Epson Ultrachrome Ink Shelf Life

How long does Epson Ultrachrome ink last?

Epson wide format ink has approximately a 2 year shelf life, 6 months once it is opened from the bag. They are usually fine once they are in the printer.

What are ideal storage conditions?

Store your unused and unopened Epson ink away from light in a cool, dark location.

What about Epson Ink past the expiration date?

Usually they will work just fine for at least a year past the expiration date. I have even heard of people purposely buying expired ink on places like eBay for the cost savings it could bring (I don't recommend this, however). Remember to shake the ink well before you put it into the printer!

Also see our post regarding how Freezing Epson Ultrachrome Inks Doesn't Ruin Them

at http://digitalprinter.blogspot.com/2008/12/epson-ultrachrome-inks-freezing-does.html

ICM vs ICC Profiles - The Difference

ICC profiles (.icc) and ICM profiles (.icm) are interchangeable files (you can switch the extension
back and forth). ICC stands for International Color Consortium, the organization that sets the
standard for the files. We attempt to create a quick comparison between ICC profiles and ICM profiles.


ICC profiles are designed for Macs, and ICM are designed for Windows. The confusing part is,
Photoshop does not care if it is an ICC file or a ICM file and it sees it the same way. Photoshop on a PC will read and use ICC profiles if they are in the correct folder in Windows. Other applications on the PC may not be able to use ICC profiles, so it should be changed to ICM if possible.

Be sure to restart Photoshop after installing new profiles.


The correct location for ICC or ICM profiles are:

Mac OS X
/Users/username/Library/ColorSync/Profiles

Windows XP
\Windows\system32\spool\drivers\color


Additional Resources:

• http://www.devarticles.com/c/a/Photoshop/The-Critically-Important-Color-and-Gamma-Calibration-Article/2/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICC_profile

Epson 7900 and 9900 Firmware should be upgraded immediately

The Epson Stylus 7900 (24") and Epson 9900 (44") initial firmware should be upgraded as soon as possible to avoid the printer entering an endless cleaning loop that will not stop until one of your inks is empty. This appears to be a problem with the initial version of the firmware Epson provided, also furthering the ink conspiracy many have alluded to on the internet.

We recommend you upgrade your Epson Stylus Pro 7900 or Epson Stylus Pro 9900 to at least Firmware Version HW00812100. You can download it from --

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/support/supDetail.jsp?oid=119098&prodoid=63079720&infoType=Downloads&platform=Windows

The Epson Automatic Head Cleaning can be disabled if you don't have the latest version of the firmware. Several people have have commented on this online, you can read more at:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t29823.html

We did have firmware version 1.0 ... and as of this posting they seem to have fixed the problem via a firmware upgrade.

HP Designjet Z3200 Error 79.1:04

Upon printing a large file, 42" x 96" at 300 DPI, on a Macbook running OS X - 10.5 - printing straight out of Photoshop CS3, we received the Error 79.1:04 on the display screen on the front of the HP Designjet Z3200 44" printer. It recommended we press the "OK" button, but the file continued to print, and we left it alone (I guess just from experience with these sort of things).

HP's official explanation on this error is that the "server lost connection with the client." They also recommend the following actions: First turn the printer off via the power switch on the back of the printer and then disconnect the power cord. Wait at least 15 seconds, reconnect, and try again. They recommend making sure you have the latest firmware.

Our recommendation is that you don't touch anything on the printer if it continues to print. We also recommend you make sure you have the latest firmware installed on the printer (we did in this case).

Happy Digital Printing,

Michael

HP Z3100 and Z3200 Does not print well on film

The HP Designjet Z3100 and the HP Designjet Z3200 series do not seem to calibrate well on any type of film material. This does not seem to matter if it is white film or transparent film, it does not seem to register well with the HP's spectrophotometer.

Inkjet Ink Price Increase coming Feb 2009!

"SAVE Before February 1st Price Increases!!

Dear Valued Customer,

Citing recent changes in the global economy our major manufacturers have all announced price increases on select items, effective February 1st.  To this end, we have provided lists of those affected parts on our website so that you may take advantage of pre-increase savings.

We thank you for your continued business,

ATLEX.COM

EPSON PRICE INCREASE BETWEEN 3%-10%

HP INK & TONER INCREASE BETWEEN 5%-9%

CANON INK & MEDIA INCREASE 5%  "

We recently received the above email regarding supplier price increases of some of the major manufactures of inkjet ink. This seems to be coming directly from the manufacture, so its most likely going to be passed on to all consumers by all of the distributors & suppliers. I was glad to hear not all of my inks are going up in price. This is also good to know if you are working on budgeting and planning for the year.

Changes coming in February '09:

Epson Ink 

Increasing between 3%-10% (MSRP price)

HP Ink

Increasing between 5%-9%

Canon Ink

Increasing around 5%

Atlex offered a nice list of whats going up in price at their website --  http://www.atlex.com/febpriceinc/febpriceinc.html

2019 Grant from VG Kids

http://vgkids.typepad.com/livethechange/2008/12/2019-grant.html