Where to get the best bulk ink for HP70 pigment ink

[artisan322]

Hi,

I've been on Aliexpress looking at the bulk ink on there and was wondering if anyone has come across a good supplier of quality ink? I bought some a few weeks back, and just noticed that the light grey and matt black aren't performing quite right, but all the other colours are great. The cost is really fantastic and allows me to drop my prices, but it would be great to find a supplier with reasonable rates with a good track record for supplying ink.

Best regards, Tyler

[Colorwave]

I like the idea of saving money for me and my customers, but also like the idea about not worrying about the next phone call being a disgruntled client.  I promote the outstanding lightfastness of Vivera ink as one of the things that distinguish my printing business, and sleep easy knowing that I'm using an ink that tests better than any of the rest.  None of us knows if 200+ years is really going to be anywhere near that long for lightfastness, but I think we can agree that is will last longer than ink that tests at 70 or 100 years.

I know firsthand of a printer that switched to third party bulk ink for his Epson printer.  He didn't say anything to his clients about it, but just a year later he began to field complaints from customers who were noticing fading of his canvas prints.  A quick Google search turned up his bragging online about how much he had saved when he switched to bulk inks.  His clients quickly became his former clients.

This printer's case might be an extreme one, and it might not, but we can only guess since Aardenberg Imaging or Wilhelm Research are unlikely to have tested the ink you might be using. 

I'd consider running a third party ink if I had an extra printer that was dedicated to display printing, but if you are printing fine art prints that are expected to be long lasting and "archival", make sure that you remain anonymous online, as this post may outlast your prints.

[artisan322]

I definitely know where you're coming from and it does worry me, that's why I'm doing so much research now. I just can't really compete unless I can get my prices down. I'd love to know if there's a place to get the Vivera ink in bulk. You would think there would be something around.
Cheers

[brianrybolt]

Don't mess with alternative inks.  HP70 Vivera inks are excellent and the Z3100 & Z3200 are VERY frugal on inks.  Better than any other top printers.

Brian

[sbay]

When I last looked at my printing stats, it came out to about 1.65ml / sq ft which works out to 83 cents for ink alone (does not include paper or print-head wear). I was getting 130ml cartridges for $65.

[Colorwave]

For me, on a rock in the middle of the Pacific ocean, my best deal is buying directly from HP.  With their My Print Rewards program that gives me 10% off on everything and their ever-present $10 or 20% off coupons, I get a cartridge for $53 to $64, including shipping and tax.  I don't think I've bought ink without a coupon in the last three or four years.  Paper and canvas are substantially more expensive than ink for me.

[Shutterbug2006]

There is no substitute for the real ink when it comes to the HP70 set. It think it would be false economy to try to replace the inks with cheaper third party alternatives.

The HP printers are fairly frugal with the ink. Whatever you might save in ink costs, will immediately bite you in the ass by damaging the print heads, or perhaps clogging them up more frequently.

HP invested a lot of money in developing the HP70 inks - I seriously doubt you can find any replacement ink that has the same formulation.