Overview with Canon non-oem from two dealers. 251/221 inks

[Rose Chenn]

Hello everyone, new member here and wanted to share my feed back. Going to toss in a little background too about me (feel free to skip). I took pictures and used a darkroom and when the digital revolution took off, I decided to try out an add on CISS to an Epson printer. The quality control and leaks was an issue. I went through two more Epson printer (non CISS,used OEM with constant print head clogs) and three Kodak printer which also clog through OEM ink and non-usage.

I switched over to Laser for my school printout and waited a few years for the market to mature. In 2009-10 I chosen a Canon, because during the time I felt the ink quality for my printout was amazing. HP photo printer was costly and their ink tank was very small. I given up on Epson.

I am not endorsing any company here. I am just tossing my feedback and I hope others would add to it.
I have both MG 5520 that use the 251 ink and MP 620 use 221 type ink. Mostly for us user in the North America, to give us user more options on inks.


I kept my MP 620 since it was working, and the non-oem ink was much cheaper then the newly release 251. We are talking about $12 vs 30, yes I know the price dropped since then. But that isn't the point here.

I used supermediastore/Linkyo for years and was very happy with it. Only issue I ever noticed that really brother me is that they tend to bleed much more as I use highlight (school documents, etc). I once saw a deal on meritline with their "G&G" ink. It was a tad cheaper, and I took a risk. At the end of the day, it was a night mare. The colors came out wrong, irrc the Y/M, and it clogged my print head. I did the slow water stream method and soaked for 2 days twice. After that, I placed my Linkyo back and it worked without an issue.

Since the last time I purchased the ink the "Linyko" has change provider it seems. I attached a picture of their new boxes. It isn't the same one as their earlier white boxes with "Linkyo" stamped all over. I got worried and talked to supermediastore. They mention something along the line of "California shipping issue and they switched providers. But they assured me that the quality is the same and the warranty is the same". So far the colors are fine, no clogs, no leak, no unrecognized/fail ink . I sometime do wonder about the dpi, I am a tad unhappy with skin tones. But I have to use a OEM set to truly compare.

I also did a Fade test over four months with Linkyo Canon vs HP 951 pigment ink. The Linkyo faded pretty bad. The prints I did and stacked it on a pile in the room. Those seemed to fade a tad. I am sure after two year, it WILL be noticeable. Sad that it won't last even two years on my desk or wall. It makes me wonder "Do I really want to reprint 300+ photos" Every two years.

I will establish another test with Canon' ChromaLife100+
vs HP Pigment
vs Costco Epson 7880/7890 printers with 8-color Epson UltraChrome K3TM inks
vs Precisioncolors



Has anyone came across a dealer that they are happy and had reliable constant non-issue inks?
Anyone compare these to precisioncolors?

 

[fotofreek]

Has anyone came across a dealer that they are happy and had reliable constant non-issue inks? Anyone compare these to precisioncolors?

Rose (my mother's name and granddaughter's middle name) - I've used Prrecision Colors for several years. Good service and I like the product. My canon printers use BCI-6 and CLI-8 carts. Dye based inks. They are manufactured by Image Specialist. Unlike some of the prefilled cart vendors, you know that these inks are not going to be switched on you between purchases.

Where in the US are you located?

 

[Rose Chenn]

I live in Florida. I recently went over my "at home east facing window fade test". It was pretty bad Linkyo vs the HP 8610 pigment. I also mentioned on my other post that I "feel" that the other pictures we printed out, that is placed on a stack, was faded a tad. I didn't print it and currently did not have time to reprint to compare. This was from March to Aug 2015.

Those pictures that you had printed. How is the fade on it? Can I print out a stack of photos and place it onto my coffee table for a few years at least? I like the inviting feeling that a stack of pictures gives for guest. They can pick it up and go through it. Sure I can have a HD tablet out there. But people wont just pick it up, open it, and access my photos. Since it is a clear sign of invasion of privacy.

 

[ThrillaMozilla]

You might try the new(?) Precision Colors inks, and if those work well for you, you're in luck. I have had good luck with InkTec and OCP inks for my HP, although some colors are more fade-resistant than others. (My HP printer uses virtually the same technology as Canon, so I would expect maybe similar properties for the Canon ink.)

 

[Rose Chenn]

Honestly I never heard about Precision Colors until two days ago. From what I heard "mikling" the owner of PC, placed a lot of time and effort into reproducing the OEM. Though he admits that they will never achieved fade test like OEM. That I can live with, but if it fade under a year of being stacked on a pile indoor. Then I might have to reconsider. I do not own a Pro-10/100 yet. I am waiting for the next rebate deal. So during that time, I am trying to do as much research as I can. I assume if a producer can provide me with a decent CLI-251 ink, then their CL-42 will be just as good.

Honestly it is a big investment just to sample inks from PC. Since he does not offer cheaper pre-filled sets. Just so I can determine if ink would be good for the Pro10/100. That was why I was willing to pay shipping/handling for someone just to print it out for me and ship it. But from what it looks like it is either PC/OCP or bust. As other mention, it best to just spray with lacquer on top of everything.

 

[Roy Sletcher]

Honestly I never heard about Precision Colors until two days ago. From what I heard "mikling" the owner of PC, placed a lot of time and effort into reproducing the OEM. Though he admits that they will never achieved fade test like OEM. That I can live with, but if it fade under a year of being stacked on a pile indoor. Then I might have to reconsider. I do not own a Pro-10/100 yet. I am waiting for the next rebate deal. So during that time, I am trying to do as much research as I can. I assume if a producer can provide me with a decent CLI-251 ink, then their CL-42 will be just as good.

Honestly it is a big investment just to sample inks from PC. Since he does not offer cheaper pre-filled sets. Just so I can determine if ink would be good for the Pro10/100. That was why I was willing to pay shipping/handling for someone just to print it out for me and ship it. But from what it looks like it is either PC/OCP or bust. As other mention, it best to just spray with lacquer on top of everything.

Rose,

I and many others on this board have no hesitation in commending the quality of Precision Colors CL-42 inks. Mike Ling has a strong commitment to quality, and takes pride in the quality of his product. I could say the same about Octoink, but being in the UK they are not as convenient to deal with.

I have prints on my wall going back over 5 years using PC inks. Originally pro9000 CLI-8 inks, and latterly the Pro100 CLI-42 inks. Most under glass, a few as wraps with no protections. NO visible fading on any of them.

My walls do not experience direct sunlight, and I am in a Northern latitude. Florida and the South may be more challenging.

I would be quite happy to print you a selection of PC CLI-42 prints for testing. However at the moment I am 1,500km from home vacationing on Canada's Atlantic coast. Will not be returning home until sometime in October when the weather turns colder. (Retirement is tough, but somebody has to do it.)

If you are still interested then I will contact you to see if you want some sample prints. My papers of choice are mostly Red River Papers.

My experiences are purely anecdotal and your mileage may vary.

Roy Sletcher

 

[Rose Chenn]

Well thanks for your input. First user that I heard from that stated the quality of "wraps with no protection". I am new here and from looking around the past few days many user go above and beyond on taking care of their prints. As stated earlier that of course I would do the same for my 13 x 19 inch. But for 4x6 printout, it is a tad of a stretch in labor. That said, there are a few locations I can print 4x6 out. I heard Costco is very high, even Consumer Report mention them. But if I have a printer like that at home, why not use it?


Waiting for Oct/Nov Black Friday sales. I also have plans to take pictures of this Falls foliage on my new 4/3rd camera. So I am not in a rush. If I do not get any print access before that, I would gladly pick up on your offer. Happy retirement you snow bird!

 

[fotofreek]

@Rose Chenn , I have pictures framed under glass on my walls (not in direct sunlight) that have survived several years without noticeable fading. I also have many photos in albums that also look very good after many years. All with PC dye based inks. On the other hand, a few prints I gave to my daughter have been in direct sunlight and didn't fare as well. I don't have a timeline on resistance to fading in sunlight. Being the lazy type, I haven't experimented with any sprays to preserve the prints.

 

[Rose Chenn]

Yes. Printing a photo for a love one to place on their work desk or at home is a nice gesture. But I dreed the embarrassment of it get faded under 6 months. Currently I use a Selphy cp910 for dye sublimation. It cost a bit and the perforated edge drives me insane. But the photo quality is very nice. But things are always evolving, so I am using my time to find alternative.

 

[Roy Sletcher]

First user that I heard from that stated the quality of "wraps with no protection".

Well.... in truth they are really "faux wraps" - a 9 x 12 costs me about $5.00 plus cost of print. I am toying with the idea of writing an explanation of the technique for PK if anybody is interested.

Big advantage is easy to make (20 minutes plus print time), light weight and no reflections from glass. Ideal as gifts, hanging in informal locations like family or rec rooms. So light one can hang them in the ubiquitous cubicles that now infest the workplace. Sending by post is simple and cheap - no heavy fragile glass.

Originally did not use protective spray and have several with PC dye inks that have lasted about three years without obvious fading.

Stumbled on an economical spray that I am now using. Too early to draw conclusions, but I was encouraged when our J.Toolman endorsed the same product. Going by memory I think the name is Krylon and costs about $7.00 for 400 to 500 grams from Walmart. Comes in matte and gloss. As always YMMV.

rs