I'm new the EPSON... I've been a looong time HP user. I recently got an
Epson R200 because I wanted to print onto DVDRs. I'm in the market for a
continuous ink system for my R200 now... and one of the questions I had was
can I use Pigmented inks in a CIS or by refilling the carts with Pigmented
inks?

As I understand it, pigmented inks give you better quality prints, truer
colors and are much longer lasting. Plus as I understand it, the R200 uses
DYE inks not Pigmented like the R800. The epson rep told me the heads in
the R800 and R200/R300 (et al) are all the same print head? So that sounds
to me like I can use pigmented inks... But I know the experts here will
chime in

THANKS IN ADVANCE.

"Te" <te@-NOSPAM-pobox.com> wrote

I am not an expert on the Epson inks but generally there are different
servicing requirements for pigmented vs. dye based inks. I would expect some
potential issues with nozzle clogging if you use pigmented inks in a printer
whose firmware is designed for dye based inks.

Regards,
Bob Headrick, MS MVP Printing/Imaging

A small point of order, if I may:

Dye-based inks: inks that contain only dyes.
Pigmented inks: dye-based inks that have some pigments added.
Pigment-based inks: inks that contain only pigments.

Epson inks are either dye-based or pigment-based. There are no Epson
pigmented inks.

Thank you for your indulgence.

Jon.

One of the main features of piezo head design is how forgiving they are
with ink formulations.

Thermal heads require the ink boils at a certain temperature and
maintains a certain viscosity during the printing process.

Piezo technology is more forgiving because the ink is mechanically
propelled without heating, and the ink nozzles can be considerably
larger then the ink droplet, using the frequency the piezo element is
activated to determine how much ink is released.

Although I don't suggest trying to run ketchup and mustard through them,
as long as the ink is within certain tolerances and of a small enough
particle size, it may well work. Piezo heads are being used for
everything from dye sublimation inks, to solvent inks, to oil based
inks, to conductive inks, to plastics, to food dyes, etc, etc.

So, as to your question, yes, there are dozens of 3rd party ink
formulations that work with Epson printers. SOme work better than
others. Pigmented inks are more abrasive than dye inks, because
pigmented inks are made up of actual particles of colorant kept in
suspension in the carrier agent. Dyes are molecular and are literally
dissolved into the carrier. Over time, therefore, pigmented inks do
wear the heads more than dye inks. For the average piezo inkhead
printer, it is not too significant an issue.

Although I have not looked around, I suspect there are both pigmented
inks being should 3rd party for the R200, and CISs. My only concern is
the CIS is usually costly enough to make it worthwhile to consider if
buying a more robust printer may be worthwhile with a costly investment
of a CIS and bulk inks. It is not that the R200 will product poor
prints, because it doesn't, but it is designed as an economy printer,
and it's cost reflects that. Most people using a CIS print great sums
of prints in a short period and a printer with a higher duty cycle may
be more reliable.

Art

Art


Te wrote:

Hi Bob,

You raise a reasonable issue, at least in theory.

I can't speak specifically for the R200, because I don't think it has
been out there long enough to make a qualified response, but, there are
a great number of Epson dye ink printers out in the world which people
have converted to pigmented inks, including the 860, 870, 880, the 1200
series (1200, 1270, 1280, 1290) as well as the 3000 and others and in
general, they are no more problematical in terms of general maintenance
than any Epson printer designed around pigmented inks.

In general, I would say pigmented ink formulations tend to be a little
more demanding of keeping up maintenance to avoid problems.

Art

Bob Headrick wrote:

Someone made a point some time back of admonishing me for using the
terms dye-based and pigment based, stating, correctly, I suppose, that
the "base" of these inks is neither dye nor pigment, but that the
colorants are of one or the other. Their point being that the "base"
was water, glycol, alcohols, resins, etc.

Although you are correct that Epson OEM inks either use dye colorants or
pigment colorants, there are indeed hybrid or dye and pigment colorant
inks which are produced 3rd party, specifically designed for Epson
printers.

Art

Jon O'Brien wrote:

In article <hbjtd.326990$9b.167823@edtnps84>, artistic (AT) telus (DOT) net (Arthur
Entlich) wrote:

Fair point. The word 'base' does have a specific meaning when talking
about inks which is at odds with the way I used it. You win the
hair-splitting award! :-)

I meant that in connection with the OP's: "Plus as I understand it, the
R200 uses DYE inks not Pigmented like the R800", which I took to refer to
the OEM inks. That's why I used the phrase 'Epson inks', rather than 'inks
for Epson printers'.

Jon.

In article <B3jtd.326985$9b.260268@edtnps84>, artistic (AT) telus (DOT) net (Arthur
Entlich) wrote:

Oh, bad luck! You just forfeited that hair-splitting award. :-)

Jon.

Jon O'Brien wrote:

I was not suggesting you were incorrect in your statement, in fact,
quite the opposite, but I did want to make others aware than some
hybrids already do exist for the Epson printer line, as 3rd party products.

Art

I have very few hairs left to split anyway, so you may claim the award
if you so desire ;-)

Art

Jon O'Brien wrote: