New Epson EcoTank ET-8550 with Epson pigment inks

[razer]

I recently acquired an Ecotank 8550 and I am going to test out the viability of using Epson pigment inks.
I already purchased the Durabrite ET 542 pigment ink set, and I am harvesting Epson pigment inks for the other colors from cartridges.
Wish me luck.

 

[x64]

Good luck, I'm interested in your results. As a note for your experiments, the various inks Epson produces differ 'somewhat' in composition. You can find the differences in their safety data sheets.

 

[razer]

Yes, based Epson's prolific usage of the print head found in the 8550, I am confident the 542 pigment inks will yield good results. I am not as confident about the photo black and gray pigment inks, as they seem to be only available as Ultrachrome inks.

 

[razer]

I have to say, I am absolutely loving the ink tank system. There is no way I can return to a cartridge based printing system.
The 8550 is filled with pigment ink and the initial nozzle check and print on copy paper was successful, nothing looks out of the ordinary. For the photo black and gray inks, I used Epson Ultrachrome ink harvested from cartridges.
I have some Epson photo paper on order and I acquired printer profiles from Keith Cooper. I will then proceed with further color testing.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

The name Ultrachrome is just a family name for a wide range of pigment ink sets, and even dye inks over time, there are several generations of these inks on the market at the same time, new printers , mainly in the large format printer range , may add another new inkset, or a new color to an inkset. Durabrite inks are targeted more to the jobs of business - office printers , the requirements are different - faster drying to support duplex printing, less abrasion on non-coated- office type papers . Durabrite inks don't thrive for the widest gamut or the best gloss etc.

 

[razer]

The name Ultrachrome is just a family name for a wide range of pigment ink sets, and even dye inks over time, there are several generations of these inks on the market at the same time, new printers , mainly in the large format printer range , may add another new inkset, or a new color to an inkset. Durabrite inks are targeted more to the jobs of business - office printers , the requirements are different - faster drying to support duplex printing, less abrasion on non-coated- office type papers . Durabrite inks don't thrive for the widest gamut or the best gloss etc.

Yes, very informative.
As soon as I receive the Epson paper I ordered, I will see how the different inks interact.