Epson Stylus Photo 900 Questions, Coupon Code, and Cheap Ink

[LushMD]

I have a few questions regarding this printer, which I recently ordered for printing photos as well as labelling DVD-R discs (I apologize in advance for some of these questions, which are surely "noob"):

(1) How do you acquire the images that are then printed onto the DVD (scanning, etc...)?
(2) Has anyone tried using generic inks for this printer to print onto DVDs? If so, please comment on the results (i.e. image quality, durability, etc...).
(3) Approximately how many DVDs can be labelled with one set of ink cartridges?
(4) Please share any tips, etc...

Many thanks in advance. Take care.

PS As per this thread from the FatWallet forums, entering the the coupon code "photo" on the Epson website will reduce the price of any Stylus Photo printer that costs $149 or more by $50 (credit for this goes to FatWallet member Stuffis4me).

PPS As per this thread from the FatWallet forums, MonsterInkjets has very low prices on generic cartridges for this printer (credit for this goes to FatWallet member TheDude).

[Bob W]

1: I go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0784011338/qid=1036580746/sr=1-5/ref=sr_...52736?v=glance then do a search for the DVD movie I need a picture of. They have then in nice large high resolution so I just right click and "save picture". I then use PhotoSuite4 to crop the saved picture and finally MediaFace II to generate the paper label. After I burn off my stock of Ritek and CompUSA DVD-R media I will start printing directly to the 100 Princo 4x printable DVD-R I got from yesbuy.net .

2: I'm using generic inks which I got from yesbuy.net . The price is $4 for B&W and $8 for color.

3: I have done about 200 full paper labels and I still have about 1/4 on my inks. I don't know how the ink will do printing directly to DVDR.

4: I don't have any tips.

[rwarren]

My company has been using the Photo 900 for several weeks. Here are my thoughts on your questions.

1. We use a combination of ways to generate the images. I have scanned a couple of things but usually our stuff is generated in Illustrator or Photoshop.

2. We use generic inks, but not in a cartridge. We had this printer modified for "continuous flow" by a guy in South Carolina. The printer has six ink bottles that sit next to it and tubes that run to the cartridges. It works great. We have 1280 that has been modified and I have a C60 at home that has the modification. He will charge you $300 or so and that includes the 6 bottles of ink. After that, the 4 oz bottles are $15 a piece. It is a lot cheaper than cartridges. Basically, he says when you use all the ink the first time, you have paid for the printer.

3. Not sure how long the cartridges last because we never used them. But the whole cartridge thing is a scam. They give away the printers and then kill you on the consumables. The cartridges on the Epson printers are "chipped" so they are not even looking at the amount of ink in the cartridge. They use "electronic ink" which means when a color fires so many times, it is out, whether it really is or not. In the case of color, if magenta runs out, you replace all of them even if cyan is 50% full. With the modification I mentioned above, you replace only the color you need. When the cartridge "thinks" it is out, you turn the printer off and turn it back on the chip levels are reset.

4. You need to watch the media you use. We tried some white label Princo CDR and the images bled and look awful. The Memorex white label included with the printer looked great. We exchanged the white label Princos for silver top Princo and they look incredible.

If you are interested in the printer modification send me a private message and I will give you the link. I am not affiliated with the guy other than we see him regularly at our computer shows and have bought 3 from him. I do not want it to seem like I am spamming or selling something.

Richard

[iooi]

To get the images you require either scan an origonal or visit somewhere like "dvdcoverart" a google search will bring up a few more like it as well. Have just used the first set of cartigages that came with the printer and have done 50+ DVD-R's along with covers which have been done on photo glossy paper, this also includes all my normal printing as well... I pay under £20 for compatable cartages not the cheapest that can be had but they are good and do last well unlike some of the real cheapies.
Some of the printing on to white printables do look bland but if you tweek the image you can get better results (no hard and fast rule on this)
Would love to know where you get the silver printables please Not seen any in the UK yet.

[vitualis]

The "continuous flow" modifications are really incredibly clever. Although this is somewhat off the topic, I would like to ask a few questions if possible...

Is the colour production as good as with the standard cartridges?

Also, is there are problem with the eventual wear and tear on the print head?

Also, are there modification-specific problems with the printer? (e.g., ink flow blockages)

Regards.

[rwarren]

The "continuous flow" modifications are really incredibly clever. Although this is somewhat off the topic, I would like to ask a few questions if possible...

Is the colour production as good as with the standard cartridges?

Also, is there are problem with the eventual wear and tear on the print head?

Also, are there modification-specific problems with the printer? (e.g., ink flow blockages)

Regards.

I cannot compare the Epson 1280, Photo 900 or C60 because I have never used them with Epson cartridges. I have used an Epson Stylus 600 and Photo 700. I can say that the output of the modified 1280, 900 and C60 surpasses both the 600 and 700 using factory cartridges.

According to the guy that modifies them, the Epson print head is somewhat unique. The print head is made of ceramic and is designed to last the life of the printer, not just last for a few cartridges. The print head on HP printers is actually built into the cartridge and gets changed with you change cartridges. We have had the 1280 for at least a year and have printed 100s or 8x10 and 13x19 prints and can see no wear on the print head. The Photo 900 and C60 are new so I can't really judge.

I am not aware of any modification based problems. He does recommend that you print something every few days which is not a problem for us. He supplies some "purge" sheets on the CD with the printer and recommends printing a couple of those at least once a week. That way every ink color is used. The only other issue is having to clean the print heads (using the Epson software) every once in a while. Of course, you have to (or at least I have) do that with factory cartridges sometimes.

Richard

[SLK001]

I have the 900 and I absolutely love it - of course, I now have three printers, a laser, a Canon inkjet and the Epson.

The included CD Print Image software accepts .BMP, .JPG and .PCD (photo CD) files. You can get a lot of stuff off the net, or just scan your own.

I have printed about 10 full color CDs, and my ink is down to about 90-95%.

The ink cartridge is a 5 color photo ink job, with the f'ing chip counter.

There are Epson chip resetters available off eBay for about US$15. I plan on getting one with the bulk photo inks and reloading my own.

I would like to know other people's results with generic inks (especially the fade resistance of the ink).


One tip: Turn ON the machine before you insert the CD tray (I guess that it gets the proper alignment info when it detects the CD tray)! It states this in the manual, but I skipped that step. Everything was lining up okay, until I inserted first. Once I followed proper proceedure, everything returned to normal.

[rwarren]

We tried refilling our own cartridges but never had a lot of luck, especially with the Epson printers. I had an HP 960c that I could refill but it took a bunch of purge sheets before the colors cleared up and it printed reliably without banding. We had pretty good luck refilling a Canon 8200, but it is not as easy and clean as the continuous flow printers.

I have the 900 and I absolutely love it - of course, I now have three printers, a laser, a Canon inkjet and the Epson.

The included CD Print Image software accepts .BMP, .JPG and .PCD (photo CD) files. You can get a lot of stuff off the net, or just scan your own.

I have printed about 10 full color CDs, and my ink is down to about 90-95%.

The ink cartridge is a 5 color photo ink job, with the f'ing chip counter.

There are Epson chip resetters available off eBay for about US$15. I plan on getting one with the bulk photo inks and reloading my own.

I would like to know other people's results with generic inks (especially the fade resistance of the ink).


One tip: Turn ON the machine before you insert the CD tray (I guess that it gets the proper alignment info when it detects the CD tray)! It states this in the manual, but I skipped that step. Everything was lining up okay, until I inserted first. Once I followed proper proceedure, everything returned to normal.

[leebo]

Thanks Lush,

Due to your info, I just ordered the 960.

You're not bad for a drunken doctor!

[A4]

my order of generic ink from monsterinkjet.com should be arrived tomorrow or so. Will let you know the results after I get them.

-A4

[stangyamahar1]

Ok, so i just bought one of these, and they rock!! I have not had much time to play around with it, but I did print one dvd-r for testing and it is incredible. It really does look as good as a store bought, maybe even better! For comparison i scanned in the origianl and my printed one. I added all the small WARning text on the bottom just to see if it was legible and it is crystal clear. I just need to make the prints a little darker and i will be all set. Enjoy!


SCANNED


PRINTED

[beric3236]

rwarren stated that the gentleman modifies the print head on the epson give him some "purge sheets" My silly question for the night is "what is a purge sheet and where can I find them. Thanks.

[tonyk23]

stangyamahar1,

What settings and media did you use to get the 900 to print that dark? Here is an example of my results with the 900 and Samsung 1X DVD-R. This is also the Original Cart. I have some generics that I got for around $6 bucks each but have not used them yet.

[tonyk23]

[rwarren]

rwarren stated that the gentleman modifies the print head on the epson give him some "purge sheets" My silly question for the night is "what is a purge sheet and where can I find them. Thanks.

He doesn't modify the print head, he uses different ink cartridges that have tubes attached to them that pull ink from 4 oz bottles. The print head is not changed, it is the factory original.

A purge sheet is just a .jpg file that has a page with a strip of all six color or a page of one color. You print the "purge sheet" on a regular sheet of paper and it allows you to pull equally from each color or print a full page or each color.

Richard

[darkburst]

stangyamahar1,

What settings and media did you use to get the 900 to print that dark? Here is an example of my results with the 900 and Samsung 1X DVD-R. This is also the Original Cart. I have some generics that I got for around $6 bucks each but have not used them yet.

Try changing the print settings from "CD/DVD" to "Matte Paper, Photo Paper, Glossy Paper, etc." The "CD/DVD" setting produced washed out images for me also.

Also in print settings, print quality should be photo or best photo. I found the "Vivid" setting also helps.

You need to try different settings to see what works best with your media but the key for me seems to be something other than "CD/DVD."

[beric3236]

Thanks Richard for the reply you gave me on the purge sheet. Now I know what to look for and to ask for at my local Staples when they get in the Epson printer there.

Bob[/quote]

[rwarren]

Thanks Richard for the reply you gave me on the purge sheet. Now I know what to look for and to ask for at my local Staples when they get in the Epson printer there.

Bob

[/quote]

Bob,

You will not find the purge sheet at any store. The purge sheets are merely a directory full of .jpg files on the CD that the guy furnishes with the CD. Only his printers come with them.

Richard

[stangyamahar1]

Try changing the print settings from "CD/DVD" to "Matte Paper, Photo Paper, Glossy Paper, etc." The "CD/DVD" setting produced washed out images for me also.

Also in print settings, print quality should be photo or best photo. I found the "Vivid" setting also helps.

You need to try different settings to see what works best with your media but the key for me seems to be something other than "CD/DVD."

[/quote]

I have not tried switching the print setting from cd/dvd to anything else, but may try that in the future.

So far i printed about 15 diferent cds as tests to get the right look. No matter what i do it is still a little lighter than the origianl, but i believe that is because its printing on a dull, matte surface.

Basically i changed the printer settings to photo/best, under advanced i changed the color mode to EPSON Vivid, and on the print screen, i changed the print color correction to +2(darker). I think it also depends on the media used. I used the BeAll dvd-r for mine, since it allows the printing almost right to the hub. I also have a 50pack of ritek printables that i am going to try.

[AlienDust]

Could those of you who are printing on BeALL and Samsungs please post what printer model you use, what brand of ink you use, wether or not it is generic and if it was purchased from an online retailer, where you purchased fromt? Because I am having a problem with printing on this media. Thanks. This is something that I posted about this on another thread.

Yes, BeALL DVD-R Printable Media does allow you to print up to the hub, and I have had great burning success with BeALL Discs. These discs also have the smoothest surface that I have ever felt for any inkjet printable disc, but that may not be entirely a good thing. I have purchased both BeALL Inkjet Printable DVD-R and Samsung (which are made by BeALL) inkjet printable DVD-R discs and have had horrible results when printing. The surface does not seem to absorb the ink properly. When the ink dries it doesn't look right, it looks a little smeared and cracked, it is VERY noticeable. In many cases the printable surface actually WRINKLED UP in some spots. I have tried many different print settings and many different ink saturation levels, I wasted about 20 discs and finally gave up. I have never had this problem with any other inkjet printable media, I have used Lead Data, Ritek, Optodisc, Accu brand and Taiyo Yuden. If anyone has had success printing on BeAll inkjet DVD-R media, please post what printer you have and what print settings you use. Thanks

Also, I have found that changing the media type to Glossy Film, and going to advancded and setting it to vivid really help alot. If you need to change how light/dark the image is change the saturation level under advanced. I wasted many discs experimenting with this, take my advice and save yourself some time, money and frustration.
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[tonyk23]

I tried those settings on a printable CD-R last night and it looked very good but a bit dark. The disk was still tacky this morning. I will try these settings on the smooth printable surface of the Samsung(BeAll) in the next few days. It should be interesting as these DVD-R's take about 3 days to dry at the standard settings.

[tonyk23]

I tried those settings on a printable CD-R last night and it looked very good but a bit dark. The disk was still tacky this morning. I will try these settings on the smooth printable surface of the Samsung(BeAll) in the next few days. It should be interesting as these DVD-R's take about 3 days to dry at the standard settings.

[tonyk23]

Just printed with the new settings on th Samsung(BeAll) and it looks great . I used the Vivid Color and Photo Quality Glossy Film settings and reset the Color correction back to 0 from +2. The disk is still wet but I will scan it when dry. Also I used a fairly high scanned image from the original DVD. Anyone else have any results?

[stangyamahar1]

I will try this setting with the bealls. I ordered a test pack from meritline, 50-riteks, and 50 bealls. I have probably now wasted over 30 printable cd-rs, just playing with settings, and still am not happy with them. I have notived though a few things.

Riteks- print shows up darker and clearer on these. Overall best quality.

Bealls- print is duller and not nearly as crisp. Does not hold heavier ink as well.

I really like the look of the riteks, i just wish i could get riteks that printed up to the hub. I will post pictures comparing the two. I printed them both with the same settings, and the ritek looked noticeably better.

[Cash32]

I have been doing some tests with the beall discs and I wanted to post the images from the scan and the print on the disc but i am having a hard time doing that (kind of new at this) If someone would like to see the results I can email them to you. I also have not had much success with the bealls, basically I keep to cd\dvd print setting, photo, +2 darker and +4 saturation. For cds I find that the memorex disc that came with the printer 900 epson was real nice, basically at any setting, does anyone recommend any discs besides bealls and riteks?

[edlav]

I found this by accident. I was setting the printer with the lid up and started printing. When I closed the lid it stopped and ejected the DVD only half finished. I ran it back through again and where it printed over it was a nice glossy looking picture. Where it printed for the first pass it was the washed out look. I tried another DVD and ran it twice and it turned out perfect. I am going to try some of the suggestions here to see if I can get the same results. I am worried that the DVD might rotate before the second pass.

[Cash32]

I found this by accident. I was setting the printer with the lid up and started printing. When I closed the lid it stopped and ejected the DVD only half finished. I ran it back through again and where it printed over it was a nice glossy looking picture. Where it printed for the first pass it was the washed out look. I tried another DVD and ran it twice and it turned out perfect. I am going to try some of the suggestions here to see if I can get the same results. I am worried that the DVD might rotate before the second pass.

When you ran it through the 2nd time was there any indication of a double imprint\image? You must have set every thing perfectly to do that, even a milimeter off could distort it? What settings did you use?

[The village idiot]

The "continuous flow" modifications are really incredibly clever. Although this is somewhat off the topic, I would like to ask a few questions if possible...

Is the colour production as good as with the standard cartridges?

Also, is there are problem with the eventual wear and tear on the print head?

Also, are there modification-specific problems with the printer? (e.g., ink flow blockages)

Regards.

Should we have a discussion about how to do this in the computer forum. It is not really that hard. You can buy empty carts that have been modified to be ALLWAYS FULL. Then some simple plumbing. It is really very easy, once you have the carts! I bought a setup like this for a different printer, I will not be buying one again. I'll just build the next one myself.

[negon]

I recommend www.cdcovers.cc for some covers. They have a lot...[/img]

[edlav]

When you ran it through the 2nd time was there any indication of a double imprint\image? You must have set every thing perfectly to do that, even a milimeter off could distort it? What settings did you use?

I used the default setting other than selecting Photo under advanced. There is not a lot of movement when the DVD is in the tray but you have to be careful.