I studied this issue for a while... and forgot most of what I learned.
Except for one thing - CIS: continuous ink system.  It looks like lots of
hassle but in fact was easy to install and is easy to deal with. Especially
since the cost is around 10% of cartridge prices.

The hitch is that they are only made for certain printers.  Mainly Epson.

Mine consists of four plastic bottles with hoses that go to a "fake" cart
installed in the printer.  They hold 4 ounces each.  The original carts
contain something like .7 ounces and only deliver 2/3 of that or so the
story goes.  Color and black carts cost around $60 a pair in the US while
the ink for the CIS is $8 each for 4 ounces of CYMK(ie, $32 for a refill).
The best part is never having a print come out of the printer half baked
due to running out of ink in the middle.

I selected an Epson 900 a few years ago on the basis of great photo
printing and the availability of the CIS for it.  The newer Epsons that are
chipped can be dealt with also.  It seems that a cottage industry has
started up producing chips for the CIS units to fake out the printer.  On
my old 900, the printer counts inkjet pulses and after a while determines
that the ink is gone.  (actual carts will still have a good deal of ink
left.) In the CIS I have, you pull out a piece of plastic foam that
releases a micro switch and then push it back in.  The printer thinks you
have installed a new cart and turns off the "out of ink" lights and
continues to print.

Plus if you want, you can get a set of grey-gradation inks for printing
black-n-white photos that look superb.

If interested, check out: http://www.inkjetart.com/cis/  which, as far as I
know, deals only with Epson printers.

Tom M.

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