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Alternative inks

Antonio Correia

Well-known member
Does anyone know these alternative inks for Epson printers ?
I need to make pring with lower price than until now. Epson ink is original yes, but rather expensive.
Can this ink be a correct change ?
Any experience in this matter ?
I am using Epson R3000.
The cartridges for this printer in USA are not the same used in Europe but it is not important regarding this subject.

Thank you. :)

 
Does anyone know these alternative inks for Epson printers ?
I need to make pring with lower price than until now. Epson ink is original yes, but rather expensive.
Can this ink be a correct change ?
Any experience in this matter ?
I am using Epson R3000.
The cartridges for this printer in USA are not the same used in Europe but it is not important regarding this subject.

Thank you. :)


I don't know, Antionio, but I was would be interested also, as Epson ink is very expensive but I'm always afraid to use anything else. :p
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Jon Cone is well-respected and most known for his revolutionary work with using different shades of his light gray to black inks for B&W photography. Read more here.

I would have no issues using it, but look at this important discussion in preview, here.

The issues is whether or not you feel that the longevity of your print might be questionable. The Epson, Canon and HP inks have been tested and "certified" by Wilhelm research and are advertised to last some 60 -120 years or so. Water soluble inks less, pigment inks the longest. Two evils, UV exposure and hydrogen sulfide gas pollution do most of the damage. Add water and oxygen and many inks can fade especially yellows. The acid in some papers is easily avoided with archival quality brands. Very valuable works can have a sheet f copper included in the framing to take up the sulphur gases and a replaceable drying agent for excess moisture. UV coat your colored prints or put them behind UV blocking glass or plastic.

For B&W prints, using Jon Cones special ink sets, with, AFAIK, just carbon being used, there cannot be fading but with color printing, however, colors are vulnerable.

If you aim to have your work in a museum a hundred years from now, I'd go with the genuine inks. But under proper conditions, the 3rd party inks could very well give you close to the same longevity. But who really knows. Accelerated tests at Wilhelm are part of a business model and partly good science. So far, they seem to be on a good working relationship.

Asher
 

Antonio Correia

Well-known member
Thank you Maggie and Asher.
Asher you wrote quite a few interesting lines. Thank you.

In 95 years time from now I hope to be able to reprint the images to deliver to the museum, for exposition. I am sure by then, the methods of printing have changed a lot returning superb prints.

Meanwhile, I found this which may be quite interesting regarding they are in Europe. But they also sell to the US and Canada.

They have a remarkable and ingenuous continuous ink system (CIS) !

Have a look at their videos !

Try www.marruttusa.com
 

Antonio Correia

Well-known member
I found two alternatives with some help.
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