What ink do people use in their older epsons? Epson 740 in particular

[dmc]

Hi all,

I have an aging Epson 740 which still works fine and is used fairly
heavily by my wife for printing out worksheets etc for her school (she
is a primary teacher).

Epson inks for this are getting on for 20 quid a shot so we have been using
cheaper 3rd party ones. For over a year I was using carts from 7dayshop.com
and they were brilliant - never really had any problem with them. They then
changed supplier and the newer ones seem to dry up and need extensive
cleaning runs far too often for my liking. I've tried mx2.com and choice
choicestationary.com but still have the problem. Am I stuck with Epson
carts? Or is there a half decent ink manufacturer out there that I haven't
found yet?

I'm not printing photos and I'm not too worried about accurate colours (as
I say, its for handouts and posters etc - as long as red is redish etc then
it'll do) but I do want to avoid endless cleaning processes.

It seems that many of the cheaper suppliers are offering ink for the 740 at
less than two quid for a black cart. That would be great if it worked but
in my experience it doesn't :-(

I'd be happy to pay more for something reliable - just not as much as Epson
seem to want :-(

Ideas? Recommendations? brands to avoid? (not that most sites specify what
brand they are shipping :-(). I'm in the UK so uk suppliers would be good
as well.

The printer is on 24hrs a day off of a print server which maybe part of the
problem - if I turn it off after printing it *seems* a little better. I may
be dreaming though!

Cheers,

Darren

 

[Kevin]

Darren,

Have you tried the cartridges from Office Depot or Staples? I'm not sure if
they have stores in the UK, but they also do business online. My experience
with "generic" or "remanufactured" cartridges for my various Epson printers
(500, 700, 740, 820) has not been good. I never use anything but Epson
cartridges in my printers.

 

[measekite]

Hi all,

I have an aging Epson 740 which still works fine and is used fairly
heavily by my wife for printing out worksheets etc for her school (she
is a primary teacher).

Epson inks for this are getting on for 20 quid a shot so we have been using
cheaper 3rd party ones. For over a year I was using carts from 7dayshop.com
and they were brilliant - never really had any problem with them. They then
changed supplier

This is what I am harping on. If this person knew the manufactuer he
might be able to find out who the other resellers are. Better yet, I
would like to see the good manufacturers sell a branded version of their
bulk inks and cartridges. I think other resellers would want to promote
and make money with their merchandice because of an earned reputation.

 

[measekite]

What brand of ink have you tried that you deemed not worthy. It would
help people to have that information.

 

[dmc]

wrote:

This is what I am harping on. If this person knew the manufactuer he
might be able to find out who the other resellers are.

Well, I'm back home now and the black carts that seem particularly bad
appear to be branded "think". The colour ones (from the same supplier)
appear completely anonymous! They are just labeled "Color 520 compatible
ink cartridge".

The ones that I used to use I haven't a clue what they were - they came
in black boxes and had a picture of a triangular prism with a beam of
light going in and a rainbow out (if you get what I mean!)

Annoyingly although I can picture the box I can't for the life of me
remember the brand. The supplier can't help either :-(

Better yet, I
would like to see the good manufacturers sell a branded version of their
bulk inks and cartridges. I think other resellers would want to promote
and make money with their merchandice because of an earned reputation.

Yeah. There has to be a middle ground somewhere. I don't mind paying for
decent quality inks. I just can't really justify the 40 pounds or so it would
cost me every 6 weeks to use epson ink. All of the suppliers appear to be
trying for the cheapest and seem to be neglecting that they are now so
cheap that they are crap :-(

Darren

 

[Kevin]

I've tried so many brands, I can't keep track of them. Pacific Ink stands
out in my memory as being unusable in my old Epson 700. There are literally
hundreds of ink cartridge refillers and remanufactures. Just do a Google
search and you'll see the endless pages of sites. I mention Office Depot
and Staples because they are large retail chains that will be around for a
few years. You can buy cartridges from one of the smaller operations and
they may be gone in a few months.

 

[MikeD]

Ideas? Recommendations? brands to avoid? (not that most sites specify what
brand they are shipping :-(). I'm in the UK so uk suppliers would be good
as well.

Darren

I'm on my third Epson printer now (upgraded for better quality, not because
they failed). I've had a 440, a 760 and now an 890, all bought second hand
and all gave excellent results with PrintRite ink.

I get my ink from www.tonezoneuk.com, who give next day delivery and free
postage. Prices for the 890 are around £1.50 for black and £2.25 for colour.
They sell cheaper ones but I wouldn't use them.

Mike

 

[dmc]

I'm on my third Epson printer now (upgraded for better quality, not because
they failed). I've had a 440, a 760 and now an 890, all bought second hand
and all gave excellent results with PrintRite ink.

Ah. Someone else recommended PrintRite.

I get my ink from www.tonezoneuk.com, who give next day delivery and free
postage. Prices for the 890 are around £1.50 for black and £2.25 for colour.
They sell cheaper ones but I wouldn't use them.

Excellent. I'll order some and give them a go.

Cheers,

Darren

 

[DaveC]

Am I stuck with Epson
carts? Or is there a half decent ink manufacturer out there that I haven't
found yet?

Look at this long thread about ink colors and fading, and their closeness to
Canon original colors. After seeing these comparisons, I better understand
the value of the Canon inks, expensive as they are.

http://tinyurl.com/3junx

(Be patient; there are several ink comparison charts included in some of the
posts throughout the thread. They're worth wading for.)

Don't know how many of these brands are in Europe, but the information is
worthwhile. (OCP a German brand, is tested; he incorrectly calls it "OPC" in
some of the messages.)

If color correctness isn't real important, and you use glossy photo paper,
almost any of these inks will do.

If you print on plain paper, it seems that the blacks are the greatest
challenge, both regarding darkness of the color, and fading. Canon wins out,
in both color and fade-resistance.

I'm running OCP ink in my color cartridges, but sticking with the Canon black
ink. Best of both worlds, reasonable costs.

Enjoy,
--
Please, no "Go Google this" replies. I wouldn't
ask a question here if I hadn't done that already.

DaveC
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[DaveC]

Of course you were asking about Epson printer, but the relative comparisons
still apply to all the 3rd party inks.
--
Please, no "Go Google this" replies. I wouldn't
ask a question here if I hadn't done that already.

DaveC
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[Kevin]

I never use anything but genuine Epson cartridges in my Epson printers. I
have never found anything better.