Which bulk ink vendor should I use??

[Smile]

Use InkTec ink very good ink, I've been suing it for 8 years now and no problems. Buy in bulk bottles 1Litre that will save you money. You can't buy 1Liter bottles from Hobbicolor inks I wonder why? I would like to buy red and green myself to test them.

Smile,

I tested both inks and must conclude that the Hobbicolors ink has a much better fade resistance than the Inktec CLI-8 compatible series of ink. I can show you scans of both prints I attached to the window facing the sun and let mother nature does her work during two months. I made notes on it with a red marker and those lines faded horribly and so did the printout with Inktec ink as well. The Hobbycolors UW-8 printouts hardly faded and was equal to the original BCI-6 printout.

Please contact me over forum or send scans direct to my email. Thanks

 

[jflan]

There are other ways to seal the purge hole, such as using Stainless Steel Screws with O-Rings or Hobbicolors Silicon Seal Plugs (http://cgi.ebay.com/Plugs-for-refil...hZ003QQcategoryZ99319QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem).

The link is of Mikling's offering and not Hobbicolors as they are different.
Mikling's (PrecisionColors) is 5/32" dia and intended to be used in place of the original Canon fill plug after it is extracted.
Hobbicolors is 1/8+" dia and intended to be used in a hole that is cleanly cut to exactly 1/8" dia.
Dave recommends an 1/8" drill of the type that has a center needle-point.
The ideal location for CLI-8/PGI-5BK is shown on Dave's order page.
The ideal location for BCI-6/BCI-3BK is further outboard centering on the dimple.
Take care not to hit the baffle below.

My favorite sealing method is the 1/8" Hobbicolors plug. If done correctly, this is a positive, sanitary seal.

 

[stratman]

Shelf life 2 years, don't be funny. Ice cream has shelf life of 2 years and is a dairy product. If you keep your inks in a dry place tight in bottle nothing to worry for 5 years minimum.

Your 2 year old ice cream may not make you sick, but its taste and texture, and probably its appearance, will be crappy. Anyone with a household freezer that has stored ice cream for several months, let alone 2 years, can attest to this.

After an easy Google search:

http://www.foodsci.uoguelph.ca/dairyedu/icshelflife.html

http://www.azdhs.gov/phs/oeh/fses/sfstt.htm

http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/foods/348-960/348-960.html (Table 5 at bottom of page)

http://www.innovatewithdairy.com/InnovateWithDairy/Articles/Articles_CO2ESL_033105.htm

What is your proof of 2 years shelf life, that the ice cream is as good, and that no special measures are required for storage or utilizing?

This forum has discussed the issue of ink shelf life. While there is no precise determination, Canon has communicated that approximately 2 years was the time frame for an unopened cartridge in a conversation I had with technical support. Here is a link that states the 2 year shelf life timeframe: http://www.4inkjets.com/OEM,Canon,CL-31,Color,Ink-Cartridge,1217,product.html.

PrecisionColors' Mikling has given a similar timeframe in a conversation I had with him before purchasing his inks. PrecisionColors bottles have a "Best Before" date, and it looks like Mikling uses ~2.5 year timeframe from when dispensed, at least that is what it appears to be based on my ink bottles. (Purchased 12/20/07. All bottle dates 6/1/10.)

These may be conservative guidelines, but they are the timeframes given. I have no evidence that the other aftermarket inks are longer in duration. Do you? Where do you get your 5 year figure?

You can carefully store and handle the bulk ink for much longer, but the quality of your printing output will eventually deteriorate. Instead of "shelf life", maybe "best if used by" would be more to your liking, or "expiration date" such as after opening?

Chemical stability alterations due to time and environmental conditions, transpiration losses, and fungal/bacterial issues all may decrease the "life" of the ink and affect the quality of prints.

The OP enquired into "manageable sizes". That is open to intrepretation. We don't know his usage patterns. What kind of ecological or fiscal sense is it to buy so much ink that it may go "bad" before it's used up and then needs to be disposed of into the environment?

And why would anybody buy liters of ink that they have not tried before, maybe not even seen the output of that ink before? The smart choice for someone new to that specific ink is to purchase one of the smaller amounts available, make sure you're satisfied, and then purchase larger quantities if need be.

 

[stratman]

There are other ways to seal the purge hole, such as using Stainless Steel Screws with O-Rings or Hobbicolors Silicon Seal Plugs (http://cgi.ebay.com/Plugs-for-refil...hZ003QQcategoryZ99319QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem).

The link is of Mikling's offering and not Hobbicolors as they are different.

You are correct, jflan. Thanks for clarifying.

I meant PrecisionColors Silicon Seal plugs, the link listed, but had Hobbicolors on the brain.

I'll leave it to you and others to determine which plug/screw is better since I use hot glue with perfect results so far.

 

[turbguy]

I don't see Hobbicolor having any eBay listings currently! Think they might be leaving the market?? (horrors!).

 

[jflan]

I don't see Hobbicolor having any eBay listings currently! Think they might be leaving the market?? (horrors!).

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38.l1313&_nkw=hobbicolors&_sacat=See-All-Categories

 

[turbguy]

Thanx! I did a search for Hobbicolor (singular), and got zero results..