Already owned L1800 (change inks in it) or sell it and buy L8180 (8550)

[AmaDeuSbg]

Hello,

I've read a lot of topics regarding ink changing and the current most durable inks but wanted to make sure I got everything right before I do something. Thanks to Ink stained Fingers and his really useful posts I was left with the impression that currently there are 3 best types of ink I can use in the L1800 (106, 114 and the T54C).

There is close to none price difference in my country between the 114 and T54C (a little less than 2$) and I was left with the impression that the T54C are the best inks I can use (presumably also in the L1800 because it uses dye inks). In terms of budget solution I saw the 106 inks are best and I can use the T54C inks instead for the LM and LC. 106 is like 14$ and T54C is like 20$ (and the 114 is like 19$) per bottle in my country and personally I don't print so often so 1 set of inks probably goes on for about an year so I don't mind even putting the whole T54C in the L1800 if it will be worth it in terms of longevity and color reproduction (of course keeping in mind I use oem and not third party papers). From what I've read (I hope I read it right) 106 and 114 inks are similar in color reproduction but I do not seem to recall if I read a post in comparison to the T54C. Will the extra cost of the T54C be worth it (actually visible in a print) or I should just use the 106 inks and the LC and LM from the T54C (I generally prefer to stay away from the 107 inks due to its weak black). I would prefer if possible to get the blackest black and the reddest red haha.

Funny thing is I also own a L805 and L850 and the black in those printers (although the ink is the same like the L1800) is darker/richer compared to the L1800 which is (?) probably due to the way the driver for the model mix the inks? This lead me to think about changing the inks in the L1800 or even if it will be better for the overall printing result to sell the L1800 that I own and just buy a L8550 (8180) for example. Do you think that the L1800 will be limited as a performance compared to the 8180 if I change its inks ? (I am aware for the greyscale power of the 8180 but I am referring to just regular non black and white images). I shall note that the L1800 is relatively new (only 1300 pages printed and like 1/3 are nozzle checks), not to mention that I really like the idea to vent out to external waste ink in future (because the printer is not really used for borderless and this will practically make it "immortal" haha). I am not really keen on the thick media option on the 8180, might use it, might not so this is not a decision maker for me.

Another thing I got in my mind was just to change the inks in the L1800 with for example 106 set + LC LC from T54C and just save up for P900 and use the L1800 for non expensive low profit jobs and P900 for something more premium related. What is stopping me is that even now, while I use the L1800 with its weak 673 inks, I get pretty decent results when I make a custom ICC for the different papers I use and I am not really sure if I will have any real jobs for the P900 (excluding of course the great A2+ size) - but I guess that quality wise I do not have any other choice rather than the P900 for A2+ size (and probably the original costly inks?). Thought about the Inktec inks but to be honest I've had some issues initially with the L1800 on its first priming and had to send it for repair because it did not prime well 3 of the colors (they ended changing the head, tubes, pump etc), so I will be really scared to put non oem ink in it before the warranty expires.

Something I should probably note is that I am using a Colormunki to make my own ICC profiles. Also for B&W I should note that using Printfab I did some really good (in my opinion) B&W profiles even for the L1800.

Thanks to everyone that took time to read my post, to summarize:
1) What are the best black inks (will it be any real visible difference in the short term like an year or on sun exposure - most likely laminated print) between the 106 and 114 and T54C

2) Will the result from changing the inks in the L1800 compare to the L8180 printer with it stock inks (again of course not comparing the B&W)

Thank you again for your time.

Best Wishes and have a lovely night

 

[bplaman]

The best option is to sell the old one and buy ET-8550 (l8180).​

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I only can say from all recent tests with the 106, 114 and T54C inks that their performance is pretty close, and may vary when you select another paper type, it's never the ink alone but must be viewed together with the paper in a particular test - e.g. cast coated papers lower the overall longevity performance. The ET-7750 is phased out since a while, I have seen some sales actions - discounts for a short period, some dealers appear to get rid of their 106 inventory; Epson will keep the 106 ink available for a while but supply may take a little bit longer from a central Epson depot. I would consider the T54C ink pricing stable for quite a while since the photostation printers D500 etc are not primarily a consumer product.
Considering pro's and con's vs. a P900 makes a comparison pretty difficult , I'm not familiar with the print output
of a P900 at all. I'm happy enough with the SC-T2100 as a compromise printer - refill and 24" large format and low cost.

I cannot comment on B/W performance, and this in connection with PrintFab, that's a pretty complex subject on its own.

 

[AmaDeuSbg]

The best option is to sell the old one and buy ET-8550 (l8180).​

Hello,
Thank you for participating in the topic, did you do any tests with different inks in the L1800 or similar model or you are just happy with the printing results from the 8180?

I on ly can say from all recent tests with the 106, 114 and T54C inks that their performance is pretty close, and may vary when you select another paper type, it's never the ink alone but must be viewed together with the paper in a particular test - e.g. cast coated papers lower the overall longevity performance. The ET-7750 is phased out since a while, I have seen some sales actions - discounts for a short period, some dealers appear to get rid of their 106 inventory; Epson will keep the 106 ink available for a while but supply may take a little bit longer from a central Epson depot. I would consider the T54C ink pricing stable for quite a while since the photostation printers D500 etc are not primarily a consumer product.
Considering pro's and con's vs. a P900 makes a comparison pretty difficult , I'm not familiar with the print output
of a P900 at all. I'm happy enough with the SC-T2100 as a compromise printer - refill and 24" large format and low cost.

I cannot comment on B/W performance, and this in connection with PrintFab, that's a pretty complex subject on its own.

Hello,
I can't express my gratitude for taking part in the discussion - I appreciate the time you spent making all those test, I do realize it is really time consuming. I noticed that in your signature you now have 8550, do you still have your L1800 (I saw that you used a solution for the LC LM), I wonder how does both compare in terms of printing quality (L1800 with non stock inks compared to the 8550 with stock inks)? This will be useful in order to decide to keep the L1800 with T54C for example or sell the L1800 and just buy 8550. However if print results are similar, I might just use the cash to get something like the T2100 you pointed and have a bigger machine also.

I just saw the SC-T2100, are you happy with printing results? I mean I know it will not be as good in terms of quality of the print compared to the L1800 / 8550, but I wonder if the resolution is good enough to print posters etc (on glossy paper for example)? I also do sublimation and I saw the F500 which is also 2.400 x 1.200 DPI but found the print a little grainy (also could be due to the original epson sublimation ink though)? What inks do you use with it - inktec and refill cartridges? The printer is really nice in terms of pricing and if it produces decent results on poster I might even consider it, thank you.

Thank you again,
Have a lovely day

 

[bplaman]

Hello,
Thank you for participating in the topic, did you do any tests with different inks in the L1800 or similar model or you are just happy with the printing results from the 8180?

Hi.I am a supporter of simple solutions. I recommend everyone to always use ORIGINAL EPSON materials. Less (sorry for the expression) fucking with work on the printer. This is my opinion. Claria is very good ink.

 

[AmaDeuSbg]

Hi.I am a supporter of simple solutions. I recommend everyone to always use ORIGINAL EPSON materials. Less (sorry for the expression) fucking with work on the printer. This is my opinion. Claria is very good ink.

This is a valid point indeed, if I did not have already the L1800 I would have bought the 8180/8550 right away but since I am no stranger to 3rd party or changing inks in printers (I use Inktec sublinova inks in the L1300 I have) I do not mind experimenting with different inks as well as they work well with the printer and produce no clogs.

I only can say from all recent tests with the 106, 114 and T54C inks that their performance is pretty close, and may vary when you select another paper type, it's never the ink alone but must be viewed together with the paper in a particular test - e.g. cast coated papers lower the overall longevity performance. The ET-7750 is phased out since a while, I have seen some sales actions - discounts for a short period, some dealers appear to get rid of their 106 inventory; Epson will keep the 106 ink available for a while but supply may take a little bit longer from a central Epson depot. I would consider the T54C ink pricing stable for quite a while since the photostation printers D500 etc are not primarily a consumer product.
Considering pro's and con's vs. a P900 makes a comparison pretty difficult , I'm not familiar with the print output
of a P900 at all. I'm happy enough with the SC-T2100 as a compromise printer - refill and 24" large format and low cost.

I cannot comment on B/W performance, and this in connection with PrintFab, that's a pretty complex subject on its own.

Hello, I am sorry to disturb you but since I can not message you on your profile and my previous response to your quote was pending an approval from admin for 2 days, I just wanted to make sure you saw the reply.

Thank you and Best Wishes

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I must admit that I'm a kind of lost what the main question still is of this thread or remains - we discussed a lot already about inks and printers .

My L1800 is gone since a while, print output is the same as with the L805 as an A4 printer - 6 inks incl. light inks which the L8550 does not have. The L8550 comes with 2 blacks and a gray instead which makes it more flexible in my eyes when it comes to B/W printing. All these printers run with a min. droplet size of 1.5 pl which does not create any visible noise in monochrome dithered areas.

I was using an Pro7600 24" since almost 20 years which was running wtih light inks, 2 blacks and a gray , I replaced this printer with an Epson SC-T2100, as well a 24" printer with 4 colors and cartridges as well. I reported in detail my detour to a Canon TC-20 as a comparable 24" printer as a tank system model. These printers make it easy to upgrade to a larger format in case of interest.
These printers - and all other units for this format and larger - print with 4pl/Epson or 5pl/Canon which creates a slight granularity at very close viewing distance , but you are not printing 4x6" photos on such printer - you need to consider a wider viewing distance. But even so prints with these printers look very good, and slightly better than with my old P7600. And it should be clear that the gamut of a 4 c olor printer does not match the gamut of other high-end 10 - 12 ink printer units for which you pay more - much more. These printers are entry level units and are not advertised at all as photo printers by Canon or Epson. And the look of a print does not just depends on the number of inks but very much on the type and quality or the paper - the gamut can vary widely between different papers.

The ET-8550 offers some more functionality - with a scanner and 2 black and a gray ink .

P.S. I'm not aware of any problems with private messages - I wouldn't know how to test it.

 

[JOSFETH]

Recomendaria cambiarte a la 8180, como lo hice el año pasado, la velocidad de impresión y la calidad es notoria. El rendimiento de las tintas originales T555 de la L8180 es muy buena.

 

[JOSFETH]

Las tintas para la impresora Epson L8180-ET8550 tienen las siguientes nomenclaturas según áreas.
T555-sudamerica-Perú
T552-Norteamérica-EEUU
114- EUROPA

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

What inks do you use with it - inktec and refill cartridges?

I'm doing refill into the original cartridges, and you need new chips which are one-time chips only and pretty expensive and only available via Aliexpress, I'm not aware of a resetter at this time.
The Canon TC-20 is a tank system printer and is easier to handle in this refill aspect than the T2100/3100. But if there are more questions about the T2100 please open a separate thread.