Inkjet Confussion: Stylus CX4800 - Dye,Pigment,Sublimation & ISO

[DaShizNik]

Niffy Folk, I'm in need of your aid again for I am a Joke!

I have a Epson Stylus CX4800 and its BEST printer I own however I am facing 5 problems now that its time to purchase more ink.

1. I now what Certification ISO is but which gives better results?
I am seeing to different sets of "info" which are "ISO9001:ISO14000 SGS"(from China)
and "ISO9001-2001"(from Germany). I just need to know which of these to chose from.

2. Which gives better results on photo paper (HP CR671A) Dye or Pigment since I've see
both available on Ebay (I've been using the Epson C88 series (Dye Base) from CISinks and some ink from Print-Rite)
2a. I've read on the Kodak that pigment is better than dye is this true?
2b. Sublimate, where can I find into?

3-4. Explain why I all my colors where washed out after refilling ink. Seriously, what the hell just happened!
Gray turns into lite purple, some black parts into dark blue, and yellow is mellow-- I was freaking out last week.
Now these week there perfect again WTF-- ink storage, I'm lost!

 

[crenedecotret]

You said that now everything is back to normal? If this happens again, try a quick nozzle check. this almost looks as if one of the colors was not firing.

 

[jtoolman]

Looks like you are not getting any yellow ink flow.

 

[DaShizNik]

OK its fixed now but how do I prevent this from happening again and what about the ISO, which one do I buy?

 

[RogerB]

"ISO" in this context doesn't tell you much. ISO9001:2001 is a standard that relates to the quality system (procedures) in place at the manufacturer. It should mean that their manufacturing process is consistent - that in turn should mean that their products are consistent. BUT it doesn't tell you anything at all about the quality of the products. If their product is cr*p then it will consistently be cr*p. There are no recognised standards at present for inkjet ink, so your best bet is to look through posts on this forum to learn from the experience of other users - plenty of experts here.

Incidentally, ISO1400 is even less relevant. It is a standard for the environmental performance of a company. For example do they pour their reject cr*ppy ink down the drain or do they dispose of it in a responsible way.

 

[crenedecotret]

How are you refilling your ink cartridges? It could be that some air bubbles.. usually a quick clean or printing a few purge pattern pages fixes the issue. I'm guessing that's what happened because everything went back to normal after a while.

Another question... are you happy with the CISinks brand? Why change? Have you had issues like clogging? If you want a good quality ink, lookup Precision Colors on ebay. The owner is a member here and I think he has inks for pretty much any epson model.

I would avoid Kodak paper completely. I've tried them on Canon and Epson printers and had a bit of ink pooling. HP Papers I had similar problems in an Epson, they were OK in a Canon. If you're not looking to spend too much, try the Kirkland paper at costco... it performs well above it's price range. It costs 20$ for 150 sheets of 8.5x11 here in Canada, I think it's a bit less in the US.

 

[DaShizNik]

Crenedecotret, How do you pronounce your username, no abbreviating that! Yeah I use the refillable cartridges from CISinks and I prime myself before reinstalling.

And CISinks are expensive and they only offer ink in 3oz or 17oz. The 17oz will last half a year and I have NEVER used store bought ink from the print. Also I dont know what clogging or what pooling is. The Epson Stylus CX4800 is a old printer and its ability is only limited by the level of detail in the source image and paper used.

Also I did buy a Epson R280 off ebay that little print scare was a little bit to much to handle.

Also have tried Kirkland, got it form a photography store may I just say professional photographers are Total As*holes to new kids on the block. I thank you guys so much! So I resorted to using the using most expensive HP photo paper i could find and Kirkland semi gloss and HP CR671A and the same is specs and quality.

Last Question!
What type of ink should I using in my printer, could I change from Dye ink to Pigment?

P.S. Precision Colors where can I find there store?