Non oem inks

[JonT]

Hi

Has anyone had long term experience of non oem inks? There are lots of advertisments for ink refills on the net, no doubt some bad and some good. I have recently bought a Canon i9100 printer and I am interested in knowing of any good quality (but cheaper than Canon) dye ink refills that used with a good quality paper will be reasonably fade resistant if stored out of direct sunlight and behind glass - perhaps a similar specification to the Canon inks.

Thanks in advance

Jon

[PaulB]

Don't know about the Canon compatables but some of the Epson ones are just as good, or even better than the manufacturers own.
After all are we expecting inkjet prints to last as long as silver halide ones anyway? If you want permanance then you use Canon ink/Canon paper or one of the other fine art acid-free papers - or you go to the lab and get a silver halide print done from your digital image.
So for normal everyday use give cheaper inks a try - can't help with specific makes though.

[JonT]

Thanks Paul. I suppose it is unrealistic to expect longevity from cheaper inks. I guess what I will do is use best quality paper/ink for those special shots and maybe try a cheaper option, as you suggest, for every day use. I presume you have not experienced any head clogging?

Further, do you run two lots of cartridges - one for quality use and one for normal?

[PaulB]

I'm on an Epson 1290 now, before that an Epson Photo 700 and have used compatibles on both those and on various early Canon BJs and non-photo Epsons. I can honestly say that I've only ever had two problem cartridges. Both were from the same batch, a make I hadn't used before. Out of the six 1290 colour cartridges the fifth was reluctant to give a consistant ink flow for a couple of days after installing and the sixth wasn't seen at all by the printer - faulty chip? Needless to say I will not use that make again.
No head clogging in normal use on any of the printers.

No I don't use different cartridges for normal/quality use.
I do tend to treat inkjet prints rather differently to 'proper' photo ones on photo paper and to be honest struggle to see the difference in the compatibles to genuine - well only if I'm being picky!
I have been toying with getting a continuous flow system for the 1290 - uses large bottles of really good ink, but quite expensive.....
Experiment with a set of compatibles and see if they work in your setup

[JonT]

Once again thanks Paul!

I have come across www.inkjetgoodies.com where they make their inks in America rather than import from China. They also make up sets complete with empty cartridges. I think I will give them a try.

Jon

[carnagex2000]

http://www.misterinkjet.com/canon-inkjet-products.htm

They are also making bulk ink systems for the canon i9100, they should be out in two months.
example of bulk ink systems:
http://www.sublimationink.net/Bulk_Ink_Systems.html

Or if you want to build your own:
http://www.visual-artists.com/bis.htm

[JonT]

Thanks carnagex2000 - will give them a try

Jon