Options for alternative ink for Canon imagePROGRAF iPF printers FLAAR Reports

Options for alternative ink for Canon imagePROGRAF iPF printers - FLAAR Reports

Oct 11,2023

Good ink for Canon iPF Printers

Compatible pigment ink for CANON iPF 6100

Alternative,Third-Party Ink for Canon iPF printers

Options for alternative ink for Canon imagePROGRAF iPF printers

FLAAR Reports moves to evaluate alternative inks for wide format printers

Between 1997 and 2008, we evaluated primarily printers and RIP software. From 2009 onward we began to expand coverage to textiles, media, substrates, inks, cutters, and laminators. Our goal is to provide full-service information to the operators, as well as information for distributors and manufacturers. We also note that students, and their professors alsc utilize the FLAAR Reports

The economic recession has encouraged more printshop owners to consider after-market inks. Plus now even trade magazines have articles about third-party inks (but they many end-users), Previousiy authors were shy of writina about after-market inks due to not wanting to endanger their relationship with the bia-name printer manufacturers. But since. FLAAR does not accept advertising and since you notice we do not publish canned PR releases, we can write about what. interests us, and what is clearly of interest to printshops: aftermarket ink.

What we found at Hongsam?

The difference between the brand new modern factory and the old factory document the success of this ink company. The new factory is quite impressive. We will have a separate report on the factory and company after their anniversary ceremony (when we wil visit the factory again; I always enioy having the opportunity to be in China).

Here are some views of the new factory. A lot of the equipment is still being installed.

Testing and demo room for Canon iPF printers at Hongsam headquarters

Hongsam makes ink both for thermal printhead and for piezo printheodi (Epson, so inks for Mimaki Mutoh, Roland and for d the Chinese printers that use Epson printheads). Our evaluation project is focused on Hongsam ink for Canon printers in order to be realistic about the time and staff it takes to handle a long-range evaluation of an ink.

At the Hongsam headquarters building we could see plenty of Canon printers doing test prints. Plus there were three more brand new Canon printers that had recently arived to be added to the demo models.

In China a manufacturer is not going to sell many printers unless there are after-market inks available. So although there is no official toleration of third-party inks, in reality the availability of after-market inks is a benefit to HP, Canon, and Epson, At least people buy the hardware and buy the official inks for a few weeks or months. Sometimes people use the official inks for the first year (the year with an automatic warranty). As soon as the warranty expires, printshops preter to switch inks in most cases.

Yes, surely there are printshops that continue to use only original OEM inks. But most printer manufacturers don't make their own inks anyway. And the inks they offer under their own official brand are probably made in China anyways.

So you might as well save lots of money and consider using an after-market ink.

The need for after-market inks for Canon iPF wide-formal printers.

Today, in 2011, there are probably more models of Canon printers than any other water-based printer brand:

Selex SG-950

Selex SG-950T

Selex was the brand name before Canon

Canon BJ-W3000 were the models before IPF series cameout

Canon BJ-W3050

Canon BJ-w7000

Canon BJ-W9000

Canon imagePROGRAF IPF 500

Canon imagePROGRAF IPF 510