epson 1290 cis has anybody any advice

[zvonkokracun]

i have been printing since years with print-rite carts, but i am considering changing to a cis
1. what are the pitfalls, any advice anybody ? which are the best suppliers
if there is a modell out there which is especially suited to cis ( i mean with the least problems..... and i guess there will be many ) , i wouldn't mind knowing. my 1290 is old and i would consider buying another printer.
since i print 90% photos i would like pigment, but it is not a matter of life and death.
anyway, hope somebody can help. zk

 

[websnail]

First things first... Epsons are a lot easier to get CIS kits for thanks to the way their cartridges to printheads slot together in a female/male way. This creates a very nice air tight seal and avoids many of the annoyances you get with Canons.

Next up, I'd strongly recommend avoiding anything other than the ink type your printer was designed for. If it was designed to handle pigment inks, great.. if not, I wouldn't go there because your printhead will clog regularly. If you want pigment printing, get a pigment printer is a good rule

As for good designs... Up until recently I would have strongly recommended MIS (www.inksupply.com) but owing to trade restrictions placed on them and others in the USA they're discontinuing everything Epson (they'll still supply inks though!). You could try contacting them to see if they have any left over though. Other options are the Chinese clone systems but unless you're looking at Rihac (in Australia) or one of the other suppliers in the USA (all will be affected by the trade ruling) I'm not sure who's left.

In terms of inks, MIS are a reseller for "Image Specialists" inks so depending on where you are you can find a reseller maybe a little closer to home.


In terms of pitfalls and things to watch out for though here's a few nuggets I picked up with Epsons:
1. Spongeless cartridge designs have a much lower resistance to issues like free flows (ie: when the ink just flows straight through). This is particularly likely during head cleaning and/or external waste ink modification installed.
2. Stick to one manufacturer of ink if you can (multiple inks = chemical reaction = clogging)


Can't think of much else but hopefully that gets you started.

 

[mikling]

THE best CISS for a 1280 is to use brand NEW original Epson cartridges. To these you attach tubes and fittings to these cartridges. Where can you get these tubes and fittings? Either from systems that are thrown out or the cheapest system you can find. See my Green Epson 777 article which is really principally a 4 color version of the 1280.

Why a new Epson cartridge, because the biggest issue in setting these things up properly is to get a perfect air free sponge. Once you achieve that it is a piece of cake. The original Epson cartridge is your best chance of getting that. If not a lot of careful purging would be required. http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2136

If you're really handy, all you'd need is tubing, some plastic adhesive or caulk and six bottles.