Epson T048 Multipack - print cartridge (C13T048B4010)

...are their only choice, and Epson doesn't help by informing us that compatible cartridges aren't as good. Well as I've bought both originals and compatibles I thought I would give my opinion on whether it's worth paying out four times as much for the ink cartridges that carry the Epson name.

There's no point me going into any more detail about why you would buy them or even to go over the advantages of six cartridges over two or four, ...
...Packaging---

The Epson cartridges come packed in a mainly blue box, while the IMJET's are packed in yellow boxes. In these boxes each cartridge is separately sealed in airtight plastic, which needs to be cut or torn open. Now, I actually found the IMJET packs slightly easier to open, but had to resort to using scissors for both sets of packaging. I do however feel that the IMJET cartridges were better packed as they were protected ... more

Now you would only buy these ink cartridges if you owned a printer that requires them, the trouble is that many people believe that official cartridges are their only choice, and Epson doesn't help by informing us that compatible cartridges aren't as good. Well as I've bought both originals and compatibles I thought I would give my opinion on whether it's worth paying out four times as much for the ink cartridges that carry the Epson name.

There's no point me going into any more detail about why you would buy them or even to go over the advantages of six cartridges over two or four, seeing as you would only buy them if you have the right sort of printer and need to replace the cartridges that came with it.

---What you get---

The picture above shows that this is a multi-pack that contains three out of the six cartridges that are needed for the printers in the Stylus Photo R*** and RX*** series. You can also buy the cartridges singly, or in a multi-pack that contains all six. In this particular pack you get Light Magenta, Light Cyan and Yellow, but from now on I'll be describing the benefits (and drawbacks) of the whole set of six, and comparing them to compatible cartridges from a company called IMJET.

---The Packaging---

The Epson cartridges come packed in a mainly blue box, while the IMJET's are packed in yellow boxes. In these boxes each cartridge is separately sealed in airtight plastic, which needs to be cut or torn open. Now, I actually found the IMJET packs slightly easier to open, but had to resort to using scissors for both sets of packaging. I do however feel that the IMJET cartridges were better packed as they were protected by a cardboard sleeve inside the plastic.

---Installing the cartridges---

In both cases installation is extremely easy, and involves following an on-screen guide that will tell you when you need to open the airtight wrappings, and remove the protective strip. In both cases you need to be careful not to touch the green "chip" that records how much ink is left in the cartridge. With both sets of cartridges the protective tab was easy to remove, but there was a little leakage with the IMJET's, which stained my hands, so the Epson's were very slightly better in that department.

Both sets of cartridges fit snugly into the printer with no difficulty, so again no advantage for buying the official cartridges. Something that I've been told happens with compatible cartridges is that the printer monitor program will tell you that you are using unofficial cartridges every time you begin a print job. This is often stated as a reason for using the official cartridges such as are in this pack, well obviously these cartridges don't cause this problem, but neither do the compatibles that I'm using, so again no advantage gained.

---Print quality---

I've used both sorts of cartridges to print several types of media including :

-Photos-

I have photos from both types on my wall, and I can really say there's no difference when printed on Kodak picture paper. Six months on and there's no fading on either, and I can't say I notice any difference in how long they take to dry.

-DVDs-

When used to print onto printable DVDs, again there is no difference in quality and I really can't tell the difference. There's no smudging when either is handled, and again I can categorically say that the official ink is no better than the unofficial.

-Text-

I must admit I don't print out a lot of text, but what I have printed has been sharp with no bleeding, with (yes you've guessed it), both types of ink. It really does seem as if a pattern is forming.

-Graphics-

My children and I have printed off several, brightly coloured pictures off of websites, including bookmarks that are almost full colour with light and dark colours next to each other. These have been printed on cheap, basic paper and again both types give perfect results.

---Economy---

I can't tell you exactly how many print jobs you will get out of these cartridges, as it depends on what you are printing. I've personally lost count of how many DVDs and photos I've printed. But again I can say that you don't seem to get any more than with the compatible.

---Warranty---

Unfortunately, Epson have made it part of their warranty conditions that you only use official ink. So using the ink in this pack won't void you're warranty, which is something that the compatibles can do. I'm not sure exactly how they'd tell though.

---Prices---

These ink cartridges are quite expensive ;

The triple packs cost £ 26.45 each. (You need two for a complete set)
A complete set costs £ 39.69
A single colour costs £ 11.10

Compare this price to IMJET that can be picked up at £ 8.99 for a complete set.

---Advantages---

* Don't void warranty
* Are official cartridges ?
* No slight leak when tab is removed.

---Disadvantages---

* Expensive
* Harder to open
* No better than cheaper compatible cartridges.

---Conclusion---

Although these cartridges do an excellent job, I can't truly say that they are any better than compatibles and can be up to four times the price. I would therefore only recommend them if you feel unsure about using compatibles, and then not in this more expensive form. If you really feel you need to buy original cartridges then buy the six pack which will save you just over £ 10.

But if you want just as good a quality, for considerably less cost, then give compatibles a try (I can personally recommend the IMJET range from SVP).  

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