Introducing Myself (ElectricXpert)

[ElectricXpert]

I am a college student who loves DIY projects. I am tired of being ripped off and the ink being more expensive than the printer. Once I get into grad school I will print and bind my own textbooks to avoid the college textbook racket. Avoiding two ripoffs at once while learning how printers work. I want to learn more about photography since photo labs are too expensive.

 

[The Hat]

I want to learn more about photography since photo labs are too expensive.

Firstly welcome, now there are no such things as a free lunch when it comes to inkjet printers, they are all expensive to run, but you can reduce your costs by using 3rd party filled cartridges, you won’t get the longevity but that’s how things are..

 

[Electrojim]

Firstly welcome, now there are no such things as a free lunch when it comes to inkjet printers, they are all expensive to run, but you can reduce your costs by using 3rd party filled cartridges, you won’t get the longevity but that’s how things are..

Hello to 'The Hat':

Just stumbled across your welcome here while surfing the site, and wondered exactly what you meant by, "...you won't get the longevity...". Do you mean the ink runs out more quickly with third-party cartridges, or does non-OEM ink do damage to the printer? Thanks in advance for any clarification.

 

[The Hat]

what you meant by, "...you won't get the longevity..."

but you can reduce your costs by using 3rd party filled cartridges, you won’t get the longevity but that’s how things are..

If you use 3rd party inks or cartridges, your printing costs do go down, but so does the print quality, all 3rd party inks fader much faster than OEM inks (longevity)..

On some Canon printers the 3rd party inks can cause your print head to fail much faster…

 

[Electrojim]

Thanks, Hat. The subject seems somewhat academic now anyway. I've now tried two different third-party cartridges, claiming to be 'compatible' with my Epson WF-2960, but the printer refuses to recognize them, let alone accept and print. Fortunately I can send these back. I'm sure a workaround will eventually be available, but I appreciate your endorsement of the OEM route. Love your country, by the way.

 

[The Hat]

'm sure a workaround will eventually be available,

Some US Epson printers are blocked from using compatible carts, but here in the EU there’re not.. I don’t know how easy it is to refill your OEM carts !

 

[Electrojim]

I heard that European versions of this printer are more forgiving of the inks they consume. I suppose the only salvation would be to flash European firmware into a US printer, but that's scary. The OEM cartridges can be refilled easily enough, but from what I understand many new printers now keep track of how much ink should have been used, depending on the pages printed, and use that formula to shut the cartridges off, rather than basing this on the actual amount of ink left. I wonder if each cartridge has some unique serial number... insidious bastards.