8 replies to this topic

[Hysssss-teria]

We all know the truth -- that the printer manufacturing companies DO NOT want you refilling their expensive ink cartridges. Therefore, they create machines that detect/reject “unauthorized” refills. Some are letting up a little and making printers that will accept pricier “authorized” cartridges that they themselves have refilled.

However, one company has stepped up to the plate in a much bigger way -- Epson. They build their Artisan 725 to accept a CIS -- Continual Ink System.

I bought this CIS for $39.95 from Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002LV25IG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&m=AQZWEB10MYFCM
The seller even posts this on YouTube to show you how to install ihttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAlWRZ7SqKM
The ink that comes with the system will last a heavy user 6 months to a year. I’ll probably get 2 or 3 years out of mine.

But it gets even better! When you go through all that ink, you don’t throw the system away. You buy the little bottles of ink to refill the tanks as needed. The entire set of six colors is $14.99 (or you can buy the black by itself from this seller)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00653RV8A/ref=sc_pgp__m_AQZWEB10MYFCM_9?ie=UTF8&m=AQZWEB10MYFCM&n=&s=&v=glance

I bought my Artisan about a month before Christmas, and the original inks that came with it are still producing. I only print a page or two per normal day, but every other week or so I get a pretty big project. I got the printer for $114 on eBay (brand new in the box), and Amazon had them for slightly more at the time. Go to Amazon and read the rave reviews on this printer and on that CIS system.

Oh, and one more little perk. You know how black is always the ink cartridge that runs out first? And you know that most printers won’t work at all when only one cartridge is empty but the others are still full. This amazing printer will actually ask you if you want it to “make” black for you. If you say “Yes” it will print your pages. The black isn’t VERY black, but it’s fine for most of the draft-type stuff that I use it for.

[Hayden]

Thanks for sharing this.

I find your response to our inquiry about these links useful to others and so I'm sharing it here...

Quote

I am not affiliated with Amazon or anybody else, although I do love Amazon.com and have been a customer for years. I do not participate in any type of Internet marketing, or any other type of marketing.

I have nothing to gain from offering those links. I share them because a continuous ink system is such a great idea for anyone who wants a greener printer! It's also a great way to save tons of money on replenishing printer ink.

Their site offers the serious shopper a priceless feature. When I'm shopping for nearly any item that I haven't bought before, I consult the Amazon site's very valuable customer reviews to see what other people are saying about it before I buy from anyone.

Please accept my apology for any misunderstanding. I love this Forum and benefit greatly from the knowledge that I find here.

Thanks I feel the same way about Amazon and think used correctly, our member base can benefit from their service greatly.

[bryce12]

Thanks for posting the link and the article. Printer manufacturers avoid CIS as it eats into their profit. Ink cartridges are ridiculously expensive and its time someone took the initiative and build a decent alternative.

[jasserEnv]

That is definitely an improvement over existing printers as I don't know how many of these cartridges I have had to recycle over the years. Now, however, I have done my best to avoid printing. I have managed to do it almost entirely at both work and and home by changing the way I do things. Editing is how possible on tablets so I can sit with the document and scribble notes digitally on the side. I don't have to read paper with my tablet so that also works. I use a projector at work during document reviews so for the most part, I am paperless. I do hope that the next generation gets trained completely this way so that more of our forests can be protected.

[steph84]

The larger companies love to show off that they have created recycling programs, but they make it so difficult to return your cartridges to their facility. You have to print off labels and schedule pick up times from UPS if you have office sized cartridges. I worked at an elementary school and most teachers just threw them away so they didn't have to go through the hassle of dropping them off at my lab. Ridiculous!

[Sarah C.]

Thank you for sharing this! I am looking for a printer and now I have a great idea of which one to choose!

[rbaker_59]

I have an HP printer that I use a lot printing coupons online to save on my budget and also to help out my mom, who is living on Social Security.  I have used the recycled cartidges for it and have quite a bit to recycle, but am now trying out the ink refill idea.  So far, I do get a lot of messages that the ink is low because the printer does not read the ink levels on refilled ink.  When I refill the cartidge it will send a message that it may not be compatible.  At this point it is working well if you can put up with all the messages.

[Collin1000]

steph84, on 12 March 2012 - 07:47 PM, said:

The larger companies love to show off that they have created recycling programs, but they make it so difficult to return your cartridges to their facility. You have to print off labels and schedule pick up times from UPS if you have office sized cartridges. I worked at an elementary school and most teachers just threw them away so they didn't have to go through the hassle of dropping them off at my lab. Ridiculous!

Agreed. Lexmark has a "recycle your ink" program where they reward you with free recycled ink cartidges for every 5 you recycle back to them, but it's a hassle requesting the envelopes to mail it in, and so on.

[Hysssss-teria]

Sarah C., on 13 March 2012 - 04:31 AM, said:

Thank you for sharing this! I am looking for a printer and now I have a great idea of which one to choose!

Sarah, you are most welcome :)  By the way -- you can save yourself a lot of time and effort by checking out the suppliers of CIS systems.

It’s kind of like approaching your printer purchase backwards. Midway through my search for the right printer for my needs, I ran across the CIS concept -- which I proceeded to research deeply.

Then I looked at all the CIS systems offered by Amazon at the time to find the one with the most and best customer reviews, which was the one I settled on. Then I looked the seller’s website over carefully to see which printers they could provide CIS systems for.

I knew what I wanted in a printer, and had several different models in mind. I located some of my favorites on the seller’s site, and made my final decision based on which printers were compatible to the CIS.

It just so happens that I installed the CIS day before yesterday. If you read ALL the reviews, you’ll get some very helpful hints and suggestions on the install. The video is excellent. So install and set-up was a snap and took only 15 minutes. If I weren’t so technophobic, it probably would have only taken five!

Everything went perfectly and there were no error messages.