testing efillink system

[steveonedoor]

I'm going to do a comparison. I will compare Epson cartridges against efillink cartridges/inks. If you have used them, I wold appreciate your input. But I'm gonna order the efillink cartridges and see how their ink sizes up against Epson's ink. I'll let you know what I find out ...

Steve

 

[steveonedoor]

When I figured out how much I was spending on inks, I knew I would have a problem making budget. I love the images I get on my Epson 1400, but I hate going to the store - on line or on foot - to buy more. I decided to give non-OEM inks a try. I shopped around on ebay and google, spotted a likely candidate for my test, and invested in the test product.

I posted notices on several talk boards, but no one had definitive answers on refilling. I decided to do my own formal non scientific testing, and report back here so others would have the benefit of my results.

I opted for EFILLINK as my supplier. I would love to test other products, but can't afford the time or the funds to get samples of every ink out there. I chose the one that sounded most reasonable.

I ordered a starter kit, and designed a test. I would use Kodak Ultima Photo Paper and either Corel Photo Paint or Adobe Acrobat for the most demanding shots, and Office Depot copy paper for pedestrian prints. I selected several test images: An 8x10 screen test pattern showing type point sized down to 2 points and an array of colors and moire patterns from www.druckerchannel.de. An 8x10 glamour shot of my 30-year-old daughter. A sheet of wallet sized faces. A sheet of 4x5 landscapes. A handful of 4x6 pet shots (black dogs - difficult to get definition).

While I waited for the inks to arrive, I did my test prints using Epson OEM inks. I did a "smear test", running my dry finger over one image at 15 minute intervals and then hourly and then after 24 hours, and doing the same with a wet finger.

The inks arrived from Hong Kong with mostly clear explanations. I was a bit confused by the "remove the air vent" instruction. The cartridge has a plug on the top that is tagged "do not remove". But the instruction sheet says "remove the air vent". At first, I followed the "do not" rule, and got no ink. Duh! Then I followed the "remove" rule, and found ink flowing when I did not want it to flow. So I contacted customer service, and got an immediate response. They clarified I was to remove the plug - but not the one I had thought. I pulled the right plugs, and the inks flowed perfectly.

Flowed perfectly? Yes. I like the EFILLINK inks better than the OEM.

COLOR: The new inks give richer blacks. In some of the shots that had lots of black in the image, the EFILLINK ink tended to color shift towards red for some reason, but that seemed to improve the image coloration. I asked my wife and she prefered the EFILL color balance in every print.

CLARITY: On the fine printing, the 2 point and 3 point type were as legible with EFILL as with OEM Epson. The moire patterns were similarly clearly on either.

CONTACT: The EFILL inks dried harder and faster. Within minutes of the printing, I got less smear with EFILL. I waited a week and tried the dry finger smear test and saw no difference. However, the big difference came with a wet finger: I moistened my fingertip and ran it over the Epson ink print. Big smear, even after a week of drying. I moistened my finger again and ran it over the EFILL - and it DID NOT SMEAR.

FINAL TEST: My daughter likes the glamour shots printed with EFILLINK.

After my test, I contacted EFILLINK and asked them a few questions. Their product is shipped from Hong Kong, but their customer support is in the US. Their cartridge design eliminates most slipping of the chip and gives an accurate "fill" reading. They are committed to provide=ing good customer support. I did not get paid for this report on test result, and EFILLINK did not read the results before I published them.

This is not a scientific test, but it is my test. Epson passed. Epson OEM did a fine, professional job. But EFILLINK took top honors in every catagory. I am now sold on using replacement inks, and can commend EFILLINK to anyone looking to save money and get durable professional color images for substantially less than the cost of OEM inks.

Thanks, EFILLINK, for a fine product. My test results sold me on using your products.

Steve