Digital BW, The Print

In a message dated 6/5/07 3:38:40 PM, appert@... writes:


> Would anybody be able to tell me about the longevity of Epson K3 inks
> (once opened),  and perhaps some rough notion of average number of
> prints per cartridge.  I  am considering purchasing a 3800 but have
> some doubts about being able to generate enough work to make it cost
> effective. Also is there any way of temporarily sealing the cartridges
> for long periods of inactivity?
> 

The carts are in the printer, the printer needs the carts; no logic to taking 
them out, unless you have a second type of ink you are using alternately, 
which is not at all practical. The whole system is like a living creature that 
has a minimum calorie usage to remain healthy; ink gets used just keeping things 
going. So its not just a number of prints, its a minor investment in just 
keeping the system up. Taking the system down is a bit of a risk as well, since 
unplugging the printer and using no ink requires enclosing it in a plastic bag 
(without lifting it up, and possibly knocking the heads off their sealed 
locations!) with a wet sponge in a plastic tray to assure its a moist environment 
and the heads won't dry out. 3800 carts are intentionally smaller, so that they 
won't remain in the printer for years, the way larger Epson carts do when you 
don't print much. 3800 ink costs less per print than smaller models, so if 
you can afford to print with an Epson at all, you can probably afford to do it 
with a 3800, if you do enough of it in the course of a year or two.

C. David Tobie
Product Technology Manager
ColorVision Business Unit
Datacolor Inc.
CDTobie@...
www.colorvision.com


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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

If you do enough of it in the course of a year or two.

CD Tobie , 

Thank you for your answer. Are you saying that I will be able to use 
the ink two years after I have installed the cartridge? 

Eugene

Epson states the inks have a 2 year shelf life, and a 6 month in the  
printer life once you've opened the seals. And a sure way to plug up  
the print heads is to leave the carts removed so air can enter the  
feed lines of the printer!

I made the mistake (for me and my printing needs) of buying a 4000 3  
years ago and immediately installing the larger 220 ml carts as soon  
as I needed ink. It was a large investment in ink ($680 - $750) but I  
figured I'd use it up in time. I sold the printer 3 years later with  
more than half of those carts  still in the printer!

Now I print with a 4800 but will probably stick with the smaller 110  
ml carts for most color slots. I do seem to be printing more, now  
that I've found some paper I really like and printing a lot more B&W  
with Epson ABW so my ink choices may change down the road....

Time will tell but for now I'd like to keep fresh (read 110 ml) carts  
in the printer. I don't know about the 3800 but with the 4800 and  
bigger printers you can change out a low cart right in the middle of  
a print with no loss of quality....or so goes the marketing hype:)

Alan

On Jun 5, 2007, at 3:04 PM, eappert wrote:

> If you do enough of it in the course of a year or two.
>
> CD Tobie ,
>
> Thank you for your answer. Are you saying that I will be able to use
> the ink two years after I have installed the cartridge?
>
> Eugene

Epson say use within 6 months of opening. You can use it for longer periods, 
but even with small R1800 carts the ink gets paler with time as the pigments 
settles out, so, after a long time, you can see the difference when you 
insert a fresh cart.

Bob Frost.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "eappert" <appert@...>

Thank you for your answer. Are you saying that I will be able to use
the ink two years after I have installed the cartridge?