Digital BW, The Print

Well, if it were all about the chips, then I'd simply buy unchipped
carts and paste Epson chips onto them. As I understand it, Epson has
no control over what we do with their chips after we've bought them.

Chris Hargens 



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Bob Frost"
<bob@...> wrote:
>
> Keith,
> 
> > Bob, even you have to admit that the chip is not an innovation in any
> > sense or intent than in that of  preventing 3rd-party ink sales and
> > forcing the use of EPSON consumables.
> 
> "Even you" indeed! Trouble is that I doubt if any of us know what
was in the 
> mind of the person who had the idea of storing some info on a chip
on the 
> cart. Maybe it was as you suggest; maybe it wasn't. Maybe he/her
thought 
> they could 'kill two birds with one stone'.
> 
> From what little I know about the functioning of the chip and
printer (from 
> reading service manuals etc),  the chip does do several useful
things - such 
> as:-
> 
> - storing the ink usage of that particular cart, so that you can
swap carts 
> and still have the ink usage remembered when you put it back, and
you can 
> even use the same cart in two printers of the same type and have
everything 
> remembered properly.
> 
> - storing the date of manufacture and reminding you when it is past
it's 
> use-by date (never had this happen yet)
> 
> -  rather importantly, it also tells the printer whether it is a
photo-black 
> or matte black cart in printers where they are alternatives in the same 
> slot. This info is not only needed to set the paper and resolution 
> alternatives in the driver, but also to delay the paper eject if
using matte 
> ink which dries more slowly than photo black.
> 
> - by checking the data on the cart at startup, the printer determines 
> whether it is the same cart or a different cart (from that in place at 
> shutdown) , and sets the appropriate cleaning cycles (CL or CL3)
> 
> - the chip also tells the printer if it is a new cart and thus needs a 
> filling cycle, rather than a cleaning cycle.
> 
> - the number of cleaning cycles is also stored on the cart, so that ink 
> usage can be calculated properly. Since carts are all swapped in and
out at 
> different times, this is cart-specific info.
> 
> 
> 
> There are probably other functions, but I'm sure that if I was
designing a 
> printer and cartridge system with swappable carts, having some info
stored 
> on each cart would be an inevitable thought on my part just from the
point 
> of making the setup work efficiently, accurately, and be as
idiot-proof as 
> possible.
> 
> But there are always 'conspiracy theorists' who see conspiracies in
everyone 
> else's actions. For instance, the different carts in a printer all have 
> different plastic knobs on that fit or don't fit into the
appropriate slot 
> for that cart. Stops idiots fitting carts in the wrong slots, which
I have 
> seen happen, but I'm sure a conspiracy theorist would say that was
invented 
> to make like more difficult for 3rdparty cart manufacturers!
> 
> Enough of this; back to my photos!
> 
> Bob Frost.
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Editor P.O.V. Image Service" <editor@...>
>