Digital BW, The Print

Frank,

At the risk of upsetting Keith again, from what I have read it IS a highly 
creative process to combine many different existing ingredients (and 
probably make some new ones) to make inks that will work with specific 
papers (that someone else has created and probably got patents for?) for 
specific ends.

Someone recently posted a reference to some of Epson's patents (or patent 
applications) on the inks that they have 'invented' - in a discussion of 
what went into them.

I would guess that far more work and creativity goes into making a new ink 
than taking a photograph! An Hewlett-Packard article not so long ago said it 
takes about two year's research to produce a new ink. So, should HP, Canon, 
Epson, etc, who have done such research be protected from others who just 
copy their inks?

So the whole printing system - printer, paper, and ink - involves an 
enormous amount of creative research.

Bob Frost.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Frank Kolwicz" <kolwicz@...>



The fact that Epson down-priced it's creative product, the printers, in no 
way obligates the rest of us to succumb to their transparent attempt to get 
us to pay for what they didn't invent - over and over and over again. The 
fact that they didn't charge for their true creativity implies, to me, that 
they really didn't value it that highly in the first place.

Bob Frost wrote:

> So, should HP, Canon, 
>Epson, etc, who have done such research be protected from others who just 
>copy their inks?
>
>
>  
>
It EPSON holds the specific ink patents, certainly. BUT, using 
cartridges to protect an ink monopoly if the ink itself is un-patentable 
and preventing people from using other ink formulations other tan 
EPSON's patented ones is another kettle of fish entirely.

Under Magnuson-Moss, I should be able to use any inks I want to use. My 
only limitiation should be that I do not hold EPSON to its warranties IF 
the inks I use are inherently more damaging to the printer.

-- 
Keith

 
Keith Krebs

"Just some guy," caretaker of the Multiverse's largest EPSON printer 
User Community (highly recommended by Vogon Poets and MegaDodo 
Publications), at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EPSON_Printers/
and  the Multiverse's largest Canon printer User  Community at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Canon-printers
"For the rest of you out there, the secret is to bang the rocks together 
guys"

 

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Everyone;

Thanks for all the good replies. Interesting information, still not sure how
I feel about all this.

Wendel