Printing options - dilema - continue with home or give up!
Discussion
I've got a (well, two actually) HP B9180 A3+ printers. When they work, the printing is excellent. However, I really don't use them very often (as any quantity of prints is done by Photobox etc) which means that when I do get around to using them, there's usually at least one or two test prints required and/or recalibration to make sure things are right.
The model was discontinued quite a long time ago and the inks are getting more difficult to get hold of (especially any that aren't officially 'out of date' - although those nearly always work fine) and prices vary a lot but generally are around £17 per cartridge.
The question is whether I
OPTION 1
keep the printers* and
a) continue trying to source original HP inks (approx £17 each for 27ml)
OR
b) try third-party FotoRite pigment inks (refillable) from CityInkExpress (http://www.cityinkexpress.co.uk/cheap-printer-cartridges/hp/pro-b9180/photosmart-series) at approx £18 for 100ml (ie third of the price of HP)
OR
c) try a CISS system again from CityInkExpress/Continuous-ink-systems (same firm) £144 for 800ml
OPTION 2
Sell the printers and only use online printing
OPTION 3
Replace with a newer printer (possibly not A3+). However, this probably means one of the Canon range and they are very expensive compared with online printing!
So, which option do I go for?
* I have two printers because I bought one from Ebay cheaply mainly to use as spares if I needed to but it works pretty much as well as my original one!
The model was discontinued quite a long time ago and the inks are getting more difficult to get hold of (especially any that aren't officially 'out of date' - although those nearly always work fine) and prices vary a lot but generally are around £17 per cartridge.
The question is whether I
OPTION 1
keep the printers* and
a) continue trying to source original HP inks (approx £17 each for 27ml)
OR
b) try third-party FotoRite pigment inks (refillable) from CityInkExpress (http://www.cityinkexpress.co.uk/cheap-printer-cartridges/hp/pro-b9180/photosmart-series) at approx £18 for 100ml (ie third of the price of HP)
OR
c) try a CISS system again from CityInkExpress/Continuous-ink-systems (same firm) £144 for 800ml
OPTION 2
Sell the printers and only use online printing
OPTION 3
Replace with a newer printer (possibly not A3+). However, this probably means one of the Canon range and they are very expensive compared with online printing!
So, which option do I go for?
* I have two printers because I bought one from Ebay cheaply mainly to use as spares if I needed to but it works pretty much as well as my original one!
Well I'm seemingly at odds with everyone elses pov here (so what's new 
) I got fed up with variable quality results from online printers and bought myself a decent quality printer (Canon pro 10) It wasn't cost effective but once I figured out how to get the best from it (colour profiling is crucial) I was so much happier with the results it was worth it for me.
) I got fed up with variable quality results from online printers and bought myself a decent quality printer (Canon pro 10) It wasn't cost effective but once I figured out how to get the best from it (colour profiling is crucial) I was so much happier with the results it was worth it for me.Edited by 2slo on Thursday 17th July 21:18
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