Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona

I am getting close to needing to replace the ink in my 3880. Epson price on cartridges is $63 each. There are 3rd party inks available that seem to be less, but I was wondering about quality. Has anyone had experience with 3rd party inks they would like to share. Is the savings worth it? Is the quality up to par. If so, what brand would you recommend.

big-guy Loc: Peterborough Ontario Canada

A few years back I tried some 3rd party inks in my Epson and everything turned out just fine.... at first. I printed a hockey shot of my grandson and put it on the fridge. (no direct sunlight, only north window light) Several months later it just didn't look right but hey, it's a 4x6 so who cares right? Another couple months pass and now the entire pic is faded and has this sickly green cast.

My 3rd party ink was from a reputable vendor so I did a test. I printed one image using the 3rd party ink and then reprinted with Epson ink. Put them both on the fridge and waited. In 6 months the 3rd party print was fading and weird color cast whereas the Epson shows no signs of wear and tear.
Conclusion: Having to reprint every 6 months is not as economical as having to print only once.
As always, YMMV

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

My personal recommendation is to NOT use anything but OEM ink. Doing so may cause issues with the printer and will, most likely, void the warranty. When purchasing a printer, look at BOTH the initial AND the ink costs. IMHO, anyway. Best of luck.

Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona

Appreciate the comments. I will bite the bullet and stick with Epson.

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

I have NO experience with Epson printers.
I use LD Products re-filled color cartridges in my Canon Pro-100, with no problems whatsoever. It is my understanding that LD Products uses the same ink formula as Canon. Also, the Canon printers pre-heat the ink, which prevents printhead clogs. This is the reason it can take several minutes for a cold (switched off) Canon printer to become 'Ready'.

WNC Ralf Loc: Candler NC, in the mountains!

You can get Epson carts cheaper at Red River Papers. If you want to save even more get refillable carts and inks from Ink Jet Mall, have been using Cone Inks for over five years in both my 3880s with no problems and using third party inks will NOT void your warranty. The cone inks are encapsulated pigment inks so they will not fade like dye inks. If you print a lot like I do, you can save a lot of money. Good luck.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

Man,$63 each? Where do you buy your ink? I have never seen the price that high! I use the same printer and the last time I refilled it was $48. Still a bunch, but a lot better. I usually buy through Adorama or B&H!

Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona

Actually I have not been doing much printing so never actually replaced the ink. If you find a good price, please advise. All I know is that others have suggested 3rd party inks should not be used. Not sure if I trust that comment or not, but I just don't know. Good luck!