Header banner
Revain logoHome Page
Chris Long photo
1 Level
802 Review
44 Karma

Review on πŸ–¨οΈ Epson R260 Photo Inkjet Printer with Ultra High Definition by Chris Long

Revainrating 3 out of 5

Ink alternatives for a thirsty printer

I just ordered this printer today so haven't tried it yet. Hence the average rating. HOWEVER, instead of being spooked by horror stories about a printer craving very expensive ink, I did some research on Google and eBay. What I found were standard ink cartridges. contains 13 ml of ink. So high capacity (HC) cartridges should hold 19.5ml (50% more, right?). I've found standard cartridges online for about $9 including shipping and HC cartridges for about $11. What really fascinated me was the Continuous Ink Supply System (CIS). They have reservoirs with a capacity of 100ml per reservoir, which is over 7 times larger than a standard cartridge. The CIS systems I've seen at auction cost around $90 or $55 including shipping, much less than a set of standard Epson cartridges. different ink mode. Alright, let's count. Several posts here say you get about 24 4x6 prints on a set of standard tanks, which costs about $94 + shipping from Epson. Ink costs are approximately $3.92 per print. (OH FUCK! 4x6 prints from Walgreens, Wal-Mart or Kodak are less than 20 cents each!) If we count 24 prints per 13ml, then 100ml tanks should last for just over 180 prints (184.6 ) suffice. If you buy a CIS system, it costs about 30 cents per print. But here's what's interesting. If you FILL the tanks, it costs a lot less. After about 15 seconds of searching, I found replacement ink cartridges available in 120ml bottles for $26.50 including shipping. So your second batch of prints should cost you about TWELVE CENTS per ink after you refill your cartridge. Tank. For me it is VERY accessible. I don't expect refill ink to be of the same quality as Epson CLARIA ink but I hope it will be of acceptable quality. Last note. Before reading about Epson ink being smudge and water resistant, I expected it to smear easily. So I planned to go to an art supply store and buy a can of fixing spray. I think a quick spray of this fixer on a dried printed CD should make the ink more permanent. And I think it should work with cheaper inks too. As I said above, I haven't tried any of these because I just ordered the printer today. But I have high hopes that with the combination of high print quality, direct to CD/DVD printing, and not-so-expensive replacement inks, I'll have a decent system for a while. Hope this helps some of you. ========================= CD label and easy installation. I don't like that they don't include a USB cable and I think it would be a lot more helpful if Revain mentioned that fact in their review so we can order it if needed. Raven, are you listening? The printer is cheaply made, but still looks well made. One last point - earlier this week I saw replacement Epson Claria cartridges for THIS printer in the warehouse of a huge megastore (you know who I mean) for only $54. It's still expensive, but a lot more reasonable than what you'd have to pay from Epson.

Pros
  • Easy to use
Cons
  • So so