can my printer dictate which ink cartridges i use?

[bendigedig]

my epson printer has started playing up, saying that i am not using epson ink cartridges, i do use compatible cartridges, but can my printer refuse to work until i use epson ones? it was recommended that i use them but nowhere on the packaging does it say that the printer would not work without them, so that i would be aware before i purchased the printer.

[Ethel]

I suspect there is a chip inside the original cartridges, which is read by the printer itself.

Clever techie people know how to 'chip' the printer to stop this messaging.

But I have found that compatible cartridges clog up the printer, don't print as well and don't last nearly as long as the originals.

I know a lot of people feel differently though.

[buildersmate]

It's as Ethel says. This was the way Epson and the other printer manufacturers sought to control the sales of their ink catridges when they were being undercut by 'second market' ink suppliers. You need to talk to a specialist ink supplier and they may be able to help.
That said, to be fair to Epson, they do produce high-quality catridges at a price and you may get poor quality printing if you use others.

[woodchopper]

I use an Epson photo printer with Jet tec compatible cartridges and have never had any problem with them - the Epson ones do last longer but at the price they charge for them it doesn't add up.
Now, saying that, my printer is 3 yrs old and it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't chip the latest printers to recognise only Epson printers but as far as I'm aware there is a program to by-pass that chipping - don't ask me where from as I dont use it. But i'll try to find out.

[Finance Guy]

My printer (Epsom) also got a bit particular a while ago, I used the following online store and they have given me no usage issues at all - and their cheap!!

http://www.disccity.co.uk/R200-R220-R300-R320- R340-RX500-RX600-RX620-Epson-Compatible-FULL-S ET-pr-18933.html

[samuel23]

We have a Canon iP6600D and that won't accept any other cartridges but the Canon ones, as they have a chip on them and the shape is slightly different from the cheap cartridges from Tesco. We had a Lexmark all in one fax/copier/printer before that (BAD !! - cheap unit but expensive ink) that we used to top up with generic ink. It worked ok, but the unit kept flashing up the low ink message every time it was used.