P900 Ink Question

[Beevo]

Trying to replenish my ink inventory and it seems like the ink cartridges are not available from Epson at this time.

In the past I have steadfastly NOT used aftermarket inks in any of my printers.

Thoughts on using non-OEM inks?

 

[KYsailor]

I won't go into it, but for US printers it is impossible to use third party inks for the P900. I was looking to buy some cartridges for my P900 and ran into the same issue on th epson site. I found this store which seems to have genuine epson cartridges in stock, I ordered a few and they should be delivered on Monday - https://prophotosupply.com/

Dave

 

[Beevo]

I tried non-OEM inks once, lesson learned....

I have a full set in stock, but as I use them I replace so I don't get stuck empty handed.

 

[bdial]

B&H has some P900 cartridges in stock

 

[jeffreyg]

I just replaced my 3880 that recently “died “ with a P900. I was able to buy a full set of inks as the set up set that comes with it are not full cartridges A local Epson technician put me on to imageprointernational. They were very helpful and easy to deal with.

 

[koraks]

I tried non-OEM inks once, lesson learned....

I've been using 3rd party inks in my 3880 for about a decade now. Never noticed a problem. Purchased a set of refillable cartridges from Jon Cone and still using those, now in the process of transitioning to InkOwl inks using the same carts. No way I'm going back to Epson OEM carts!

 

[Beevo]

Thanks for the link, they had them and I have a set ordered. $7 per cheaper that the price listed on the Epson site.

I've been using 3rd party inks in my 3880 for about a decade now. Never noticed a problem. Purchased a set of refillable cartridges from Jon Cone and still using those, now in the process of transitioning to InkOwl inks using the same carts. No way I'm going back to Epson OEM carts!

I had unrecoverable nozzle plugging on my old 2880 when I started using off brand cartridges. With what I have invested in the P900 I don't care to take the chance. Happy they worked out for you though....

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I've only ever used 3rd party inks. InkOwl. Mind you, I only use the printer (3800, P400) for inkjet negatives.

 

[Beevo]

Moot point as they do not support the P900

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Well, it was worth a shot

 

[koraks]

I had unrecoverable nozzle plugging on my old 2880 when I started using off brand cartridges.

OK, so you start by asking other people's experiences with off-brand inks, then proceed to reject any option of using them. That's OK by me, but it's kind of puzzling that you asked in the first place...
You either take the gamble or you don't. It's a personal choice. I think nobody can or should be expected to change your individual degree of risk aversion/acceptance.

 

[djdister]

Trying to replenish my ink inventory and it seems like the ink cartridges are not available from Epson at this time.

In the past I have steadfastly NOT used aftermarket inks in any of my printers.

Thoughts on using non-OEM inks?

You should stick to the Epson inks which are currently available from B&H.

 

[Beevo]

OK, so you start by asking other people's experiences with off-brand inks, then proceed to reject any option of using them. That's OK by me, but it's kind of puzzling that you asked in the first place...
You either take the gamble or you don't. It's a personal choice. I think nobody can or should be expected to change your individual degree of risk aversion/acceptance.

I was wondering if things had changed over time as my experiences were 10 years ago IIRC and if there was an non-OEM brand that was proven to be usable in lieu of the Epson Inks. Seems the Owl Inks come well recommended and I might have been inclined to try some.

 

[bdial]

FWIW, The inks supplied by Jon Cone (inkjetmall) are known to be reliable. But, as others have mentioned, it’s a non-issue for the P700 and P900’s, as the firmware is locked down for printers sold in the US market.

I thought about that a lot before getting my P700.

 

[koraks]

Okay, gotcha; sorry for being kind of aggressive on how I formulated that. I was just kind of confused on the question.

I wouldn't know about changes; I only know that when I started using Jon Cone's inks, they worked well for me right from the get-go. I transitioned gradually towards them so for a while I was printing with their 3rd party inks and Epson inks side by side. At that stage, I was not running a calibrated process, so all I had was visual impressions, and I never noticed any difference between the Epson inks and the Cone inks. There may be a difference in archival stability, but it's beyond my capability or interest to test this.

In principle I would expect that things would have changed in the meantime; an inkjet ink is a fairly complex product and it's almost guaranteed that improvements are introduced periodically even if the confectioner (like Cone or InkOwl) themselves changes nothing substantial about the formulation. There can still be changes in the dispersion system for instance, as the confectioners in all likelihood buy their pigment dispersions just like most parties in the industry (except for the really big guys with a serious in-house R&D capability).

it’s a non-issue for the P700 and P900’s, as the firmware is locked down for printers sold in the US market.

Or maybe elsewhere as well? I looked into getting a second printer some time ago and my conclusion at that point was that the only viable approach would be to get another second hand 3880 and then hope it wasn't shot by the time I got it. At least there's a reasonably healthy spare parts ecosystem for that type.