I have an Epson Artisan 1430, and I just installed a light magenta cartridge from the Complete ConeColor system. This is my first time using third-party inks, and the five other cartridges currently in use are Epson brand.
I was able to fill the cartridge correctly, and my printer recognized the ink right away after installation. After this, I have encountered two major problems…
My first test print revealed blobs on the page, as outlined in the FAQ. My second test print had an overall magenta tinge to it. On my third test print this tinge grew stronger. I removed the cartridge and poked around only to discover that the light magenta ink was spilling into my printer, making a mess (see attached photo). I cleaned the ink away with a Q-Tip, and upon reinstallation, the cartridge no longer appears to be leaking.
Subsequently, I ran several cleaning cycles, and fired off another test print. This time, the prints are coming out with a bluish tinge which would suggest that the light magenta hue is entirely absent. This is very frustrating, and I am beginning to become nervous that I might ruin my printer by using these cartridges.
Can someone please explain what might possibly be going on here? I run a business selling giclee prints, and today I am supposed to be processing and shipping out orders. I’ve already had to inform my customers that there will be a delay in getting their prints to them. I need to fix this problem as soon as possible… and as I am in Canada, I am frustrated by the fact that I may have to wait up to two weeks for cleaning solution to arrive.
I’m not from IJM, but I will make a few observations. One is that sometimes you have to wait a day or two for an answer on this forum, but in my experience all questions get answered. They are quite generous with their time in doing so. If your need is urgent, contact them direct.
I can’t comment on the ink drips. I have had this problem with older cartridge designs, but not recent ones. Didn’t have this issue on my 1410 when I had it. Based on my experiences I’d ask if these carts were from IJM and whether you followed the filling instructions.
But my main point is that you should not expect to be able to just slot in one or two ConeColor carts in this printer and get the exact same colours. This printer is a six colour printer that takes Claria dye inks. The ConeColor inks are pigment inks intended for the 7/8/9 ink pigment printers. They’re not going to be an exact colour match. They can’t be. And it says so on the IJM web site: http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl/c.362672/sc.11/category.34597/.f
“The only thing it is missing is archival inks. So we stepped up to the plate with a refillable cartridge system running our ConeColor K3 deep color gamut pigment inks. You will need color management. You can either provide your own with a device like the ColorMunki or download our free library of professionally made ICC profiles from the ConeColor website by clicking here.”
What this means is that to get an exact colour match you will need to either use one of their custom colour profiles or create your own or get IJM or someone else to make you one. You’ll need to print from a colour-managed application like Photoshop, and turn off colour management in the printer driver.
Actually it’s a little more complex than that. As I understand it you’ve only replaced one colour and the other five are still the Epson ones, right? They won’t have a colour profile for that combination, and personally I wouldn’t pay for one myself if I intended to replace more Epson Carts with Cone Colour ones as they ran empty - you’ll need a new profile each time you switch one more cart from Epson to ConeColor. To make this to work you need to swap all carts to the Conecolor [edited] ones and get a new colour profile for this inkset and your paper on that printer.
You can test whether I’m right - that the problem is one of colour management rather than a missing colour channel - by doing a simple nozzle check. That will show if all channels are there. If they are then the issue is you need a custom colour profile and colour management.
You’re not going to want to hear this I guess. You either have to commit to the ConeColor system fully, or go back to Epson Claria.
Dana will be in on Thursday to tech support you.
The cartridge when filled correctly should not be leaking and she will trouble shoot your filling method,etc.
But, most definitely, as Brian points out, you are going to have color problems replacing one ink at a time because:
You can not run one ConeColor pigment inks with the remaining Claria dye inks installed.
You have to change out the entire set at once, or use a color compatible ink set to Claria such as InkThrift CL in which you can change out one at a time.
You can not run the entire ConeColor System without using the ICC profiles because you are putting an entirely different color gamut (K3 Pigment) into your dye based (Claria) printer.Without the ICC profiles you will not be able to control the color.
You should not run dye and pigment together to make prints especially if you are printing Giclée. The dye will fade much quicker than the pigment and result in an eventual perceptual imbalance.
Wow, thank you so much for your comprehensive response. I’m sorry if I seemed impatient in my second post. :o
What you’re saying makes a lot of sense, and puts me at ease. I am going to take the time in the next week to install all of the ConeColour cartridges, and look into finding a correct colour profile. Thank you for taking the time to explain everything.
In regards to the spilling issue, I am curious to hear what the trouble may be. For the moment, it no longer appears to be affecting the printer.
Hi Cory, I totally agree with Brian. (I’m not IJM staff either). I own and use a 1430 and Ink Thrift CL (dye) inks. I previously used a 1400 and Cone Color (pigment) inks. IJM is clear in their statement that the Cone Color inks have a different gamut than Claria inks, and therefore it takes homework on the part of the user to assure that a suitable color profile is in place, and good color management being practiced, before good results can be achieved with a Claria printer and Cone Color. That was certainly my experience with them. I was able to make some spectacular prints with the 1400 and Cone Color.
Your color shift may be a result of the gamut difference or it may be a result of the light magenta not printing, as you suspect, in which case a simple nozzle check will confirm. In either case, even once light magenta is printing for sure, you will not be able to make predictable prints until you either switch over to all Cone Color inks and then do your color management and profiling homework, or revert to using the Epson Claria inks (or IJM’s Ink Thrift CL replacement which is very close to Epson Claria gamut). Your choice.
“InkThrift CL inks are designed for printing photographs that are fade resistant, scratch resistant, and water resistant. This is a different formulation than InkThrift PRO. InkThrift CL is designed for longevity and as a color match to Claria Hi-Definition inks. Fully compatible. No flushing required. Change one ink position at a time!”
I think Brian and Jon have explained why you’re experiencing color issues, and that you need to use the whole set of ConeColor inks along with profiles for accurate output, or use InkThrift CL dye inks if longevity isn’t necessary for the prints you’re making.
I’m responding to your leaky cartridge issue. I see you only installed one refillable cartridge, and it sounds like the cartridge stopped dripping ink after you removed and cleaned it.
Which hole did you use to fill the cartridge with ink? Did you remove the air vent plug, and insert the fill hole plug before installing the cartridge into your printer?
Have you ever cleaned your printer’s capping station, wipe blade and/or bottom of the print head? If not, it’s good to keep your printer clean and well maintained by following our cleaning procedures, here: http://www.inkjetmall.com/tech/content.php?133-Printer-Cleaning-and-Preventative-Maintenance
To the best of my knowledge, I filled the cartridge correctly. I removed the air vent plug, and re-inserted the fill hole plug before I installed the cartridge. I have never cleaned the capping station, wipe blade, or print head. I’ve been using the printer since January.
In terms of convenience, I am beginning to feel really drawn toward the Ink Thrift system. It seems much more straightforward and less time consuming. I may have to abandon the ConeColor ink system at this point, but hey, at least I tried.
Thanks for the additional information. If you decide to switch to InkThrift CL inks, it would be best to get fresh carts to use with the dye inks, as pigment and dye work differently, and shouldn’t be mixed.
Printers should be maintained with regular cleaning to keep them in good working condition, and lasting as long as possible.
Please keep me posted, and let me know if you have further questions or there’s anything else I can help you with.
Best regards~ Dana
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