Your experiences with Generic Ink Cartridges with Epson?

[Macro2]

RE:"My only quais with using generic inks: (and this is technically unsupported, so if someone could please clarify). I was reading about how Epson's inks have something called "dura-brite" or some marketing phrase like that, and how they are supposed to print pictures that keep their original color for decades to come if you use that ink and the epson paper. Now my question is, all these photos I am printing: if stored properly (no sunlight, low moisture, etc.) will they fade? If so, that worries me about the generic carts. Of course having no experiance with either ink cart brand, I can only speculate. But if someone could shed some light on this issure, it would be appreciated."

A moot point really since these pics are digital and stored on disk. Next year or whenever you can rep-print them on better printers and better paper.

Granted, some ink is better than others. Some Generic cartridges are better than others. That you have to figure out.
Epson, HP, Canon, Lexmark etc. love you to buy their ink cartridges. Who wouldn't? They cost them a dollar or so and they get $12- $20 or $30 or more. When you go to the gasoline station would you pay $30 for 12cc of gasoline because it has "techroline"?

mac

 

[clicknext]

I used a generic cartridge with my Epson C80 once. It looked like crap.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: clicknext
I used a generic cartridge with my Epson C80 once. It looked like crap.

Saying that is looked like crap isn't telling us much. WHERE did you get it from?

 

[Macro2]

RE:"Say that is looked like crap isn't telling us much. WHERE did you get it from?"

A voice of reason. Not all generic cartridges are the same. Nor is paper. Or who knows what they were printing. The picture might have sucked.

 

[ssanches]

I'm really happy for those people who have 3 year old Epsons running well. Personally I perfer more state of the art printers. After a year an inkjet is pretty much "out of date".

Mac

I have an Epson Stylus 440 that's been running since Jan 1999 without a single hitch. Great printouts till date. What makes you say that inkjets are "out of date" after a year?

 

[Macro2]

RE:"Great printouts till date. What makes you say that inkjets are "out of date" after a year? "

Because technology keeps getting better. Much like a computer. If all your are doing is pring text... fine...just like a computer just surfing the web or typing a letter. If you want printing speed or photo quality then...
well you get the idea.

Your 3 year old printer is very slow by todays standards and doesn't print pictures as well as todays offerings.
An Epson 440 is rated at 4 ppm blk / 2.5 ppm color (painfully slow), 720 dpi. A Canon i850 does 22 ppm black and 14 ppm color...4800 dpi. There comes a point when it doesn't make since to feed these old inkjets anymore cartridges. Especially the brand name cartridges. Inkjet printers are cheap and come with a full set of cartridges. Often worth near what the printer costs!

Mac

 

[m1ke101]

I've been using megatoner ink carts for my 880 for about a year I believe, and they've been great. But then again the only thing I usually print is school related stuff, like reports etc.

 

[ssanches]

Originally posted by: Macro2
RE:"Great printouts till date. What makes you say that inkjets are "out of date" after a year? "

Because technology keeps getting better. Much like a computer. If all your are doing is pring text... fine...just like a computer just surfing the web or typing a letter. If you want printing speed or photo quality then...
well you get the idea.

Your 3 year old printer is very slow by todays standards and doesn't print pictures as well as todays offerings.
An Epson 440 is rated at 4 ppm blk / 2.5 ppm color (painfully slow), 720 dpi. A Canon i850 does 22 ppm black and 14 ppm color...4800 dpi.
Mac

Actually it's 4 years old . I didn't mean that a 4 year old Epson 440 would perform at par or nearby any of the latest inkjets. However stating that inkjets are "out of date" after a year is definitely an exaggeration. Compare inkjets currently available on the market with those a year back and you would probably see little difference. That said I do admit that the Canon i850 is an excellent printer. It's definitely very fast for an inkjet (1600 nozzles :Q )

 

[alkemyst]

I have a 880 now and had a 860 before, I have used maybe 20 or so carts from extracartidges.com, the nectron brand. Just as good as original.

Now I just bought 18 from Megatoners for around half the cost that extracartridges.com sells, based on just widespread recommendations.

They are ISO9001 spec'd also which is a plus for some people....$1.88 for black and around $3 color.

Nice.

 

[Macro2]

RE:"I have used maybe 20 or so carts from extracartidges.com, the nectron brand."

Nectron is good. For those that are looking for good "generics".

Jim