Need advice on Continuous ink system

[Zplus]

Hi jjch_sg, I am using an epson also with their inkstation CIS. It started to have banding at first but I took the printer apart and gave it a good cleaning. Even took out the head to soak. Now clean as a whistle. Its an old printer (Epson 790).

So far prints are pretty good. Don't now if they can withstand the environment so I am leaving it in the open to check for fading. I am using a variety of papers. Seems to work well on Epson economy photo paper quite well. Also using the epson 790 profile.

For 16bit images, are your using Adobe RGB? if so, the color space is much more than the printer can handle. Try converting to sRGB then print.

 

[lytefunk]

how do u take the head out to soak???

 

[steel]

Come to think of it. Epson surely knows about the existence of such third-party CIS vendors capitalising on the design of Epson printers that favours the use of CIS. (Some Canon models as well.) If one day Epson comes up with its very own CIS add-on at a reasonable price (about 50% more than other brands), would that turn the market to its favour?

Do you know how Epson test their printer head?, Yes they use their own CIS.
But selling ink cartridges is a good way to make revenue. That's why printer maker do not release their CIS to the market.

 

[Zplus]

how do u take the head out to soak???

To get more working room, I suggest you remove the whole plastic cover first. This way, you can clean the head parking sponge as well. Soak this sponge with kiwi kleen and then mop up the mess.

For the epson 790, the head itself is secured by 2 screws. The bigger one tightens the whole setup and the smaller one positions it. The head assemble can be removed by wiggling it gently after removing the 2 screws. The wire cables are secured to the head and so you can't remove those.


Btw, try this at your own risk! The parts can all be removed easily if the right screws are removed. If you find yourself forcing any parts, chances are, you have missed out on a screw.

Be careful not to scratch the print head surface... the piezo nozzles are microsopic. For me I place em on a tissue soaked with Kiwi Kleen. Next I used a syringe to fill up the spikes which goes into the ink cartridges. This should get some Kiwi Kleen into it. Please try this at your own risks! I do not know the long term effects Kiwi Kleen will have on printheads (closest thing to windex over here.). I am just willing to risk it coz the 790 was just lying around.

 

[tim]

Do you know how Epson test their printer head?, Yes they use their own CIS. But selling ink cartridges is a good way to make revenue. That's why printer maker do not release their CIS to the market.

In fact Epson's and Canon's CIS are already selling in the market e.g. Epson Stylus Pro 4000, Epson Stylus Pro 7600, Epson Stylus Pro 9600, Epson Stylus Pro 10600 and Canon BJ-W6200, BJ-W8200. Also HP large format printer too.

If you care to take a look at their inking system; you will see the same kind of ink tanks(about 110ml cartridges) and 6, 7 or 8 tubes deliver inks to the print heads.

Epson, Canon and HP don't make inks, they are all OEM from the those third party ink manufacturers BUT these Co. are NOT allow to sell the same formula as them or get sue, worst of all lose big business(monies). That's why third party inks WILL be different in term of colours.

 

[jjch_sg]

The velcro supplied is really lousy. Don't stick well. The arm supporting the tube drops inside the printer. I don't realize it and print. A horrible noise come up since the carriage was blocked by the support arm. Luckily, after reset to the printer. Everything is still fine. I replace the velcro with my own and it stay much firmer.

 

[yaoxing]

How's the print quality so far?

 

[tim]

The velcro supplied is really lousy. Don't stick well. The arm supporting the tube drops inside the printer. I don't realize it and print. A horrible noise come up since the carriage was blocked by the support arm. Luckily, after reset to the printer. Everything is still fine. I replace the velcro with my own and it stay much firmer.

Be careful, I had that experience before (may damage the printer) therefore I changed the arm into my own made acrylic plastic type and also better double sided tape.

Another thing is, check if the R310 after installing the CIS have very frequent cleaning cycles? If normal then the "all full chip" is OK.

 

[nickmak]

Hi, would like to tell you about the inks. The inks used generally are generic inks I believe. I've had a Canon S520 printer hooked up to this system and after a while the printer gives a reddish colour cast. The printer is about 2 years old and even after a change of print head, the problem still persists. It only happens if you print grey. Black is alright.

 

[Zplus]

OK, after 2 weeks if exposure to the humid elements there is some sign of fading but minimal. This is using the cis epson ink and epson photo economy paper.... very slight color change. Just thought I'd update it here....


As for the flimsey arm problem... yeah the velcro's kinda weak. I sawed a hole on the printer cover to put in the tubes. My tubes go in at a 45 deg angle to the print head becoz that has the least resistance. Used a mini clip to hold up the tubes to prevent it dragging on the print rail also. All these helps reduce the noice also.


Maybe all can print the diff performance of ink and paper? Since in the CIS system, the ink is dirt cheap....

 

[yaoxing]

Anyone using Inknovation CIS now? Can offer any feedback?

 

[yaoxing]

Just went to InkNovation today to do a side-by-side comparison of the same file printed on the same paper using AIRS and original Epson ink.

The printout from InkNovation ink seems to appear more brownish compared to the original ink.

Went to SLS GD Computers (5th storey), and was told that the Kalerex promoter is at the shop only during weekends. Have to visit their office during weekdays. Decided to leave that option out for now.

Went Kao Yap (3th storey) and saw that the Sepoms booth is fitted with 4-colour ink only. Not a fair comparison. Left it out as well.

Went to InkStation (Basement B1) and the shop does not have a single card reader to read my CF card where the file was stored. KIV first as I really want to see how it compares with the Epson ink as well as InkNovation ink.

The colours from the InkNovation ink is still unsatisfactory to me. Is anyone using it? How do you tweak the colours?

 

[yaoxing]

Just went to InkStation at SLS basement. The salesperson today had a very poor attitude and refused to print out a specimen for me to do a side-by-side comparison, yet still insisting that their ink is the best around. Before I left, he even said he does not want to do business with customers who don't believe their ink is the best. I decided to leave InkStation out, no choice. I don't want to pay a small sum for their cheap system now and later have to beg them to do my business later.

So now in terms of service support, I think none can compare with InkNovation so far. But I am still put off by the stark difference in the side-by-side comparison. The various samples all show that InkNovation ink has a slight brownish cast compared to the original. So I think I'll stick to the original cartridges until they can provide a guide for the digital workflow to correct that problem.

 

[jjch_sg]

I have tried to do a profile for my inkstation ink and a particular photo paper. I did and have an ICM file created. I add to the ICM profile in the EPSON printer driver. However, I am not sure how to select the profile. The photo printed seems to be exactly the same as the one using Epson profile while using Inkstation ink. Either my ICM cannot be selected. Or the Inkstation ink is so close that the two profile are very similar. Anyone has experience in creating your own color profile? I use the Colorvision ProfilerPlus.

 

[Zplus]

I have tried to do a profile for my inkstation ink and a particular photo paper. I did and have an ICM file created. I add to the ICM profile in the EPSON printer driver. However, I am not sure how to select the profile. The photo printed seems to be exactly the same as the one using Epson profile while using Inkstation ink. Either my ICM cannot be selected. Or the Inkstation ink is so close that the two profile are very similar. Anyone has experience in creating your own color profile? I use the Colorvision ProfilerPlus.

If you are using PS, then select "Print with preview". Select your new profile from there, and then print. Let us know the results... I am also using this ink and using the default Epson color profile.

 

[yaoxing]

If you are using PS, then select "Print with preview". Select your new profile from there, and then print. Let us know the results... I am also using this ink and using the default Epson color profile.

Do the InkStation and Epson original inks give the same printout when using the same profile and paper? Ever done a side-by-side comparison?

 

[Zplus]

Do the InkStation and Epson original inks give the same printout when using the same profile and paper? Ever done a side-by-side comparison?

I never did a side-by-side comparison. Reason being my ole epson 790 was alread decommissioned to the storeroom. I bought the inkstation to revive it for rough printouts. But surprisingly, it still works for photo printouts. Using the default epson profile gave quite good colors as compared to my screen display when I increase brightness +10 in the epson properties. Gamma is at 1.8.

However, I noticed the inkstation ink last only a few weeks before changing colors when printed on epson economy photo paper and left in the open, exposed to the elements. The original epson ink could last a few months. I will be trying on matte photo paper to see if it last longer. Its quite water resistant though... I soaked one print in water and left it in the open to test it. Only yellow seems to run a little (in terms of a few mm away from the edge).

My canon i905d prints on glossy paper could also last a few months in the open before changing colors. So far, the most long lasting are prints on canon matte photo paper. Its been a few months with little color degradation.

 

[yaoxing]

Thanks for the input. Looks like the original ink is still the way to go for me now. Don't mind the price, as long as the quality is good.

 

[tim]

In fact Epson's and Canon's CIS are already selling in the market e.g. Epson Stylus Pro 4000, Epson Stylus Pro 7600, Epson Stylus Pro 9600, Epson Stylus Pro 10600 and Canon BJ-W6200, BJ-W8200. Also HP large format printer too.

If you care to take a look at their inking system; you will see the same kind of ink tanks(about 110ml cartridges) and 6, 7 or 8 tubes deliver inks to the print heads.

Finally manage to get hold of the picture on the original CIS in the Epson Stylus Pro 4000.

 

[photobum]

Thanks for the input. Looks like the original ink is still the way to go for me now. Don't mind the price, as long as the quality is good.

In terms of archivibility, original Epson ink is still the ideal way to go. Unless you use the Generations G-Chrome archival color inks from www.inkjetmall.com. This ink set is currently rated to last beyond 100 years by the Wilhelm Research Institute, for both the 4-color, as well as the 6-color sets. Pigment inks such as these do not work well on glossy papers. They are not recommended for glossy or semi-glossy papers.

Good news is inkjetmall creates color profiles for their inks.