We're all being ripped now. Does ANYONE make a cost-effective unit?

[galaxiefilm]

Just joined this forum.

Okay, not that long ago -- like in the late 90's -- my Epson Stylus 64 was a real workhorse. It made beautiful documents and photos. And so what if the dye-based ink smeared when wet? I could afford generic carts and rarely, if ever, had a problem with it.

Unfortunately, that machine died in 2005 and I have gone nuts trying to replace it. All of the new Epsons use the expensive pigment-based ink (read: liquid plastic) that will clog your heads in less than a day if you're not constantly using the machine.

And two HP's I bought (two Deskjet 5650's) broke immediately after they were taken out of the box.

Well, I'm sure this isn't news to anyone in here. But what I want to know is this?

Does ANY manufacturer make a dye-based ink printer that won't drain my bank account and in which I can use generic ink?

Am I asking for the holy grail here?

Can anyone make a decent recommendation?

-- DG

 

[mikling]

galaxiefilm. Not all of the new Epsons use pigment based ink. The lower cost all in one units/ 4 cartridge machines all use pigment ink and while you do point out that clogging could be a problem, it is not as serious as it once was. However, on the 4 tank units which are low cost units, it is advisable to switch over to dye inks as soon as possible to minimize this problem. On the top end photprinters (8 cartridges) yes, they are all pigment based printers because customers want that type of ink despite the potential problem. In fact, with the latest generation of Epsons, the clogging issue has been dramatically reduced. ( Just like we should not judge a current Hyundai product based on what they produced 15 years ago (Pony which were really awful)). they've had their issues but things have changed.

There is a category of printer that you might have missed in the stores, Epson still produces Dye based 6 color printers known as the Artisan line and also an A3 size which is the Stylus Photo 1400. If you are loyal to Epson these might fit your needs.

You might also want to consider the Canon line but ONLY with the models with at least 4 ink tanks. Avoid the ones with 2 cartridges despite being lower cost unless you are an extremely light user. These two cartridge model tempt you with lower purchase cost but much higher running costs.

 

[ghwellsjr]

Or you could do what I do, buy a used printer off eBay that uses BCI-6 cartridges. These do not have chips in the cartridges so you can easily refill them. I recommend getting a brand new set of OEM cartridges and refilling them with a good ink designed just for the printer. Ask if you want more info.

 

[jasiiboss]

Am a die hard Laser fan and strongly believe that inkjets (black only) no matter how good can never rival a laser for longevity and ease of refill. But the world of color adds another dimension hence The three printer formula has personally worked for me.

1 Laser to do the bulk black printing ( I have a HP laser 4100 and have refilled the same 9 times with two cart reconditioning in between) 1 refill gives me about 4K copies (mostly text).

1 entry level ink jet I specially look out for a printer that can work with even 1 cart installed I have an HP 1560 that does not have a chip and can be easily refilled and the easy availability of blank virgin carts is always a Plus.

1 Photosmart printer to print the occasional photograph and the HP 5288 has served me well here as the carts 860/861 can again be easily refilled.

My experience has been with a judicious mix of HP printers only, but I am sure others would have equally good experience with canon/epson also.

My key look out points would be
Ease of Refill.
No of copies after refill.
Easy availability of empty virgin carts.

But there sure seem to be dark clouds looming ahead as most of the newer HP models are using ink tanks instead of carts with in-built print heads also the ink tanks have a double security problem as they come with a dual chip sensor and a date code which is normally 2 years from the date of mfr. This renders the cart useless after the expiry of the date code. Would love to hear if anybody has found a way around this.

Rgds,

JASII

 

[ghwellsjr]

Jasii, are any of your printers all-in-ones that can copy or scan? And do your inkjets have individual carts for each color? Do they have carts with built in print heads?

 

[Nifty]

jasiiboss, over the years I've navigated to a setup almost exactly as you describe. A network supported (i.e., has a Ethernet port) brother all-in-one for all our scanning, copying,regular BW printing. We also have our trusty Canon i560 networked through my PC (which must be on for others to print) whenever we want color.

The Brother printers we've had have proven to be super simple to refill (so far).

Sometimes I worry what I'd do if I found a good price on a color laser that was easy to refill and there where suppliers with good quality color toner. Would I get to the point where I didn't have an inkjet printer!?!?! The thought alone is terrifying!

 

[embguy]

1 entry level ink jet I specially look out for a printer that can work with even 1 cart installed I have an HP 1560 that does not have a chip and can be easily refilled and the easy availability of blank virgin carts is always a Plus.

Canon i550 will also print B/W with only the black cartridge installed. Just configure it to print gray scale.

 

[galaxiefilm]

My thanks to you all.

But I'm throwing my Epson away.

Yes, I love the look of the Epson pigment-based ink printers -- when they work. But I otherwise don't need that kind of clog-nightmare frustration (especially if I'm not using the machine daily). So, I'll settle for a good dye-based HP.

The Epson unit I bought (a C88 in 2005) has been swapped-out no less than three times for three other C88+'s -- all of which are made-in-Indonesia junk.

(FYI, I carefully tried MANY of the suggested de-clog solutions & products on the web -- and NONE of them worked.)

I've even had brand new Epson ink carts from Staples that were bad off the shelf. So, enough already!

Epson no longer deserves my loyalty.

I'll cast my luck with HP now. And if that doesn't work, it'll be a Canon.