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Color fidelity with continuous feed ink system for inkjet printers

Color fidelity with continuous feed ink system for inkjet printers

When compared to factory ink (lets say, on my old Epson R200), how reliable is the color reproduction with the typical $50 ebay continuous ink systems? Will the colors fade over time? Primary usage is making prints from an 8mpx DSLR.

Asked by: Guest | Views: 231
Total answers/comments: 1
Guest [Entry]

"Is your current equipment color-calibrated? If not, then third-party ink might be good enough for you. Even if your equipment is calibrated, the money you save by buying ink in bulk may be enough to cover the hassle of recalibrating your printer with each new batch of ink you buy. I bought $100 worth of ink a couple of years ago (refill ink, not a CIS system) and am still using the same batch today.

If you can find a good ink supplier, you will probably be okay, but you should look at actual photography forums for more in-depth information. I've gotten a lot of helpful feedback from Digital Photography Review in the past.

All the photos I printed using third-party ink have held up just fine over the past 7 years. That said, I'm not a professional, I don't sell my prints, and my photos haven't had prolonged exposure to direct sunlight (or, at least, not by my definition of ""direct sunlight"").

Depending on your situation, you might be better off having a reputable photo lab with better equipment print your pictures instead of printing them yourself and paying premium prices for OEM ink. You could then get the continuous ink system and experiment with your photos yourself, but hire out to do the final prints. If you eventually do have problems with third-party inks clogging up your printer, you will have saved enough money to buy a new printer anyway."