Digital BW, The Print

Andre,

The info is usually in the Service Manual for each printer.

For instance my 2100/2200 says that the Ink fill for each cart is 18.3g +/- 
0.5g, that the effective ink amount is 14.4g or more, and that the remaining 
ink is 3.4g or less.

For the 7600/9800 with 220ml carts, the Service Manual says that the 
effective ink amount is more than 205g.

Part of the problem that you describe is probably due to the fact that many 
people change their carts when the red light starts flashing or soon after, 
rather than wait until the red light comes on continuously, because they 
distrust the ability of the printer to stop partway through a print, have 
the cart changed, and continue without leaving any evidence on the print.

My printers seem to be able to do that so I run each cart right to the end 
when it won't print any longer, and then change the cart, and finish the 
print. You can get a lot of prints done after the red light starts flashing 
IME. I have weighed several 'empty' carts (red light on continuously) and 
they are usually about the figures Epson specify for the smaller printers.

Hope that helps,

Bob Frost.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andre" <am1000@...>


Radio-Canada aired a TV program last year about Epson's chipped ink
carts. They tested 30 empty 220ml cartridges supplied by photographers
in the Montreal area. Those carts with the less ink still had 21ml of
ink while some had more than 50ml of ink left in them. On average,
empty carts still contained 30ml of ink.

Epson's 220ml ink carts cost $112.00 at B&H in New York. An empty cart
with 50ml of ink left means trowing away $25.00 worth of ink. It also
means that a lot of ink ends up in landfills.

And if Epson prices the cartridges based on the usable volume of ink,
that means that 220ml of usable ink now cost a lot more. The test also
showed that the usable volume of ink varies greatly.

Epson Canada's response to one of the photographers involved in the
test is that it's normal for some ink to remain in an empty cartridge
to prevent air from entering the cartridge. However, Epson was unable
to say exactly how much ink must remain the the cartridge. Is it 10ml
or 50ml or more?