Another vote for continuous ink system (CISS)

[kwc]

Does anyone know whether there's a problem with the ink drying out if not used for too long? I only find myself printing something maybe once a month (:() so I'm wondering if the economics of a CIS would work for me.

[cMags]

I've got an Epson NX400 all-in-one and have a refillable setup which I'm not overly thrilled with. It doesn't have nearly the print quality of the original Epson inks, and they don't have the non-water-soluble factor that the original Epson inks have. I also killed one printer (replaced under warranty) with the ink most likely gumming up the jets. They also have a tendency to have the print count and ink level get out of sync, so the cartdrige will run dry before the printer "thinks" its out of ink because it doesn't actually measure the level, and I'll refill it but it doesn't update as new so later the printer will say "out of ink" when I've got 3/4 of a tank. Just annoying.

I'm just about out of these inks, well beyond making them worth the some $35 I paid for them 2 printers and dozens of refills later. I'm really interested in the program that tells the software to ignore the page count so it doesn't show a drop in level. Is there any more information on this? It's difficult for my wife when the printer says out of ink to deal with these systems (and the printer won't print anything if a cartridge is out - another annoying thing, I should be able to print a page of black text whether or not my cyan ink is topped off).

I miss my old Epson dot matrix...

[cMags]

I guess the above turned more into a rant than an actual discussion so let me try again...

How does the ink and print quality hold up for models? I'm sure photos look great, but I'm looking for a cheap model print setup.

What I'm concerned with first is resistance to UV, smudging, and water solubility. The ink system claims to have a UV ink. Is this similar to Epson's oil-based pigments or is it still water soluble/smudgable?

Next, how is the fine application of solid color? On my Epson inks, if I print a plate of gray, its all gray even under magnification. On my refillables, I can clearly see a fine mesh of all colors that looks gray only from a distance. (I've got pics I'll upload shortly to demonstrate).

And finally, I'm really intrigued by this SSC Service Utility mentioned. Any additional info on this?

Thanks, I'm just about convinced this is my next setup.

[BARX2]

Don't remember if I mentioned it or not, but I had a problem with the first system I bought. I think that I messed it up when I installed it. I thought I had to purge the lines of air and I think I got the system totally confused. Anyway, for the price I paid, I figured I'd just get another one and throw the first one out and start over. I did more looking and found this one on eBay:

CIS CISS ink system for Epson Stylus Photo 1400 - eBay (item 150405571916 end time Jun-13-10 22:35:27 PDT)

It is way better than the first one and has worked perfectly right out of the box. It does come pre-filled with ink. I've been using it heavily for about three months and I don't think the ink level has dropped an inch in the tanks. The prints are great and when I do need ink, it will cost only $30 for SIX bottles of ink. But I have no idea when that will happen, because this ink may last me two years. Best thing I ever bought.

[BARX2]

Notice in the picture of the system on eBay that the end tanks are twice as large as the center four. The ends are yellow and black. This makes perfect sense, because the other tanks are two cyan and two magenta, so with this arrangement you have equal amounts of the four colors. Most CISS systems have all tanks the same size, so you'll run out of black and yellow long before you run out of cyan and magenta. These guys got it right.

[GreMir]

cmags,
I print everything using CIS on my Epson R300 and so far (over two years) it works like a charm. I have refillable setup on my Epson Worforce310 (all-in-one) - works great, with the excpetion of the issues you mentioned. My solution is that when printer tells me to replace the cartridge I simply take it out of the printhead and reinsert - that takes care of the "empty" message.

[cMags]

^^ Yes this is what I've been doing, but normally I top off at the same time anyway, while the cartridge is out.

My question is - with a CISS, how does one prevent the printer from telling you that the ink is out? Does the chip on the CISS cartridge prevent this, or do you occasionally have to pull the CISS cartridge out to "reset" it like with the refillables?

[GreMir]

If you get CIS with an auto reset chip, you don't have to do anything. When the ink level reaches zero in your printer properties, it resets itself to full.
Of course, every few months you have to check your ink tanks behind printer to see if they need a top-off

[cgutzmer]

Ink just about out in my canon - CISS ordered!
Chris

[GaryPilsworth]

Originally Posted by SJPONeill

CISS rocks - can't see me ever going back to cartridge slavery...

Me too ,had mine for two years now and just bought a refill pack (just think how many cartridges I would have got through:D