Inksaver and the Epson Ink Monitor

[Denis Scadeng]

I have just received a flier for a product called Inksaver. It claims to
sit between application and printer and intercept instructions so you
use less ink when printing - and claimed to do so without loss of print
quality!

It may well work but a niggling thought occurs to me. As far as I know
the Epson monitor doesn't actually measure the amount of ink in the
cartridge but instead count the number of times it spits ink at the
paper. So it seems to me that while Inksaver might use less ink the
monitor will miscalculate. Then you might get a cartridge empty flag
when the thing is still half full but you have to replace anyway. No
saving there!

Any comments? I tend to be suspicious of products that promise miracles!

 

[Frank Arthur]

I guess you asked and answered your own question. And you may be wrong.

 

[Bob Headrick]

I have just received a flier for a product called Inksaver. It claims to
sit between application and printer and intercept instructions so you use
less ink when printing - and claimed to do so without loss of print
quality!

Don't beleive everything you read. This product works by making a fine
"swiss cheese" overlay of whay you are printing. For black text you might
get 25% reduction without significant quality loss, color is more noticable.
You can generally get better results (similar nk saving, but faster
printing) by adjusting the driver settings, at least on the HP printers I
tried this with.

It may well work but a niggling thought occurs to me. As far as I know the
Epson monitor doesn't actually measure the amount of ink in the cartridge
but instead count the number of times it spits ink at the paper. So it
seems to me that while Inksaver might use less ink the monitor will
miscalculate.

The ink gauge should still be OK, as the printer will actually print less
drops because of the swiss cheese effect. The printer should count the
actual number of drops used for what it is actually printing, this would be
done at the printer rather than in the driver.

Regards,
Bob Headrick, MS MVP Printing/Imaging

 

[Arthur Entlich]

You raise a very interesting point, and one that might be wise to query
Inksaver about. It is reduces the number of dots going to the paper, it
MAY keep the Epson ink monitor at bay, but, as you stated, if the
software doesn't inform the Epson ink monitor that less ink is used, it
may not help without use of an ink resetter.

I hope the company is responsive, and if so, please post here. They are
coming from the area I live in (Either Victoria or Vanocuver... I think
they moved).


Art

 

[Arthur Entlich]

No, he seems to be speculating.

Art

I guess you asked and answered your own question. And you may be wrong.

 

[Edward W. Thompson]

You raise a very interesting point, and one that might be wise to query
Inksaver about. It is reduces the number of dots going to the paper, it
MAY keep the Epson ink monitor at bay, but, as you stated, if the
software doesn't inform the Epson ink monitor that less ink is used, it
may not help without use of an ink resetter.

I hope the company is responsive, and if so, please post here. They are
coming from the area I live in (Either Victoria or Vanocuver... I think
they moved).


Art

Inksaver is excellent software(when it works ) but the Company
provides no customer support, at least they have never responded to
questions from me.

 

[measekite]

Inksaver is excellent software(when it works ) but the Company
provides no customer support, at least they have never responded to
questions from me.

It may be good or it may not be but the word excellent means that
support is also there. It cannot be excellent without support.