Printers. Love them or hate them, you still have to feed them Ink (or Toner) cartridges.
These are expensive little beasts to keep running – it has been commented that printer ink is expensive, and to give to an idea just how expensive it is:
- Printer Ink is 7 times more expensive than Dom Perignon.
- Printer Ink is more expensive than the most expensive perfumes.
- Printer Ink is more expensive than human blood.
Or if you want to see the scale, here is an often posted image (attribution unknown): Update, found the original source at Gizmodo from Nov 2006.
However, as I was installing the last of my replacement carts, before having to order more, imagine my horror when the magenta cart simply failed to work. Nothing – printer refused to accept it, thankfully my old cart had a dribble of ink left and was able to convince the printer to keep going while I got my order in for more.
Next step, the online store where I order my carts, SVP, typed in my printer model in the search box as they recommend and the first hit wasn’t my usual multipack of 3rd party R265 carts – no, it was a CISS (Continuous Ink Supply System). Interesting.
Here is the page (no longer working): http://svp.co.uk/product/ciss_for_epson_r265_r360_rx560_printers_mte058
Intrigued, I read the install manual they have on the page and thought it looked easy enough to try. And so I bought one – couldn’t hurt – it cost the same as a complete set of carts and would last 10 times longer on the first fill.
The device arrived a few days later, I sat on it a few days more, then got stuck in. I took some photos of the completed install and I have to say I am very impressed with it.
I originally had the Inkwells on top of the printer, but I found it was putting out way too much ink – blobs of the stuff – and I figured gravity was playing a part. Placing it down beside the printer saw the ink flow backwards, so I taped a few empty DVD cases together to get the right approximate height beside the printer and placed it there.
If you are feeling the cost of Ink is too high (who doesn’t?) and if you can find a well reviewed CISS system for your printer, I would encourage you to give it a go.