Digital BW, The Print

Often the CIS units use the same chips as the carts.  Some will shut down
when "empty."  You then need to take the cart out and re-insert it.  All it
takes is a small movement of the cart to break the electrical connection
between the chip and printer.   Others just reset automatically, perhaps
when the printer is turned off and on.

In short, there are different ways that the CIS units's chips handle this
issue.  Try to find this out with respect to the unit you're buying.

On another CIS front, the cheap eBay units I experimented with had rather
flimsy supports  that I felt needed some user handiwork to beef them up.

The main reason I use carts is because I swap inks back and forth a lot.
 If I could do all my printing with just one setup, then I might well go
with a good CIS, but it's a close call.

With Eboni-6 and the third party blended inksets, agitation is needed.
 That is easier in a CIS than a wide-format printer with large carts, but
the desktop with the carts in the carriage with the head is the easiest
solution to that issue.

Even commercial inks are subject to biological activity if in bright light
for long.  So, I came to believe CIS units should be wrapped with black
plastic.

In the darkroom, chemical keeping properties were an issue.  They may be
with inks also, but to a lesser extent.  Note how the OEM wide format carts
use metallized, oxygen-barrier bags.  A dark, cool, oxygen-free (all
relative there) environment may be the best way to store these inks.

The longest CIS experience I had lasted about 4 years with a college
student.  At the end the whole setup was in throw-away condition, but it
made it ... barely.

So, high volume work with a single inkset for a few years may be the best
fit. And expect to have to do some beefing up of the cheaper ones' support
structures.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]