Am I defecting to Canon ?

[andy1978]

Thanks for your previous input!


I found the chips for T2100 cartridges on AliExpress for £35 per set, but with VAT and shipping, the total comes to £50 just for the chips. At this point, it's becoming less and less worth the hassle, especially considering that third-party cartridges in the UK cost around £100. Since those are pigment inks, I'm wondering if it's even worth bothering with refilling via syringes.


On the other hand, I looked into the Epson 3100X Megatank and went through all your previous comments on it. From what I understand, the best option would be to replace Epson’s original dye inks with Canon GI-53 dye inks.


I have a question about switching between dye and pigment inks. If I start using dye ink, do I need to fully empty the cartridges before switching to pigment, or can I mix them while printing? Is there a specific cleaning procedure, like flushing the printhead with a special solution, before switching to pigment ink?


Also, I’m still unsure about the actual difference in print quality between dye and pigment inks for photo printing. I know pigment ink is more durable and doesn’t fade as easily in sunlight, but is the difference that significant in real-world use?


I’m also considering the Canon TC-20 and using dye inks (GI-53) from the start instead of pigment. Since I’ll only be printing on 24” canvas rolls (no sheet feeding), this setup might make sense. But I’m not sure if it’s the right approach.


To be honest, I tend to get frustrated easily with finicky printers, and if the TC-20 gives me too much trouble, I might just throw it out the window (hopefully, it's heavy enough that I can’t lift it). Jokes aside, I’m still debating between the Canon TC-20 and Epson. I called a company in the UK today, and they said Epson produces better-looking prints than Canon. But I don’t need museum-grade Rembrandt reproductions—just good-quality prints.
Based on what Keith showed in his video, Canon doesn’t seem like a bad option. Maybe I should just order it on Amazon, test it for 30 days, and return it if it doesn’t work for me.

Yesterday, I received canvas samples from a company, ranging in thickness from 260 to 360 gsm (260, 280, 300, 350, 360 gsm). I’ve ordered a caliper on eBay to measure the exact thickness, as it provides accuracy down to 0.01 mm. I’ll check whether I can print on canvases up to 0.27–0.28 mm thick.

I watched a video from a woman in the U.S. who prints on the Epson T2100 (which is called the T2170 there, but it’s the same model). She prints 24-inch canvas rolls, around 300 gsm, without any issues and is very happy with both the printer and the print quality—whether on canvas or photo paper. She loads a full 30-meter roll of canvas, and it works flawlessly.

Interestingly, whenever I talk to companies about printing on canvas, they all shake their heads and say this printer is completely unsuitable for it. Yet, people are successfully printing on it and getting great results. It feels like a bit of a scam—everyone insists this printer is only for CAD and engineering prints, then tries to steer you toward a £5,000 printer instead of a £500–600 one. That’s just the reality of the market, unfortunatey.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I understand that it is difficult for you to make the right printer selection: both the TC-20 and the T3100X are oriented to CAD/poster printing jobs - the word 'photo printing' is nowhere mentioned in the user documentation - not at all - thjis is intentionally but let's not talk about marketing. Both printer types do a pretty good job printing photos. The pixels and inkdots you are printing just don't know if you print a drawing or a photo. There is one limitation that the gamut - the range of printable colors - is slightly smaller than with the 8 or 10 ink engines. But if that's your concern you would need to test some other papers, it's the papers as well which make a good print, and not just the inks and the printer.

You may have a look to the Canon TM240, as well budget priced like the TC-20, that printer supports a wider range of roll papers - there is no roll diameter limit, and the paper thickness ranges from 0.07 mm to 0.8 mm, you may see it in the user manual on page 301

https://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/9/0300...5x_5340_525x_5240_OnlineManual_Win_EN_V02.pdf

I had the T2100 for a short while, if you want to do refill you need the one-time chips which are pretty expensive, and I don' like the refill fiddling that much, so it is a printer for a low volume activity. The overall printer handling, print quality etc , all that is very good. The T3100X Ecotank version is technically the alternative. You need to calculate when you do refill and can reach the break even point.

Canvas paper - I don't have any experience with such papers, but I assume that it'll be like always - go and test papers from various suppiers and get your own opinion - some may have a sample pack of their papers or offer some of their papers both as roll or sheet material. I wouldn't give much on general statements. Paper testing can be done as well with sheet paper, you won't need rolls.

Yes, you could use the GI-53 dye inks instead in the TC-20, but I don't see a benefit really. It's very much a question how long - days - weeks months - years prints are exposed to light, that can even be room light, light from fluorescent lamps can be a killer. But if you print posters for the next sales out action such prints are used just for a short time etc - so again - it very much depends on the actual situation. And don't forget that prints with dye inks are prone to humidity which could be an issue on an open construction site. You may look as well to the T54C inks as a dye substitute for the T3100X, those Ultrachrome inks are the inks with the longest durability, better than the inks Epson is shipping with T3100X originally.

It is easier to move from dye to pigment inks as I mentioned, I would not flush the ink system but reinstall the driver and let the printer do an ink charge after printing down and emptying the old ink. But keep in mind that you may impact your warranty status in case of a problem. So I would discourage you to do it at this time.

 

[andy1978]

Subject: Ink Options for Epson T2100 & Canon TC-20


Hi,


Thanks for your detailed response! Yes, I found the T54C inks in the UK at a reasonable price—£16 per bottle. The only issue is that while regular colors (cyan, magenta, and yellow) are available, there are also light cyan and light magenta options. I assume I should just stick to the standard inks and replace the light colors with regular ones in the Epson 3100x correct?


Also, what would you recommend for the Canon TC-20? Are there any good third-party pigment inks available? I came across Farbenwerk in Germany, and their inks seem to have a solid reputation. I was considering using their PIGMERA C1 inks, which are designed for Canon printers like the iPF1100. They’re reasonably priced, and they provide ICC profiles for their inks on their website.


I’d love to hear your opinion on Canon-compatible pigment and dye inks. Does Canon offer any good pigment alternatives that don’t cost £220 per set?


By the way, I also have a Canon G650 for personal use, and I think it prints photos beautifully with the original GI-53 inks. But how do these inks compare to Epson’s T54C? Are they of similar quality?

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Which inks for which printer are you looking for ? We have discussed so many variations already.

If I look to the TC-20 the Chinese substitutes for the PFI-050 Canon pigment inks could be an option

https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005...st_main.5.33715c5fO8S0Ow&gatewayAdapt=glo2deu
The bottles are keyed at the top, so you don't need to swap the inks into the orginal bottles.

Yes, you can use other compatible inks - Farbenwerk or other companies like Inktec - you just would need to be clear which type you would use for the black ink - the PFI-050 black is universal for matte and glossy papers -other inks are not so it wouold be advisable to stay with the PFI-050 black regardless which other inks you would choose.

The GI-53 Canon and the Epson 106, 114 and T54C are about quite similar in performance , with a small benefit for the T54C inks, The GI-53 inks can print on any Epson printer but not the other way around. The T3100X only needs the CMYK inks - you don't need the light inks and just don't order them.

Farbenwerk is doing quite a lot of icc-profiles for their inks, but you don't know if that includes your paper(s).

I don't have any experience with the Canon pigment inks for their Megatank printers of the GX model series, they most likely will print as well and could be another option, but again with the PFI-050 for the black pigment ink.

So I think you are in a quite comfortable position with that choice of inks.

 

[andy1978]

I’m in a pretty comfortable situation, so to sum up: for the Canon TC-20, I could use Farbenwerk pigment inks, keeping the original Canon black ink. As for the Epson, I would go with the TC-54C inks since they are dye-based and also made by Epson, so they likely wouldn’t void the warranty. I think this is the best option.

Thank you for your support – it has been incredibly helpful.

I measured the canvas with a weight of 280 GSM, and its thickness is 0.34 mm, which falls within the range supported by the printer. The manufacturer specifies a slightly higher maximum thickness, but I know the printer can handle it without any issues. If it were 0.4 mm, I would have to reconsider, but 0.34 mm is perfectly fine – I’ve seen many users printing on canvas with these models.

Thanks again for your help! If anything comes up, I’ll reach out. I’ll also try to share my opinion on one of these printers – either the Canon or the Epson – as it might be useful for someone.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Thanks for your feedback; please let us know your experience with your new printer whatever model that will be; that will most likely vary between different users.