Epson is stopping non-Epson ink sales

[Frank Arthur]

Epson managed to stop delivery of non Epson ink from a supplier in
Canada.
If Epson prevents me from buying less expensive inks I guarantee I
will never again buy an Epson product again.

How do you feel about it?

 

[Paul Heslop]

Epson managed to stop delivery of non Epson ink from a supplier in
Canada.
If Epson prevents me from buying less expensive inks I guarantee I
will never again buy an Epson product again.

How do you feel about it?

I agree with you.

 

[measekite]

Epson managed to stop delivery of non Epson ink from a supplier in
Canada.
If Epson prevents me from buying less expensive inks I guarantee I
will never again buy an Epson product again.

How do you feel about it?

They need to protect their patents and research.

They are also overpriced.

 

[Bob AZ]

If Epson prevents me from buying less expensive inks I guarantee I

will never again buy an Epson product again.

How do you feel about it?

Frank

Just for yourself calculate the cost of each item in each print. The
amount of ink in each 8-1/2" X 11" print is about 1 milliliter.
Sometimes more and sometimes less. How much are you paying per sheet
for paper? And finally how much is the printer? Per print. So after
this the cost of ink is still significant but not as severe as your
message implies.

For the record I do from 50 to 100 prints per week. Sometimes several
hundred a week. Ink costs while significant are not that much.

I have an Epson 4800 and try to use 220ml cartridges. At $50.00 to
$100.00 each cartridge. I just bought 24 each 220ml cartridges.

And finally, as with any hobby, it does cost money. The hobby of
digital photography and printing has many intrinisic advantages over
silver photography. Especially with many quality products available
for use at home and at work.

Bob AZ

 

[Arthur Entlich]

I'm interested in how they accomplished this. Was the parcel not
allowed into the US, was the Canadian source forced to stop selling the
3rd party cartridges to the US or everywhere?

One solution is to buy refillable spongeless cartridges from one of the
3rd party vendors (there are a number) and then buy bulk inks, or
consider a Continuous Inking System (again go spongeless) that works
directly from ink bottles. These can save a fair amount of money and
allow you to use your own brand of inks. The price on CIS which are now
being produced in China, is considerably lower than they were previously.

Finally, you can buy a chip resetter and refill the Epson cartridges you
own with bulk inks.

Until a new federal administration is in power in the US, and the courts
start getting some hints as to the change in attitude regarding
anti-trust and anti-protectionist legislation interpretation, you'll
just have to work around it. Believe me if Epson is up to this, the
others won't be far behind.

Art



If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/

 

[Arthur Entlich]

I'm guessing your printing is for commercial sales, and that you can
pass on the cost of the ink, which is great, but not everyone can do so.
Epson large cartridge (wide carriage) prints run about $1-$1.50 in ink
cost per square foot with OEM ink. That easily doubles or more with
small cartridge printers.

I won't argue if Epson OEM inks are superior to 3rd party, with the
specialty and pro printers (Ultrachrome models) the Epson inks do offer
some advantages over some of the 3rd party inks.

There is no question that ink costs are very inflated by the OEMs to
cover the relatively cheap price of the printers and to cover R&D. They
all do it, however. Its a miserable business model for a lot of reasons.

Art

If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/

 

[Joel]

I agree with you.

Epson has won almost a year ago, some compatible ink cartridge
manufactures have agreed to stop, while others still continue to sell like
usual.

I only use Epson to print DVD label, and I may switch to thermal if no
Epson compatible cartridge available.

 

[TJ]

I agree with you.

I stopped using Epson years ago. Too many clogs if you didn't print
every day. I was spending half my time unclogging before I could print,
and even then I rarely got it completely unclogged. I can go nearly a
month with my HPs idle with no clogs. And that's with aftermarket ink, too.

TJ

 

[Paul Heslop]

Epson has won almost a year ago, some compatible ink cartridge
manufactures have agreed to stop, while others still continue to sell like
usual.

I only use Epson to print DVD label, and I may switch to thermal if no
Epson compatible cartridge available.

They caused the closedown of my favourite... Printrite I think they
were called.

 

[Paul Heslop]

I stopped using Epson years ago. Too many clogs if you didn't print
every day. I was spending half my time unclogging before I could print,
and even then I rarely got it completely unclogged. I can go nearly a
month with my HPs idle with no clogs. And that's with aftermarket ink, too.

TJ

Aye, me too but I have an epson scanner, probably the last thing I'll
buy of theirs.

 

[measekite]

They caused the closedown of my favourite... Printrite I think they
were called.

That is great news. They got what they deserved.

 

[measekite]

I stopped using Epson years ago. Too many clogs if you didn't print
every day. I was spending half my time unclogging before I could print,
and even then I rarely got it completely unclogged. I can go nearly a
month with my HPs idle with no clogs. And that's with aftermarket ink, too.

TJ

And I can do more than that with OEM ink plus the R series Epsons were
never as vulnerable to clogs.

 

[measekite]

Aye, me too but I have an epson scanner, probably the last thing I'll
buy of theirs.

They make the best scanners.

 

[TJ]

And I can do more than that with OEM ink plus the R series Epsons were
never as vulnerable to clogs.

I don't care. I didn't like the last two Epsons I had. They were older
models that didn't use pigment-based inks, yet still they were always
clogged. Nothing but a PITA.

I do like the last three HPs I've had, but they too are older models. I
don't like what I've heard about the latest models. In particular, I
dislike the smaller cartridges in most of them these days. I also don't
think the consumer models are as rugged as they used to be, though I
have no personal experience with them.

Be that as it may. I think that Epson, and all the other printer
manufacturers are shooting themselves in their collective feet. Instead
of fighting the cheap ink market, they should embrace it and sell an
"Everyday" ink, for people who aren't interested in printing archival
photos and such, an ink that will work just fine for most uses. There's
a huge market for it that the OEMs aren't touching, or all these
aftermarket suppliers wouldn't exist. Instead of hemorrhaging legal
fees, they could be making more profits than they are now.

But they won't. Too hidebound to see an opportunity right in front of
their faces.

TJ

 

[measekite]

I don't care. I didn't like the last two Epsons I had. They were older
models that didn't use pigment-based inks, yet still they were always
clogged. Nothing but a PITA.

The standard format R series uses dye based ink.

I do like the last three HPs I've had, but they too are older models. I

Then spring for new technology.

don't like what I've heard about the latest models. In particular, I
dislike the smaller cartridges in most of them these days. I also don't
think the consumer models are as rugged as they used to be, though I
have no personal experience with them.

Be that as it may. I think that Epson, and all the other printer
manufacturers are shooting themselves in their collective feet. Instead
of fighting the cheap ink market, they should embrace it and sell an
"Everyday" ink, for people who aren't interested in printing archival
photos and such, an ink that will work just fine for most uses. There's
a huge market for it that the OEMs aren't touching, or all these
aftermarket suppliers wouldn't exist. Instead of hemorrhaging legal
fees, they could be making more profits than they are now.

No they should not. They should not shirk on the quality. But they can
afford to lower the prices. They can afford to make the carts larger.
They should have semi-permanent ink tanks with a screw top and then they
should sell their ink at reasonable prices in 4 or 8 ounce bottles and all
you need to do is to pour some more in the tank. THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.

 

[Joel]

I stopped using Epson years ago. Too many clogs if you didn't print
every day. I was spending half my time unclogging before I could print,
and even then I rarely got it completely unclogged. I can go nearly a
month with my HPs idle with no clogs. And that's with aftermarket ink, too.

TJ

The information you wrote is totally wrong. You should be able not to
bother it for at least 1-2 weeks, and you should use 1/2 of your time to
gain more experience to enjoy what Epson has to offer.

 

[Joel]

Aye, me too but I have an epson scanner, probably the last thing I'll
buy of theirs.

You too read the wrong and pass along the false information. Yes, Epson
and just like all inkjet printer will clog if you won't use for long period
of time, but you do not need to use it daily and do not need to spend 1/2 of
time unclogging it.

The only difference that HP has the printer head built into the ink
cartridge so you just toss the cartridge away to replace with newer
cartridge.

 

[Paul Heslop]

You too read the wrong and pass along the false information. Yes, Epson
and just like all inkjet printer will clog if you won't use for long period
of time, but you do not need to use it daily and do not need to spend 1/2 of
time unclogging it.

The only difference that HP has the printer head built into the ink
cartridge so you just toss the cartridge away to replace with newer
cartridge.

? nothing to do with me. I don't even own an epson printer. When I did
it was crap.

 

[TJ]

The information you wrote is totally wrong. You should be able not to
bother it for at least 1-2 weeks, and you should use 1/2 of your time to
gain more experience to enjoy what Epson has to offer.

No, thanks. My description of my experience with two separate Epson
printers is accurate. It was years ago, as I said. The printers were
bought used, so maybe the original owners were at fault, or maybe I just
got a couple of bum ones. I don't know, and I don't care. My HPs were
also bought used, and they don't clog anywhere near as easily. YMMV.
Again, I don't care. My experience was enough for me.

TJ

 

[Arthur Entlich]

All inkjet printers are not created equal, not only by model, or even by
individual units, but even more importantly, by the niche they are
marketing to.

The lines have blurred over the years, and the inkjet manufacturers
haven't helped because they want to sell their printers as an answer for
all purposes.

Along the way, pricing of consumables have all become very closely priced.

So, the advantages that Epson had from the beginning, which was a
permanent head, which did not alter in quality throughout the life of
the printer, yet keeping the cost of consumables down since the ink
cartridge was just a container. Also, back then, the cartridges were
relatively simple to both refill or reproduce by 3rd party ink
packagers. The image quality surpassed any other brand on the market at
anywhere near the cost.

In contrast, HP cartridges had the head integrated into the cartridge
which made them more costly to make and which were more costly to buy.
The head was designed, in principal as a throw away after one use, they
were made difficult to refill, and the overall print quality was fine
for text and pie charts but not appropriate at all for photographs.

As I stated, the marketplace has since very much blurred. People found
ways to refill the HP cartridges and found they would often last several
refills (although the print quality might be compromised). HP developed
technologies to decrease dot size and increase density and accuracy of
the dot position. In the meantime, Epson reduced the size of their
cartridges while raising the cost, developed ways to make their
cartridges harder to refill, and had a few issues with low humidity
areas and manufacturing tolerances which lead to clogs.

So, I do not challenge your experience between the HP versus Epson
printers, only that your experience may easily be very contrary to that
of others who had different requirements and needs for their printers.

Epson still has the most versatile head design, which allows it to move
inks through it no other printer can do. The head print quality is still
probably the best or tied with one or two others. The head is still the
longest lasting of any manufacturer. However, cost of replacement,
should it fail, is very high. The head is more troublesome to maintain,
especially in drier and dustier environments and bad maintenance habits
will be "punished", but overall print quality, especially with pigment
inks is difficult to surpass.

So, my point is that one usually cannot make accurate blanket judgments
about any one technology or brand of printer, and one person's
experience tells more about their type of usage and needs than that a
printer type or brand is always better or worse than another.

Art


If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/