priming (epson artisan 810) printer only with oem cartridges possible?

[mikling]

While indeed real Clarias' formulations are unique and certainly one of the best dye ink, it does not possess any special qualities that prevent clogging. However, ink of unknown quality can indeed muck up your printer. So the real lesson here is to stay away from compatibles where the quality of ink inside is an unknown. Only use ink whose source and reputation can be trusted. This pretty much leaves the only option to refilling yourself.

The effort taken by Epson to argue that other inks had been used and that it would void warranty is a tactic that they often attempt to use. If you read your warranty details I don't think it states this fact and furthermore I believe in the USA it is not legal to do so. Despite this, Epson tries this all the time and usually succeed.

Finally, Epson frequently plays hardball on warranty, and they often will try, when they spot the use of third party ink. For example if the feed mechanism is broken, they will try to link the use of third party ink to feed mechanism failure. This, to any sane customer is ludicrous but it has been attempted before. What do you do? After installing the original cartridges, do not use them till they are empty to install aftermarkets. Install the aftermarket as soon as you can and save the genuine Epson cartridges (put them away in a sealed container or bag) just in case it needs a trip back to Epson. That way, there's never an issue about the printer not being under warranty if it is within the time period. After the warranty period has expired, you may then use up the cartridges.

 

[jaelynrae08]

@mikling-

I actually did that, put epson inks in a baggie and sent them with it, on the premise that I didnt want it to get jostled and leak even more since the instructions for the printer say to not tilt it when transporting, to keep it right side up. They still argued and said they could tell 3rd party inks had been used and that was the cause of the clogged nozzles.

It is illegal to void a warranty just for using other ink, HOWEVER there is a clause that says if the ink damaged the unit then that superceeds the rule and therefore voids the warranty. So if you are sending it in for clogged nozzles, it is virtually impossible to prove they did not cause the damage.

Its funny you should mention they are hard to work with. The first time around was aweful, but partially my own fault for using cheap inks. My 2nd epson had smearing prints right out of the box, only genuine inks were used. They sent me a new set of inks, didnt ask for the receipt or old ones back. That didnt correct the issue, so they just sent me a new printer, again, no receipt needed, and asked for the return in the same box after getting the new one and said if it was fixable they would just refurb it, that I could keep the new one. The second time around they were really easy to work with so maybe they are trying to overcome a bad reputation or I just got a really nice CSR.

After everything I just watch eBay and other places for good deals on the Claria inks because they really are dicernably better than any refill ink I have ever tried.

 

[mikling]

Storing or shipping the printer without cartridges installed or the heads flushed is one of the best ways to stuff or clog the nozzles. Always keep non empty cartridges inside the printhead assembly. On genuine Epson, the liquid sensor stops at the detection of no ink in the reservoir but there is still ink inside the regulators as well as the printhead. That is the sole purpose of stopping printing because Epson does not want the nozzles to dry out. On generic compatibles which are usually sponge based, this is the worst type of cartridge to use on an Epson. Before the cartridge is emptied, the partially dry sponge will literally reverse the ink direction as the dry sponge will actually pull ink back into the sponge thus emptying the nozzles and drying out the ink within the nozzles. That is one way the generics destroy heads. If it clogs in this manner, it will take a long time to clear and the Epson service center will not take the effort to fix that. We are counting possibly days for bad situations. However this situation never happens on real Epson cartridges and will not if the spongeless aftermarkets with good quality inks are properly used. That is possibly why Epson knew that the printer was not using the real ones. Also if any of the real ones were empty, you'd never get a chance to determine that it was clogged because it simply would not print. Follow the logic and you'll see how they figured it out.

I have had about twelve Claria based printers through my hands and truth is not one of them was ever clogged to the point that it could not be unclogged. All of them except one were purchased used and that one was a refurb from Epson. My RX580 is going 3-4 years now with no clogs even after weeks of no use and all with aftermarket inks of known quality and always used with spongeless carts.

Just stay away from those generic compatibles. A refill costs less arouund $0.50 with bulk ink and the prints are stunning. Generic compatibles cost more than that and the quality is inferior. But yes Claria is better at ten to thirty times the cost. With proper profiles you cannot discern the difference between the two except for longevity. On this forum, we are primarily interested in how to refill successfully. Many of us have had good success and I want to make sure that the readers know what is possible and what to avoid.

 

[websnail]

Can I just add that it is absolutely accurate that a large percentage of the inks offered are truly awful, chemical rubbish that have poor fade resistance, appalling chemical properties that promote clogging, etc... but this blanket application of "if it isn't OEM, it's cr*p" logic is just not accurate at all.

It's like calling all used cars, wrecks when there's a porsche 911 sitting there, after sitting in a garage for 15 years and barely driven...

There are a number of good quality inks available where the colour values, fade resistance, and general quality are far superior to the inks that sell for peanuts on eBay, etc... In some instance there are inks that are comparable, albeit, not identical.. to the qualities in OEM...

 

[The Hat]

websnail..

It's like calling all used cars, wrecks when there's a porsche 911 sitting there, after sitting in a garage for 15 years and barely driven...

I to use 3rd party ink (FotoRite) because buying oem ink is truly daylight robbery. The way I look at is Canon / Epson make great printers but dont give a toss when it comes to selling ink. I am with you on this one there are some great inks out there, but thousands of scammers with coloured water. The common law of business is balance, it prohibits paying a little, and getting a lot, it cant be done..

 

[websnail]

... and just to hoist myself on my own petard... I managed to tar all eBay sellers (unintentionally I assure you!) with the same brush as well...

There are a number of non-eBay sites out there flogging CIS kits, inks, etc... with nothing closely resembling a glimmer of a clue about the products yet there's the assumption that they have a shop so they must be legit, etc..... Likewise, there are also a small select number of eBay sellers who are selling a decent product...

Finding out who is who, is the challenge...


So, apologies to anyone I managed to offend there... hope that clears it up...

 

[jaelynrae08]

so many of you say 3rd party ink is fine, its just a matter of finding the right one. so in the interim if you dont know anyone who can give you a reputable source, are you really going to use trial and error on a 400.00 printer

 

[websnail]

so many of you say 3rd party ink is fine, its just a matter of finding the right one.

Erm... no, we're saying that SOME 3rd party inks are fine... It's more or less what you're hinting at but the distinction is important. But yes, finding the "right one" is the "fun" part...

so in the interim if you dont know anyone who can give you a reputable source, are you really going to use trial and error on a 400.00 printer

Well this is the thing isn't it and it's one of the reasons why forums like this one are so important and also why looking for people who have been around the block and have traits, posting habits, etc... that you trust, are vital.

I can't tell you what those traits are (Hmm, good example? me? Not sure.. ) but as a rule for me personally, it's someone who doesn't shill post their own products, is happy to admit when they're wrong, but who provide references, data, etc... when they want their opinions to be taken seriously, etc... These are all good points to look for...

Unfortunately it's all too easy for a dedicated individual to work their butt off to create a trusted persona but most shill posters give themselves away because they lack the patience necessary to either run a good business, or to research their arguments properly.


Anyway, enough of me blathering on... You get the idea

 

[ghwellsjr]

so many of you say 3rd party ink is fine, its just a matter of finding the right one. so in the interim if you dont know anyone who can give you a reputable source, are you really going to use trial and error on a 400.00 printer

I use Inktec dye inks in the small bottles/syringes. I do not recommend their pigment black ink as it has clogged the purge units in all the printers I put it in (about ten).

The other two highly recommended inks are Image Specialists and Hobbicolors. Hobbicolors is based in the USA and sells through eBay, just do a search on Hobbicolors. Image Specialists ink is sold by mikling in Canada and websnail in the UK (as well as other places). Just scroll up to their posts and click on the link at the bottom of their posts. I believe all three suppliers ship world-wide.