My wonderful, 15-year-old Epson Stylus Photo 2200 ran out of Light Magenta ink today, and I am shocked to discover that inks are no longer made for this printer. Not even on eBay is this color available. It seems like a crime to toss such a great printer for that reason--it still even looks good--and the last print it made (today) was as good as all the rest.
Does anyone know a trustworthy source for pigmented inks for this printer, possibly in a third-party CISS (Continuous Ink Supply System)?
For all this time, I've been able to ignore the subject of photo printers. I just ordered more ink from Epson when I needed it. I really don't want to buy another printer. But, if it comes to that, is there a consensus best-bang-for-the-buck, 13 x 19, archival (pigment ink) photo printer? It would be highly desirable if it would print satisfactorily on Epson Premium Luster paper, because I have a substantial stash of 13 x 19 paper.
In my opinion, the Epson Stylus Photo 2200 belongs in some kind of printer Hall of Fame. It produced a huge number of great prints for me over the years.
Actually, I've been Googling my brains out, and I came across this system yesterday. The problem is, having ignored the subject for the last 15 years, I have no idea if this is the greatest system in the world, or the worst. I see that it uses its own proprietary inks, but I don't know how those inks compare to the inks cited above.
I have not use these particular carts. However, I bought my refillables for my Epson 3880 from Inkjetmall. They are excellent. Prior to those I used cheaper carts from other vendors; they didn't work well at all.
The carts that Inkjetmall sells look the same as the ones that didn't work. Inkjetmall claims they do much more oversight in China at the factory. I can believe it. Mine have been trouble free.
As for inks, I think there are lots of good quality third party inks out there. Inkjetmall claims that their color inks are plug-and-play replacements for Epson OEM. I don't know because I only print black and white and I mix my own.
I think the Stylus Photo 2200 cartridges are unique to that model.
For bulk inks, Inksupply.com (thank you guidostow) looks promising. Here's what they say:
"All of our bulk inks are produced in the USA from top quality materials to ensure consistent and stable colors while matching the OEM specifications for each printer manufacturer to ensure plug and play compatibility with factory profiles." They claim to offer pigmented inks, of interest to me for making archival prints. On the other hand, the older I get, the less interested I should be. These days, my metric is "It doesn't have to last forever; it just has to outlast me."
Anyway, Inksupply.com offers some sort of gadget for refilling cartridges. That process seems like it has the potential to produce a large mess. CISS seems like the way to go, but hey, what do I know?
Art Nouveau wrote:
I think the Stylus Photo 2200 cartridges are unique to that model.
For bulk inks, Inksupply.com (thank you guidostow) looks promising. Here's what they say:
"All of our bulk inks are produced in the USA from top quality materials to ensure consistent and stable colors while matching the OEM specifications for each printer manufacturer to ensure plug and play compatibility with factory profiles." They claim to offer pigmented inks, of interest to me for making archival prints. On the other hand, the older I get, the less interested I should be. These days, my metric is "It doesn't have to last forever; it just has to outlast me."
Anyway, Inksupply.com offers some sort of gadget for refilling cartridges. That process seems like it has the potential to produce a large mess. CISS seems like the way to go, but hey, what do I know?...Show more →
Inksupply is one of the other companies I tried. I wish you the best of luck in dealing with them. I hope things have changed, but I've had nothing but trouble (no response, slow response, delayed shipping). Once the ink I needed actually shipped, the quality of the product was fine. But getting them to process the order is always extremely difficult. It's a shame because Inksupply is the ideal source for the raw materials I need to mix up my black and white inks.
Inkjetmall has been extremely responsive and professional.
I have used a CIS with an Epson Artisan 1430. It worked very well. I didn't buy it from Inksupply.
rdeloe wrote:
Inksupply is one of the other companies I tried. I wish you the best of luck in dealing with them. I hope things have changed, but I've had nothing but trouble (no response, slow response, delayed shipping). Once the ink I needed actually shipped, the quality of the product was fine. But getting them to process the order is always extremely difficult. It's a shame because Inksupply is the ideal source for the raw materials I need to mix up my black and white inks.
Inkjetmall has been extremely responsive and professional.
I have used a CIS with an Epson Artisan 1440. It worked very well. I didn't buy it from Inksupply.
It appears you are right. I tried calling Inksupply this morning, and got a recording directing me to leave a message and saying they would respond to inquiries in 24 hours.
What's the source of the CIS you use in your Epson 1440?
I'm amazed that the third-party printer ink industry is no more sophisticated than it is, given the opportunity of a market full of overpriced OEM inks.
Drug cartels must look at the OEM printer ink business with envy...
I bought the CIS from Cobra: https://www.cobraink.com/store/CIS-Kit-c20283004
The design and quality were good, and at the time (a few years ago) they provided good instructions and tech support. If I ever went back to a small printer that used that style of cart, I would absolutely get another CIS. I also got their replacement waste ink tank, which was very handy.
The third-party printer ink industry definitely has that home made vibe going on... Many of these operations are literally Mom and Pop. Many of them are simply buying and repackaging ink from STS (one of the main manufacturers).
Inkjetmall is a different story; they're much more professional. They also provide phenomenal tech support. Ironically (given my promotion of their business), the only thing I've ever purchased from them is the carts. I have used their free printer maintenance videos, which are very informative. They make and sell a really high quality black and white inkset called Piezography. I use the "competition": an open source ink formula developed by Paul Roark that I mix up in my basement.
Unfortunately, part of the reason third-party ink suppliers struggle is the printer makers don't want to lose market share to them, so they lock them out. For example, in North America, Epson has so thoroughly locked out the third party people from the P800 line that it's a dead-end for me once my 3880 goes. Inkjetmall has built a kludgy controller board that you can install to defeat the P800 security, but it's really expensive and it voids the warranty quite thoroughly. This is frustrating because I'm locked into the Epson ecosystem because of the printing system I use (Quadtone RIP and my monochrome inks).
Art Nouveau wrote:
It appears you are right. I tried calling Inksupply this morning, and got a recording directing me to leave a message and saying they would respond to inquiries in 24 hours.
Of course they might be on limited schedule due to the virus thing...
I've officially given up on bringing my Stylus Photo 2200 back to life. I have to face the facts: it's more than 15 years old, and the third-party ink market is spotty at best.
So, the quest is on for a 13 x 19 photo printer with the best combination of high print quality and low operating costs. The Epson SureColor P400 caught my eye. It looks like the evolution of my Stylus Pro 2200. It uses Ultrachrome pigment inks (a must for me).
As it turns out, I already have a 13 x 19 printer that uses pigment inks: an Epson Workforce WF-7710. I bought it for home office use (document printing) a year ago, when Epson was practically giving them away on their website. It uses DURABrite Ultra pigment ink, which has a fade resistance rating up to 105 years as rated by the maniacs at Wilhelm Imaging Research.
The problem is, it only uses four colors. But I have to say, the prints it produces are pretty nice. It may do the job when ultimate quality isn't required.
That leaves me with an empty SP 2200. I wonder if there's any interest in it for use as a lab rat for CIS testing. I think it's still too nice to hand over to an electronics recycler, but maybe I just have to let go...
Art Nouveau wrote:
I've officially given up on bringing my Stylus Photo 2200 back to life. I have to face the facts: it's more than 15 years old, and the third-party ink market is spotty at best.
So, the quest is on for a 13 x 19 photo printer with the best combination of high print quality and low operating costs. The Epson SureColor P400 caught my eye. It looks like the evolution of my Stylus Pro 2200. It uses Ultrachrome pigment inks (a must for me).
As it turns out, I already have a 13 x 19 printer that uses pigment inks: an Epson Workforce WF-7710. I bought it for home office use (document printing) a year ago, when Epson was practically giving them away on their website. It uses DURABrite Ultra pigment ink, which has a fade resistance rating up to 105 years as rated by the maniacs at Wilhelm Imaging Research.
The problem is, it only uses four colors. But I have to say, the prints it produces are pretty nice. It may do the job when ultimate quality isn't required.
That leaves me with an empty SP 2200. I wonder if there's any interest in it for use as a lab rat for CIS testing. I think it's still too nice to hand over to an electronics recycler, but maybe I just have to let go......Show more →
I believe you can use third party inks with a P400, so it you're open to that at least you'll have the option.
Art Nouveau wrote:
I've officially given up on bringing my Stylus Photo 2200 back to life. I have to face the facts: it's more than 15 years old, and the third-party ink market is spotty at best.
So, the quest is on for a 13 x 19 photo printer with the best combination of high print quality and low operating costs. The Epson SureColor P400 caught my eye. It looks like the evolution of my Stylus Pro 2200. It uses Ultrachrome pigment inks (a must for me).
As it turns out, I already have a 13 x 19 printer that uses pigment inks: an Epson Workforce WF-7710. I bought it for home office use (document printing) a year ago, when Epson was practically giving them away on their website. It uses DURABrite Ultra pigment ink, which has a fade resistance rating up to 105 years as rated by the maniacs at Wilhelm Imaging Research.
The problem is, it only uses four colors. But I have to say, the prints it produces are pretty nice. It may do the job when ultimate quality isn't required.
That leaves me with an empty SP 2200. I wonder if there's any interest in it for use as a lab rat for CIS testing. I think it's still too nice to hand over to an electronics recycler, but maybe I just have to let go......Show more →
You can convert your 2200 to use Piezography inks to produce excellent B&W prints.
