Digital BW, The Print

>... I was getting a little concerned
> about these micro-banding horror stories.

With a magnifying glass you can still see occasional microbanding on 
most printers.  But they keep getting better, and most don't look at 
prints with a microscope.

> ... MIS ... explained that their pre-filled with Eboni carts 
> are not threatened under the suit
> because Epson makes nothing like them, therefore no competition.

I hope they are right in their analysis.  However, if the carts are 
imported and infringe on Epson patents, the supply of them might just 
dry up.

> So I'm going to finally order some and try them out. 
> And, they are refillable using their new refill kit.

Don't use a bottom-fill system.  I'm quite sure they'll send you 
carts that have a stopper in them that is easily removed for re-
filling with a syringe and bulk ink.  That is when you'll also find 
out if any of the carts leak.  If they leak out the outlet when you 
remove the stopper and refill them, I'd order a new, replacement 
cart.  Not only is a leaking cart a mess, but it also is likely to 
get an air bubble in it when refilled.  This will cause a bad nozzle 
check and may be hard to clear.  Sadly, a certain percentage of the 
spongeless carts for the 1800 (and similar) have imperfect poppet 
valves in them.

The other weak point in the products is the chip.  It's not a bad 
idea to have a set of replacement chips.

> I asked if I could put MIS
> cleaning fluid in the color positions, which is what I have in my
> R220. That way I get a very low-cost cleaning on power up. 

Yes, but what MIS calls "UC Base" is the better way to go because it 
has more glycerol in it, which will help keep the pads moist.  I now 
use my C6 base for this purpose.  See the "clear base" formula at 
http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/Ink-Mixing.pdf I've mixed it with 
the UC base with no problems.

Good luck with the setup.

Paul     
www.PaulRoark.com