How about a compatable Ink guide? I am so fed up with buying inks that say they are the best and finding out they just clog and block you heads!!!!!

It would be usefull to get an idea of what to look for, prices and are they really worth the money?

Hi JM

"Digital Photo" magazine did this on some inks a few months ago, I list below their inks against star ratings, it may be of some use to you. Unfortunately there are so many inks on the market today each one claiming to be the best, any real comparisons are at best "iffy".

My own experience is that I have never had problems with Printrite inks, I have used Inkrite inks as well, unfortunately when in a computer show I purchased some "Black Diamond" ink - the vendor was printing off some topless models ( as a JM you shouldn't be looking at this!!) and high value Italian cars, the colours achieved were absolutely fantastic.

They blocked my printer and I had to call an engineer to sort it out, yet my mate using the same ink and his own identical Epson photo 900 has not had a day's problem. However I am also convinced that these were sometimes less than half full and I retured a few when I next visited the fair, I eventually gave them up as a bad job or faulty batch.

So I think it's really down to what you like to use and what you feel is a fair price as compared to printer's own branded. However I must point out that in all cases of compatible inks their print density is not as dense as genuine manufacturers inks, I don't know why, that may be what you pay the extra for.  If you run off a set of genuine and compatible colours you will see that compatible are generally weaker and have less "body"  than originals.

The results  Ink vs Star rating  (as compared to genuine Epson cartridge)

Man and Media            5         Enhanced Quality         2

Print-Rite                   3         Colorjet                      3

One-print                   3         Inkrite                       4

JR Universal Inkjet       3          MMC                         3

Man and Media that came out tops is sold by Premier Ink Supplies as www.premierink.co.uk and the same company Britink under www.britink.co.uk

Hope this may help you.

Dave Hughes

Dave H

What is the difference between genius and stupidity?

Genius has limits.   - Albert Einstein

hey

i know all too well about poor cartridges. i have an r300, which i must say is brilliant. ive bought cartridges as low as #6 a set and all they do is wreak the printer head by clogging it. clearly on epson printers the printer head is on the printer unlike hp or lexmark so therefore it is important to buy good quality cartridges even if it means paying abit more. incidently i have tried nearly all the cartridges mentioned in the digital photo magazine, yet whatever the results say i seem to find the print rite always comes out on top. obviously everyoune is different but it really is superb. theres no clogging of printerheads, full capacity cartridges, it really does look brilliant on the paper. ok i pay #15 a set for them, bit more than some of the others but its as good if not better than the spirit based originals ( which suprisingly caused me problems in the past on other printers) i really do reccomend them to any keen user, after all its still better than payin nearly #45 a set for originals.

i have been buying my cartridges from http://www.esunrise.co.uk who i must say are brilliant, their service is incredible & their always friendly and helpful. on that note try their 265grm micro porous paper, its one of the best phto papaers i have seen, its non scratchable and really probably better than the epson premier gloss.

anyway happy printing !

Well I thought I would just have to tell you now that my printer heads are now dead! nothink will print, no scratchy lines not even a blob!

GUTTED!

only 4 months old and dead due to compatables..........can anyone tell me is there any place I can get spares from before buying another?

HI Forum Member,

Dead heads - is it a Canon Printer? If so then I may be able to help you. Either come back to me on the Forum or send me a private e-mail. 

If it's an Epson I can't see why the warranty will not cover you. I used "Black Diamond" inks in my Photo 900 and they screwed it up, the repair/service engineer that called to see me just cleaned it and I replaced with genuine Epsons - problem resolved. No hazzle, I believe that the service engineers have not contact with Epson, they are service engineers working for a company servicing all types of printers etc. etc - at least mine was although I did contact him via Epson.

Please let me know and I may be able to assist.

Dave Hughes

Dave H

What is the difference between genius and stupidity?

Genius has limits.   - Albert Einstein