Hi Rick,
Not a stupid question at all. I tried Jon Cone's InkThrift dye inks in my 3800. I was impressed with the brilliance of the colours. However, I found that gray areas tended to have a purplish cast rather than a true neutral gray. I've gone back to using their pigment inks and I'm very satisfied that they are an excellent alternative to Epson's OEM inks at a much lower price, especially if you use refillable carts.
Les