In article ,
wrote:
Canon ink jets get the highest consumer ratings. I had an Epson for a number of years with no problems.
Then purchased a deeply discounted Canon (about $50 IP4200) and refilled my own cartridges. After about 2 years I was unable to clean the ink heads in spite of using ‘heroic’ measures such as soaking it in hot ammonia overnight etc. One MUST use and ink jet every few days or else it dries up – permanently!
I had a good supply of ink so I bought two (2) IP3500 that will use the same ink and cartridges. (about $55US ea with ink).
Epson is a good brand. I have two dot matrix printers that never died. I prefer Canon software. Since the life seems to be that of the print head – buy cheap (grin).
m
Woa wait a minute, cowboy.
Les said his friend wants to do "accurate" prints.
Canon ink jets get the highest consumer ratings.
Yes, Canon gets good ratings from consumers. But I suggest you look at ratings by professionals. Try the various FLAAR web sites where Epson is consistently rated best or second best (to HP) depending on the model and the year of evaluation. More=generically, all three are ok.
[I] refilled my own cartridges
I urge Les to tell his friend never to do this. Just one reason:
I was unable to clean the ink heads in spite of using ‘heroic’ measures
I experimented with refilling when I was just starting out learning about printers. It was a never-ending nightmare.
Another reason: Les’ friend wants accuracy. The inks in a refill system are cheap because they’re shit.
The best way, trouble-free, to get good, consistent, color-predictable, permanent prints is to use the ink recommended by the printer manufacturer. In the case of Epson, at least the medium- and high-end printers I recommended, is Ultrachrome.
By the way, there are two broad categories of ink. Dye-based will give you impressive colors and a wider gamut than pigment-based inks. But they will fade in a very short time (sometimes measured in months or even weeks. Days, if you’re in strong sunlight.)
Furthermore,
One MUST use and ink jet every few days or else it dries up – permanently!
Is simply not true for a good printer using correct inks.
Repeat: stay away from refill systems. Cheap and nasty.
Talker added
That’s why I prefer HP over the Epson…no more clogged heads.
I’ve been printing high quality giclée prints for over ten years and mid-quality work for another decade before that. I’ve never had a clogged head. Just use the right ink is all.
The only down side to the HP is that the color cartridge contains three colors, so if one color runs out, you have to throw away the other two colors in order to change to a new cartridge.
An important consideration that immediately rules HP out of consideration for me.
Les, here is a rule of thumb you cannot afford to ignore. If your friend truly wants to produce quality work, he should not consider any of the dinky little consumer-oriented printers found at the typical retail store. The Epson 4880 I mentioned in my first post is really the bottom of the range that he should be looking at. Cheaper models will give in consistent work, meaning he will waste ink, paper and time trying to get a "good" print. And the machine will not last as long. But, if $2,500 is too much for him, at least look at the 3800 nothing lower.
And, one more time, use good quality paper and the proper inks.
Les, there was apparently much interest in this topic so I and maybe the other correspondents would be interested to read a postscript. What did he buy, how did it perform etc.
