, as I have an epson R300 which guzzles ink and was interested in purchase one. You just have to get past the initial outley cost and you start saving money once you refil the unit.

A compuet shop near me has the 1 litre refil bottles for the units but they don't have any Continious ink systems in stock yet. I pay about £4.25 for a set of compatible inks for my Epson at the moment

corman_2

just a word of warning....... i got one of these systems for my r220, wasnt too bad to get it up and running but please make sure that the black ink you get supplied with it is dye based photo ink and not pigment based ink as twice the black has stopped working after it hasnt been used for a week or so and what a job it is to get it flowing again, so great system just check you use good quality inks

Shimrod

I've also got a 1290 and been looking at Continous ink systems. I haven't bought yet because I'm trying to find someone who has bought and can recommend one.

What has put me off so far is the variation in price - I've found this one
http://printcartridgedirect.com/continuous-ink-supply-systems/stylus-photo-1290/index.htm
for £36, but this one http://www.continuousink.com/proddetail.asp?prod=epson6

is nearly £60. I'm not sure what the difference is? Quality of ink, one system better made than the other? I'd be interested to hear what you get!

Shim

dc

shonisma wrote:

I too have an Extortionate Epsom Ink drinker....

That is because Epson use a pump run by the paper feed rollers that sucks ink through the printhead in the parked position, as part of their head cleaning actions.
It operates on startup, so you can easily empty a cartridge, simply by switching the printer on and of without printing anything. :rolleyes2
There is a tube that goes from the pump to a pipe under the foam pad in the parking tray. If the pipe comes off, the printer just sends out blank paper. I discovered this when my Epson started putting out blanks. In trying to find out what was wrong I emptied most of my ink without printing a full-stop.

Beware some inks can block this pipe.

I am going to get a Canon next (Pixma iP4300?) . Epson have complicated things tooooo much in their attempts to stop people re-filling or using other manufacturers inks, first by chipping cartridges then by complicated venting systems. ugh.

Shimrod

Hi, I've got an IP4300 as well as the epson. Bought mainly for the duplex printing option which is great in a printer at this price! However, if you buy compatible cartridges, then you have to take the chip of an old cartridge and attach it to the compatible. It's a bit of a faff really, and once I'm done with the two sets of compatible cartridges, I'm going back to genuine canon, even though they are twice the price. The continuousink company mentioned above will shortly have a system for the IP4300, and I'll probably get one of those when available as I use this printer more than the Epson (for printing double sided calendars).

https://www.maxsave.com is the cheapest I have found for the genuine Canon cartridges at £7.07 for the colours.

Shim

cruella_de_vile

I have a Epson R220 and bought a CIS and ended up binning it after about 6 months, the quality of the prints was shocking and like another poster said the black kept drying up and you need to go through the rigmarole of unblocking it.

I did use good quality inks in it too

Shimrod

Just thought I'd give a quick update on my purchase....

Bought a CIS from continuous ink for an epson R240, which has been working fine for two months now.

I've got one on order for my canon ip4300 and my epson 1290, but these are coming from www.9to6.co.uk Main reason for this is because both systems are costing the same as the price of the canon one from continuous ink - guess they have to fund the 10% & £10 referral scheme somehow!

Anyone got any recommendations for a source of good quality refill inks for the CIS - 9to6 are based in Cork, and the postage costs for ink will be quite high to the UK.

vippymini

we have an epson r1800 and use this system http://stores.ebay.co.uk/InkTec-Midlands
with no problems at all.

Shimrod

Just thought I'd give a quick update on my experiences so far...

CIS from continuousink.com still going fine, but 9to6 system so far leaves a lot to be desired - the old adage you get what you pay for comes to mind!

I have yet to install on the Canon, but the epson 1290 system has yet to give me a consistent print of all colours - black and yellow being most problematic with often no printout at all, so I have no great hope that the canon system will work either.

No response yet to email requests for help from 9to6, but postage costs to Cork mean that it is unlikely to be worth returning it.

Having done further research, the fotospeed system (https://www.fotospeed.com) seems to get an almost universal recommendation - anyone used one?

Shim