Epson to Canon?

[Versy Tyle]

Few days ago I wrote the following (pasted below this message), which was
not without a streak of frustration because it was an honest report
(alright, the ink replacement every few minutes was obviously and
exaggeration). The Epson printer has been replaced 3 times, the delivery guy
once saying: 'They're crap. Epson make them for £17. They replace them, and
they make their money on the inks. Don't tell Epson I told you that', to
which my response was, 'See you in a couple of weeks'. It must have cost me
hundreds of £s, literally, in lost business time (if not clients too), quite
apart from thrown away ink and paper. Am seriously considering getting a
Canon i550 or i 850 and am very interested how either will compare, and the
ways in which the i850 is superior to the i550, if anyone has any advice.
Thanks - Versy.

<<I currently have an Epson Stylus 830, which I'm extremely disappointed
with. Cartridges are small and need refilling or replacing every few
minutes; refilling them generates problems in that the ink takes time to
settle, and also there is no suction if the seal is broken and the cartridge
is momentarily removed; text printing quality is very poor (maybe this links
in with my refilling); I loathe chipped cartridges, with all the hassle of
fiddling around with a resetter; the ceaselessly necessary, endlessly
repeated head cleaning is extremely time-consuming and uses masses of ink,
running down the chipset levels; more seriously, my Lexmark had done a very
good job with printing onto watercolour paper, trace and business card,
which the Epson doesn't.>>

 

[Tony1thatmatters]

This is a common enough complaint in this newsgroup. But the original poster
clearly indicates fiddling with a chip setter ? This indicates refilling.
This is generally not the easiest or economical best for this printer. The
820/830 range is a little more quirky than other Epson's.
Consider therefore some of the best compatible cartridges.
www.inkylink.co.uk The JetTec is entirely UK made and unconditionally
guaranteed: then there are other compatibles ?
I've reproduced all available image tests on the Epson 820, 895, C80 and
then Canon S-820 with JetTec and exactly achieved saturation and colour
vibrancy. The correct paper is a further essential for Photo work.
The Epson 820 is used by a very large group of our users as it is one of the
top sellers - but it is a very cheap printer: if you do have it then save
50% on cartridge costs and avoid the refilling quirks which do not suit
everyone.
Tony

 

[Yianni]

Don't compare two printers for different uses. Epson 830 is a high
resolution, 6 color printer with superior printing quality. Canon i550 is a
4 color printer with less resolution quality. Neither canon i850 has better
printing quality than epson 830.

and also there is no suction if the seal is broken and the cartridge
is momentarily removed;

Not at all, epson original cartridges have valves and there is no problem if
they momentary removed. Also there is suction.

text printing quality is very poor (maybe this links in with my

refilling);

I suspect this.

May your printer has a problem or you don't refill cartridges with correct
ink or instructions.

--

Yianni
(e-mail address removed) (remove number nine to reply)

--

 

[jkh]

You don't get these problems with quality Bulk Ink from
atlanticinkjet.com or one of their standard refill kits.

Photos using Atlantic Inkjet inks proved to be "spitting image exact"
with one printed earlier using Canon's inks. I was truly amazed (and
relieved) when the print came out and I compared them under a strong
light. I would never trust "compatibles" - unless I knew for sure
they were filled with the same ink Atlantic used in their refill/bulk
kits. I tried a cheap set from eBay, only to throw them out. They
were total crap.

The ink levels deceivingly don't seem to move at all the first few
weeks, but then for some reason they begin to fall rather quickly.

-Taliesyn

The compatibles I got are from atlaticink.com I would only figure it
would be of the same quality as the bulk ink as support said but it
wasnt.

I am awaiting an RMA and I did order some bottled kits this time. I
hope it isnt a let down like the ebay paper was that you recommended
as well. I sent that garbage back yesterday. Poor packaging
warranted my tossing of 5 sheets right off the bat plus couple more
sheets had dots all over it as if liquid had been sprayed on it.The
paper was just thrown into a priority letter envelope without
protection.


The prints were no better than jetprint photo professional. I think
if you as much as boil water in the same household that the paper is
in, it wrinkles up rather quickly. Of course I didnt have to do that
as it came to me that way. Otherwise I would be happy to tollerate it.

Now my order of REDRIVER paper is absolutely true photo paper. I
ordered the satin and glossy and it is quite tollerant to moisture as
true paper should be. It came boxed and wrapped in plastic as well.
A 100 sheet box is more economical than the other junk and a much much
better paper. Ive tried dozens of brands over the years and RedRiver
has to be topps.

Not returning Items do nothing to improve quality from the vendor.
Even if im at a loss, I still return junk to junk vendors and let them
think.

The ink in the tanks deplete faster after the sponge at the top starts
draining. Its totally saturated from shipping and handling. After that
goes down, it then draws from the reserve.

None the less, printing 60 sheets 8x10 photos is a good expectation
of full tanks.

 

[Bill]

Don't compare two printers for different uses. Epson 830 is a high
resolution, 6 color printer with superior printing quality. Canon i550 is a
4 color printer with less resolution quality. Neither canon i850 has better
printing quality than epson 830.

I've seen prints from the Epson 830/820, and they're not any better than
the Canon i850 under normal viewing conditions. With magnification you
can see slightly smoother layering of the ink with the Epson due to the
photo colours (PM/PC), but who uses a magnifying glass to view photos?



For all intents and purposes, the two are the same.

As for text printing, the Canon beats the Epson, but again only if you
look closely.

 

[Bill]

On Wed, 20 Aug 2003 13:18:50 +0100, "Versy Tyle"

If you want to print photos, don't hesitate, get the i850. The photo
quality is better than the i550.

Compared to the Epson 830, the photo quality is the same, even though
the Epson uses 6 colours compared to only 4 colours in the Canon.

Be careful of refilling. Ive just used and in the process of returning
some (non) compatible cartridges. They didnt mix colors very well. I
like to print what I see and not substitute orange for red or brown
for dark red and and and, well you get the idea.

Refills and compatible cartridges are not the same.

I haven't used compatibles, although a friend tried them once, and there
seems to be too much variance between brands, sometimes even from the
same company. Instead I refill my cartridges with bulk ink - with the
Canon ink tanks it's very easy to do and the refill ink works great.
Text and photo quality is spot on.

I am going to try another type of refilling and see how that goes. To
be honest, I dont have much faith at this point. Original canon inks
are cheap enough to purchase for the amount I use. Ink will last you
a long time.

Refilling the Canon ink tanks is one of the easiest out there - no
fiddling with three colours in one cartridge, no chips to reset, no
guessing if the tank is full yet or not, no mess at all.

If you get your ink from a reputable company, the quality is identical
to Canon and you save a LOT of money over the original cartridges. With
refills, I can print photo lab quality images for less than any photo
lab, and faster too - half an hour and I don't have to leave home!

 

[Taliesyn]

The compatibles I got are from atlaticink.com I would only figure it
would be of the same quality as the bulk ink as support said but it
wasnt.

In an earlier post you stated that you emailed Atlantic and they told
you it WAS NOT the same ink used in their refills and bulk. I saw their
bargain cartridges but decided I had a bad experience with some from
eBay and took no chances - went straight to bulk, since I had two brand
new complete sets of Canon cartridges. This way I'm paying only for
quality ink and not a combination of cheapish ink and cheap plastic
cartridges.

I am awaiting an RMA and I did order some bottled kits this time. I
hope it isnt a let down like the ebay paper was that you recommended
as well. I sent that garbage back yesterday. Poor packaging
warranted my tossing of 5 sheets right off the bat plus couple more
sheets had dots all over it as if liquid had been sprayed on it.The
paper was just thrown into a priority letter envelope without
protection.

I love this paper - honestly. It's ridiculously affordable, but a
fraction of Canon Photo Paper Pro, and prints as good or better. My
paper packs had hard cardboard protecting both sides, taped tightly
together and shipped in an envelope. I believe I've found a reject too;
but then, after counting the sheets, I found I had 105 instead of the
100. So they threw in a few extras in case anyone found a reject or two.
Rejects and flaws in paper packs is not unusual. I have found several
"damaged in manufacturing" rejects in Epson Photo Paper packs, and other
brands, over the years. Who cares, rejects are great for test prints.
Epson's is my favourite low end glossy and works well with the Canon
i850. I've shown printed samples of my work, printed on the eBay paper
you sent back, to several of my friends and they were very impressed.

There's only one paper that I would call total crap, something called
IBM Glossy Photo Paper (coated both sides). It's marked "For all brands
of Ink Jet printers". Well, I'm running out of ink jet brands as the
inks runs (feathers) unacceptably after printing, and the black scrapes
off with a fingernail, or simply rubs off with a thumb when printed on
Lexmark and Canon printers. More paper for test prints! Egads.

-Taliesyn

 

[Taliesyn]

In an earlier post you stated that you emailed Atlantic and they told
you it WAS NOT the same ink used in their refills and bulk.

Sorry, I mixed you up with another poster who had asked Atlantic
about their compatibles and was told that it wasn't the same ink.

-Taliesyn

 

[jkh]

For the money ,Red River is definately the better quality at the same
price. 100 sheets of 62lb satin or glossy for 33 bux. Real photo
paper. You may be interested in trying it and thus saving even more
money for something that will not degrade quickly from moisture. The
satin is absolutely beautiful. Deep rich contrast. Very elegant. It
would make the best 8x10 or cut up for borderless.

The ebay paper did print well. Im not disputing the color clarity or
contrast. But the life of the paper would not be that long as it is
very sensitive to moisture. What makes a photo paper great is its
moisture resistance and coatings. I dont know about you but I dont
like wrinkled paper that curls from humidity and thats what will
happen to it just from the mail.


And yes as I mentioned before, they stated the inks were not the same
as bulk inks but performed just as well and the same quality so I had
total confidence.

I'm sure the kit that is coming will be better as long as the magenta
is as dark as canon ink, there should be no trouble. Cyan and yellow
can be slightly lighter but definately not magenta.