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1.  

   

   Anonymous Coward, Jul 8th, 2003 @ 5:07pm

   
   

   No Subject Given

   I don't know since I don't own an Epson, but can you "trick" the printer that you have replaced the cartridge? I

    

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2.  

   

   Mike (profile), Jul 8th, 2003 @ 5:43pm

   
   

   Re: No Subject Given

   I don't know if there is a way to do so. I've tried with my own Epson, and haven't had any luck - but I haven't delved into the matter in too much detail. I'm sure there is some way to do it, but I don't know how involved it is. Besides, the bigger issue is the fact that most people won't be bothered, and most people actually believe it when their computer tells them the printer is out of ink.

    

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3.  

   

   Urdvurk, Jul 8th, 2003 @ 7:19pm

   
   

   Epson sues!

   Epson is reportedly now thinking about sueing the Dutch Consumer Association, claiming that they put the chips in the cartridges because of consumer demands.
   No really, it's true.

    

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4.  

   

   Anonymous Coward, Jul 9th, 2003 @ 2:08pm

   
   

   Re: No Subject Given

   Yes. You can buy a little gadget that resets the chip, which was designed primarily to keep people from refilling cartridges and companies from manufacturing generic cartridges (i.e software copyrights, DMCA, etc.).
   
   Yes, cartridges will frequently report being out of ink when they aren't. Unfortunately if the chip signals the computer that the cart is empty, you can't print. Period. The only alternatives are reset the chip or install a new cartridge.
   
   BTW, despite claims by Epson to the contrary, the generic cartridges that sell at 20-25% of the brand name prices work just fine. They won't ruin your printer, make your hair fall out or give you cancer. They will save you money.

    

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5.  

   

   Anonymous Coward (profile), Nov 29th, 2006 @ 3:57pm

   
   

   Not only that but...

   Have you ever disassembled an Epson printer? Underneath where the ink cartridges normally rest when not printing is a nice THICK pad of blotter paper. Mine was literally soaked through with ink. Probably hundreds of dollars worth.
   
   I wonder if that's where all my extra ink was going?
   
   Nice business practices there.
   
   HP and happy now!

    

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6.  

   

   Tyler, Dec 12th, 2006 @ 9:22pm

   
   

   Crappy Cartridges

   When I got my Epson it came with the 25% full stock cartridges which went empty in no time. I bought new ones for $80 and they only lasted half a semester. I went back to using the cheapo HP that came with my computer and the $20 cartridges on that lasted 1.5 semesters. After those ran out I decided to buy new Epson cartridges, Big Mistake! After I installed them they still wouldn't print. I cleaned and cleaned and before I knew it the software said that the cartridges were empty. $80 for print cartridges and not one printed paper. I'll never buy another Epson printer.

    

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7.  

   

   L MEACHAM, Mar 20th, 2007 @ 1:17pm

   
   

   EPSON 3-20-2007

   TURN THE PRINTER OFF, TAKE OUT THE CARTRIDGES,TURN PRINTER ON, REINSTALL CARTRIDGES..PRINTER READS AS NEW CARTRIDGE...IT WORKED MORE THAN ONCE FOR ME....BEST NOT TO BUY EPSON ALSO.

    

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8.  

   

   MEACHAM, Mar 20th, 2007 @ 1:21pm

   
   

   RE INSTALL

   BEST NOT TO BUY EPSON FOR MORE REASONS THAN THIS. WHEN THIS HAPPENED TO ME ON MORE THAN ONCE...I FOUND OUT . RMOVE CARTRIDGES, TURN OFF PRINTER UNPLUG, WAIT A MINUTE, TURN PRINTER ON , RE INSTALL CARTRIDGES.

    

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9.  

   

   Frank Link, Sep 15th, 2007 @ 2:24pm

   
   

   Epson Printer's and Cartridges

   I too have an epson C66 printer which short of being a bit noisy when printing did well until one day it just stopped printing. I tried cleaning the heads and everything else I could think of. I am actually afraid to try to buy new cartridges for fear they won't work and I don't have that kind of money to just throw away. I think it is really sad that a printe company who was at one time the best on the market has turned to ripping off it's customers as a way of making money. Personally I will never purchase an epson product again. I have alwasy been very happy with HP and will continue to stick with HP for everything I buy in terms of computer equipment.

    

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10.  

    

    B. Nardi, Sep 26th, 2007 @ 1:05pm

    
    

    Epson Printerws/Ink cartridges are an Institutiona

    I bought an Epson C84 printer (BTW, a Consumer Reports Best Buy) and used it for B/W prints for months, without making a single color print. I noticed that the software color-ink-level indicators seemed to show small decreases over time, but paid little attention. When I finally got around to printing those digital photos that I'd been putting off, a print dialog box told me I was OUT OF INK. No joke. I was not able to make a solitary color print. The cartridges were completely full (I shook and weighed them) and I couldn't make a print. Hey, it's my ink. I paid ALOT(!) for it. I don't remember signing a lease agreement for 12 ml of ink at $50 for 6 months.
    
    What balls, to devise such a sneaky way to prevent someone from using a paid-for product. And a ridiculously expensive product at that. This scam can only be Epson corporate and technical policy. You don't accidentally pick some one's pocket. It obviously takes effort. So did this. The Epson company decision makers are a pack of crooks. Period.
    
    That printer experienced a violent trajectory into a garbage can. I will never buy an Epson anything again, and strongly encourage you not to.
    
    What balls!

     

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11.  

    

    Woodrow Olson, Sep 30th, 2007 @ 5:48pm

    
    

    Re: Epson Printerws/Ink cartridges are an Institut

    My girlfriend and I purchased an Epson CX6000 over Christmas of 2006. We printed about 20 pages; some just black and some in color. When the black ran out we tried to replace it with a generic cartridge which the printer refused to recognize. While we were wrestling with that cartridge the printer decided to register that the yellow was out too, and we hadn't (couldn't have) printed.
    
    We're looking for another brand of printer since we don't want to throw good money after bad.

     

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12.  

    

    Curtis, Oct 11th, 2007 @ 5:51pm

    
    

    epson r380

    Don't buy one of these!!! Brand new with brand new epson ink cartridges. And guess what error I get? Ink cartridges not recognized please install again. Installed them 100+ times over and over and same message. Now I have to deal with tech support crap...arg!! DON'T BUY EPSON!! Wife was so excited about this printer and it doesn't work.

     

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13.  

    

    Cat, Nov 2nd, 2007 @ 9:43pm

    
    

    Cartridges aren't being recognized by Canon R380

    Right out of the box!!! I'm taking it back tomorrow.

     

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14.  

    

    Katie, Nov 3rd, 2007 @ 3:49pm

    
    

    Can't believe it's true

    I called my brother the expert today, after my Epson CS5000 suddenly stopped recognizing that there is yellow ink. Actually, it first said the almost new magenta was finished. I took it out, put it back, and it decided the almost new yellow was empty, and the magenta was full. The error message told me to buy Epson cartridges. After what I have read here, I won't give Epson another dime. This printer is less than one year old, but I'll buy another brand instead of giving them money for ink. I do have generic ink now, and all was well, until I had a paper jam ... suddenly, it tells me the ink is empty. I'm stunned at what I've read here. I appreciate it.

     

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15.  

    

    Robert, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 8:26pm

    
    

    RE: CX4600

    I bought 4 remanufatured ink cartridges to replace all the old cartridges. I installed them and they registered new but did not print any images. I took them out and reinstalled them and they registered as half empty!! I tried to print and nothing....so I began reading the shut off and reinstall tips and thi8s time the cartridges registered as empty! I just spent $40 and I still can't print a thing. The company I purchased the ink cartridges will not take them back because they have been used. What a SCAM!! Epson you are run by a bunch of crooks!

     

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16.  

    

    Richard, Nov 24th, 2007 @ 11:38am

    
    

    Re: epson r380

    Amen, why didn't I read this article BEFORE buying my epson? CX6000 "Install Ink cartridges" ---- but it's there! I'm looking at it! It's IN I can see it and I can even take it out and shake it and HEAR the ink inside! ... well it'll only be a few more years till I can afford an HP....

     

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17.  

    

    Brian Hinchcliffe, Dec 16th, 2007 @ 8:23am

    
    

    Re: Epson Printerws/Ink cartridges are an Institut

    I wish i'd read this blog before buying a dual pack of Epson cartridges. 3à shetts of A4 later, guess what, OUT OF INK. I object to a supplier treating customers with utter contempt. Customers just walk away for ever.
    
    How can Epson use such short term scams and expect to endure?

     

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18.  

    

    Tim K SR, Jan 1st, 2008 @ 7:38pm

    
    

    Re: epson r380

    I recieved one for Christmas and loved the photo quality. I just plugged in the mem card and did the search and print.
    Wow.. this great..THEN I hooked it to the real world of computers ... Oh CRAP what a load of shit. I almost never got it installed and then almost never got it to print a picture. I thought I had solved the problems. Wrong. Went to bed ... next day tried to printout a SIMPLE damn email...no way in hell... it failed over and over and over and I finally said to hell with it. Thought well maybe it will still print a picture from my picture file... daaaaaaaaa hell no.. once again tried one from the mem card from the cam. Well low and behold the damn thing did it. I am less than happy with this unit. What is with the damn major problem of printing just an ordinary stupid everday printout????????????????!!!!!!!!!
    
    I have not spoken with the company, however, rest asurred I shall tomorrow morning(1-1-08)if you buy one of these make damn sure to keep all the paper work and the name of whom you bought it from.
    
    Tim

     

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19.  

    

    sophia, Feb 21st, 2008 @ 2:50pm

    
    

    i've had mine for less then a year and very rarely print, and all of a sudden the red light goes on and apparently it is out of ink.
    
    this is ridiculous. i have no intention of buying a whole new set of cartridges. i will keep it and use the scanner, as that is actually useful, but i will find another company to buy my printer from in the future.
    
    crap ass printer.

     

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20.  

    

    Claudia, Mar 12th, 2008 @ 1:24pm

    
    

    Re: your comment on Epson Printers

    Sophia how are you able to use the scanner without replacing the ink? My printer wont let me do it unless i put in new ink! I have an Epson Stylus CX4600...howd you get around this problem?

     

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21.  

    

    Anonymous Coward, Apr 7th, 2008 @ 6:19pm

    
    

    POS - Epson CX4800 Ink Scam

    Just another victim in a long line of the current Epson Ink scam...
    
    I never made a single color print with the color cartridges and they now ALL register as empty even though I can shake them and hear the ink inside sloshing around inside.
    
    WHAT A SCAM

     

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22.  

    

    andy brennan, May 7th, 2008 @ 5:26pm

    
    

    This is the worst printer I have ever owned. DO NOT BUY this!!!!! it is a big scam..

     

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23.  

    

    Paul, May 8th, 2008 @ 5:40pm

    
    

    epson sucks never buy one

    I have to print all of the time because I'm a student and I rarely use color. Even though all I print is black it seems that my color cartridges slowly run out. Once the color is gone it won't even let me print black until I spend a shit ton of money to replace the color cartridges! The entire reason I bought the printer in the first place was to have the advantage of only buying the color I needed as they ran out but somehow they all mysteriously run out at the same time. And this has happened to me on multiple occasions. I'M PISSED!

     

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24.  

    

    Ursula Schoeneich, Jun 30th, 2008 @ 1:24pm

    
    

    EPSON, get cash for empty EPSON ink cartridges

    EPSON Recycling. NEW! We buy empty EPSON cartridges. Sell your used empty EPSON inkjet cartridges and get cash for EPSON recycling. Each shipment must be a minimum of 50 original OEM EPSON ink cartridges. All cartridges must be in original condition, not tempered or manipulated in any way. USPS Free Recycling.Purchase price is $0.10 each and free shipping. Recycling keeps jobs in America. Thank you Ursula Schoeneich, President & CEO Certified WBENC Women's Business Enterprise http://www.freerecycling.com

     

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25.  

    

    Greg, Jul 3rd, 2008 @ 7:30am

    
    

    Re: epson r380

    I am having the same problem with a different all in one model from Epson. It won't recognize 1 of the 6 cartridges that came with it in the box from Epson!!! Totally annoying, and of course there is no way to tell if its the cartridge or the whole damn printer! Tech support can't tell either. SOOOOO this piece of junk is cetting returned!
    Forget about Epson if you want to print anything!

     

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26.  

    

    Lyn H, Jul 3rd, 2008 @ 6:47pm

    
    

    Re: EPSON 3-20-2007

    You champion it worked!!

     

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27.  

    

    CPrice, Jul 8th, 2008 @ 3:31pm

    
    

    Epson not taking back unused ink

    Epson will not take back my unused ink. Their CX5800F printer bit the dust yesterday. I have over $60 of unused, unopened ink left. When I called this morning, they told me that since my last purchase $60 was one week over the normal 30 day return policy, I was out of luck. I then asked how long the shelf life supposedly is for an Epson cartridge and was told it was 3 years. Then why oh why since I purchased another Epson printer (won't do that again) will they not replace my old ink with new ink. I think these companies are making their money on the ink and not on the printers since they are throw aways anyway.

     

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28.  

    

    nanci, Jul 10th, 2008 @ 7:06pm

    
    

    epson tech support....a bunch of BS!!!

    So I called tech support and the guy was an idiot! He kept saying that my cartridges are empty and they are not. So they said that they would send me a free replacement this one time. Doesn't do me any good now! I'll probably wait 2-6 weeks for them and they won't work either!
    Any idea on were to get the thing to reset the chips?

     

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29.  

    

    mariewild, Jul 27th, 2008 @ 2:41pm

    
    

    wot will epsom do to help us. will they give money back

    epsom should be made to refund everyone who bought these printers after all they must have decided which company was going to manufacture the ink cartridges .they should recall them .I have the same prob with ink and how many more who people are there that haven't added comments ,hp inks, last for ages, I have gone back to using old hp and it still has ink from 12 months ago and they are a lot cheaper

     

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30.  

    

    chuck capperino, Aug 9th, 2008 @ 2:26pm

    
    

    Re: Epson Printerws/Ink cartridges are an Institutiona

    I own a cx5400 and had the same experience.
    
    Used two whole black cartages, and when the second one ran out, the machine also told me I was out of color ink... even though I had only run 2 pages of color in all that Time. Epson sucks and the company is a thief with their business practices.
    
    Yes, it would be nice if the machine would tell us that we are low on ink... but we should be the ones to determine that the cartage is empty.... not some asshole at epson.

     

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31.  

    

    lou, Aug 9th, 2008 @ 3:38pm

    
    

    Re: Re: EPSON 3-20-2007

    Please tell me what worked??? I am going crazy with the out of ink error!

     

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32.  

    

    SirRod, Aug 11th, 2008 @ 4:02am

    
    

    Empty New Ink Cartrages

    We bought out epson printer from Office Depot in Bradenton Fl.
    It worked great for a while. Then quit printing.
    We purchased new epson ink cartrages from Office Depot, and they would not work because there was NO ink in the cartrages.
    I thought this was a fluke, and took the empty ink cartrages back to Office Depot, got new ones which were also empty.
    If you weigh the empty ink cartrages they weigh the same as the brand new in the package ones. This is a complete rip off.
    We bought a HP all in one, and have had no problem at all.
    I feel that Office Depot should be aware of these brand new epson ink cartridges there selling. They don't seem to care.
    Even though we bought our new printer from them as well as the epson that is gathering dust in my spare room.
    Epson sucks I wouldn't buy another epson product ever.

     

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33.  

    

    Pete, Aug 13th, 2008 @ 3:00pm

    
    

    Only Using Black

    I cant believe I cant print with just black now. I feel the pain, I want to smash this printer everytime I touch it and attempt to get it to work. I used generic cart before and they worked fine, now I cant get past out of ink error msg. Then I decide to buy the black epson brand because it has the correct chip. However, it shows the black but wont let me print in just black unless I fill the color cartridges in? That is the most insane setting in any piece of equipment I have owned. How dare they even program a setting like that, someone start a class action lawsuit so we can join in, ha.

     

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34.  

    

    jwow, Aug 18th, 2008 @ 8:44pm

    
    

    epson manufacturing know the jig is up!!!

    As well as all of you posted Ive had the same problems with my supposed to be deluxe printer/scanner/copier! I have bought the last ink cartridge that I will buy ever for this thing. But, what I did do was call epson..got through pretty quick only to find myself in a back and forth argument with a phone person who gave me every excuse in the book why my printer won't recognize full cartridges, I told her that this was a major problem for everyone who owns these printers and that I am going to get another printer and copy all of the complaints and maybe sue for this issue..tada! She immediately decided to send me a NEW epson printer loll! just like the junk I already have. WOW. Maybe she didn't want me to have to buy or borrow another printer to copy with? I could tell by the way she spoke when I told her about all the complaints that this was an obvious very popular issue with epson. Thought this might give you a laugh.

     

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35.  

    

    Jeroen Tel, Sep 25th, 2008 @ 5:39pm

    
    

    EPSON ink rip-off

    I've used my EPSON Stylus DX4200 a lot for printing digital images & full-color invoices, which uses loads of ink (all 4 colors). When the printer told me the cardridges were empty I was surprised by the evenness of which each color cardridge had ran out... I scratched my head, but went out and bought new cardridges for each color anyway... (I was very happy with the amount of pictures I was able to print being a very very active printer back then)...
    
    A couple of months ago I installed 4 new cardridges (one for each color), but haven't printed anything in color, thus using only black ink... yesterday my printer wouldn't print, cause MY COLOR CARTRIDGES WERE SUPPOSEDLY EMPTY!!! I thought to myself "WTF!!!"... I took them out and shook them next to my ear... they were full! Not just a little, but really really full!!!
    
    I weight a new cartridge on my digital postal scale and compared it in weight to the supposedly empty one... suprise: only a 0.5 grams difference!
    
    Having read the comments here I know for a fact EPSON has a fixed rip-off policy which scams people out of their hard-earned money and their -way- overprized still left-over ink.
    
    (Remember: -in weight- printer-ink bought from the original manufacturer is more expensive than buying solid silver!)
    
    Anyway, I -had to- (in an emergency) print a black-and-white invoice, but had to go out buying new color-cartridges just to print that black-and-white page, even though I installed a new black cartridge...
    
    I'm so mad... SO mad... I can't describe it... I will print with this printer for as long as these cartridges work (or should I say for as long as my printer will have me believe they work) and then bring it to the recycle plant and buy another brand of printer which doesn't cheat me out of my ink.
    
    EPSON: BOO! BOO! BOO! Shame on YOU! Never again will they receive 1 penny from me!

     

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36.  

    

    Kev, Oct 28th, 2008 @ 8:30pm

    
    

    Can you scan without ink cartridges?

    I have a great Konica printer and only need my Epson Stylus CX9400 scan function, but when I try to scan a window pop up saying "The scanner is warming up or in use. Please wait until the scanner is ready, then try again." The printer screen says "Ink cartridges cannot be recognized" I shouldn't need ink to scan. Does anyone know how to solve this?

     

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37.  

    

    Darius Surenian, Nov 18th, 2008 @ 7:19am

    
    

    Epson Ink Cartridges

    I had exactly the same experience. After replacingseveral individual cartridges and finding that they showed "empty" after only a few pages of print I purchased the full complement of the four cartridges and replaced the two that said "Low" only to find that one of the cartridges still says "empty" and refuses to print. I have decided that I am throwing good money after bad and I junked the entire printer. Now I am stuck two unopened cartridges, besides the two that I replaced but never got a single print out of it.
    Discusting!!!!

     

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38.  

    

    CG Mayell, Jan 10th, 2009 @ 10:57am

    
    

    Re: Epson Ink Cartridges

     

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39.  

    

    cg mayell, Jan 10th, 2009 @ 11:01am

    
    

    Epson cartridges

    I only use bulk MIS ink on my epson 1280 and epson 2200 (both are excellent printers that epson has since replaced with "more advanced" models in order to foil the use of bulk ink cartridges. I buy the bulk ink from MIS associates along with their CIS (continuous Inking system). It's basically a refurbished set of epson cartridges attached to plastic tubes that lead to ink bottles. The system works like a charm and costs 1/10 or less the cost of epson's rip-off cartridges. I am fussy about my ink because I am an artist making prints. But they look great.

     

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40.  

    

    andre, Jan 22nd, 2009 @ 5:45pm

    
    

    epson cx4600

    my printer ran out of ink and showed that evil red light on the left hand side. so i took out all the cartridges and only the black was empty so i took it to a cartridge refill store in Brunswick new jersey, and he reset the chip. but after i reinstalled the reset black cartridge it still popped up a red light. I think all the chips on all the colors have to be reset in order for it to work. tomorrow imma bring all the cartridges to get reset and hopefully this will work. ill let you guys know how it goes

     

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41.  

    

    Ron Chapiesky, Feb 19th, 2009 @ 8:00am

    
    

    Re: EPSON 3-20-2007

    Thank you L. Meacham...it worked!

     

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42.  

    

    Joe, Mar 2nd, 2009 @ 11:58am

    
    

    Epson not so bad...

    I understand this is the "haters" section, but I have a new Epson printer, and it's pretty darn good. (Artisan 800). Sure it goes through ink (as do ALL inkjets!), but not any more than an a newer HP (ex. C7280). In fact print quality is better, and the photo quality of Epson is WAY better than HP. Ink is about the same price as HP. (I don't know where you shop, but it's $9.99 before tax for HP (colors) and $9.40 for Epson (colors), so actually Epson is a little cheaper. Also, they are vacuum sealed, so they last longer stored - the HP ones are not as airtight, and have chips inside them that self-destruct/auto-expire, which sucks. I used only get HP, but after hardware and software issues, I decided to give another brand a chance. I am pleasantly surprised. I looked at Brother, but the print quality is not there in inkjets. I am curious how much longer the "high-capacity" Epson cartridges last compared to the "regular" ones, but at the end of the day, it's cheaper to use to regulars and get $6 in recycling credit as opposed to one "high capacity".

     

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43.  

    

    Anonymous Coward, Mar 17th, 2009 @ 10:38pm

    
    

    Re: Epson not so bad...

    I couldn't disagree more with Joe. I also own the Epson Artisan 800, and am so disgusted with the company that I could spit.
    
    This isn't an issue of print quality or scan quality. It's an issue of repulsive and deceptive practices by Epson. If I had known that I could not print AT ALL even in GREYSCALE without color cartridges that aren't empty, I'd never have bought the machine.
    
    I don't use color much, but the color cartridges (once installed), evaporate quickly even if not used. It may not even be evaporation. It's entirely possible Epson's other deceptive practice of arbitrarily reporting lower ink levels with every print irrespective of the colors used may be to blame. In any event, my color ink is constantly running out when I'm not using it at all, and that prevents me from printing plain black text -- which I use a lot -- without expending a lot of extra money.
    
    Truly despicable to intentionally design the printer this way.

     

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44.  

    

    mike, Apr 22nd, 2009 @ 9:23pm

    
    

    I am so mad...

    Same here. I don't care about few extra bucks, but my point I am tired of being screwed by companies like Epson. When you go to "print settings" (and of course you can't after the error message pops up)there is an option "black ink only" so, as far as my elementary knowledge of English goes, it means I should be able to print with black only. WRONG! And that really pissed me off.
    
    What is even more deceiving, is that, as many of you stated here, you can't use any functions unless you replace the color ink. Why can't I scan or use fax when I am out of color ink? There is no need for ink when you scanning. I was in the middle of work, and I can't finish scanning because I ran out of ink? BS! Where is the logic?
    
    So, this is my plan: I am filing a class action law suit agains you Epson, and I promise you lose this one! Bring it on!
    
    Mike

     

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45.  

    

    txbooklady, May 20th, 2009 @ 2:11pm

    
    

    Re: Cartridges aren't being recognized by Canon R380

    Well, I bought a camera for my husband for his dad's day last summer...and we received the Epson r380 as a freebie.
    So we have kept it in the box until this summer, as we were not needing to do any photo printing.
    
    And now, I have it out of the box, put the ink in and presto magico, "inck cartidges cannot be recognized. "make sure ink cartridges are correctly installed."
    
    I have tried shutting it off, taking them out, reinstalling them, still the same message. I have also bought a new black cartridge, tried it out, nothing different. Do I need to buy ALL new cartridges?
    IS IT WORTH IT????

     

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46.  

    

    james akers, May 27th, 2009 @ 8:36am

    
    

    epson stylus photo rx ,680, wont recognize cartridges

    If you are looking for a printer tha t will work for one year and your in need of a boat anchor--this printer will fill the bill. Printer is 15 month 0ld and will nor recognized Epson cartridges. One positive about the Epson [ they are very polite when they tell you are screwed]

     

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47.  

    

    CHRIS, May 27th, 2009 @ 2:10pm

    
    

    Epson

    You will always find your colour inks going down, even if not being used, because the ink acts as a coolant for the printhead, this means that it has to have all inks working in order to operate. Every time you turn your printer on, it recharges the printheads, more ink into the waste pad underneath. If you rechip an empty Epson cartridge, you run the risk of burning out the printhead on your printer.

     

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48.  

    

    Anonymous Coward, Jun 23rd, 2009 @ 10:06am

    
    

    Re: Re: Cartridges aren't being recognized by Canon R380

    I think you mean an Epson R380, not a Canon as you stated

     

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49.  

    

    Chris, Jun 23rd, 2009 @ 10:21am

    
    

    As an add-on to my last comment, if you want to use refilled cartridges, keep a set of empty Epson originals handy. Take out and change only one cartridge, letting your printer accept it before you move onto the next. If you have any problem, just put your empty Epson originals back in and let the printer sort its brain out, then you can start again.. Trouble with Epsons is that you have to use them regularly, or the printheads will just dry out on you, then you use all your ink going around the cleaning cycle. Hope this helps a few frustrated Epson users.

     

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50.  

    

    Marianne Mackay, Oct 22nd, 2009 @ 3:49am

    
    

    epson

    Cannot believe that I didn't read this before buying Epson. It's unbelievably bad. Just replaced all inks and my daughter printed one colour picture and now saying all inks are gone! This happened with the original ones but thought that was down to the 25% thing but now I realise it's just a complete con. Am taking it back this afternoon!

     

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51.  

    

    shwa, Dec 29th, 2009 @ 4:45pm

    
    

    complete bunch of crap

    epson is ripping all of us off. there are 50 pissed off people on this site at least, and i'm guessing thousands more. we absolutely should start a class action suit. there needs to be some accountability for this fraud.

     

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52.  

    

    phil, Jan 18th, 2010 @ 5:36am

    
    

    epson still getting away with it

    well, i can't believe that i've just read all these comments going back to 2007 and still epson has don't a thing about it - i know cos, yes you guessed it, I have a brand new epson telling me my yellow ink cartridge is empty (its not, lots of sloshing), then i bought a new one (bloody fool) thinking maybe the chip on the front was damaged, but the new one now is 'not recognized' AND its a bloody Epson not generic one. Blood boiling rage against the bloody machine! I set up a facebook group called 'never buy this!' please join and lets get some attention. My guess is most of us don't find this page till we've already been conned.

     

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53.  

    

    Katy, Jan 19th, 2010 @ 8:03am

    
    

    Epson...

    Brand new printer and ink I installed the ink and it seemed fine... a day later and it tells me that I am not using a black epson cartridge and it refuses to print!!
    I wish I had seen this blog before buying!

     

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54.  

    

    David Baez, Jan 22nd, 2010 @ 11:46am

    
    

    Epson CX6000

    As I can see I am not the only one that got ripped by Epson and as you all I will not buy any product with the brand Epson on it.

     

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55.  

    

    Josephin, Feb 2nd, 2010 @ 1:55pm

    
    

    Epson stylus c84

    i've have had this printer for several years and the problem that goes with this printer is always the INK. I spend hundreds of dollars of this becauase the printer says the INK IS OUT. but in fact, when I took the ink out, i shake them, and it has about half of the ink left.. i tried the unplug and re install thing, it does not work!! i'm tired of this already!!

     

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56.  

    

    Jennifer, Jun 3rd, 2010 @ 7:53pm

    
    

    My Artison 800 doesn't recognize the yellow ink

    I initially loved my Epson printer, even though I didn't care for how often the inks would empty. A couple of months ago, it said it needed Yellow. Well I put the cartridge in and it won't recognize it. I have tried everything. It will not let me go beyond the error screen, I cannot print, scan, copy - nothing!!!
    
    I agree with everyone - we should be able to print in black if we want to. This is RIDICULOUS!

     

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57.  

    

    Eric, Jun 29th, 2010 @ 9:34pm

    
    

    Hmmmm

    Well, I work at a large retail store and I can tell you that EVERY printer that we sell will not allow you to print if any cartridge is empty. It really is common practice now. People get mad about ink for nearly every manufacturer that's out there. People think that switching printers will solve their printing woes, but I can tell you that there are shady things happening with every manufacturer. They all make most of their money on ink. Even at relatively low volume stores, we will make millions of dollars annually on ink alone.
    
    I have 4 Epson printers for various uses and get most of my cartridges from ldproducts.com. Cartridges usually work fine. Results look fine. From my experience, Epsons will usually give you great results. They use pigment inks and piezo heads which vibrate, unlike most other printers. If you have the proper software you can actually control your ink output better than almost any other manufacturer. That's why many screen printers use them to create super black film positives.

     

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58.  

    

    G White, Jul 19th, 2010 @ 8:33am

    
    

    epson R360 ink

    I decided to pick the brains of a supplier of generic inks about Epson and was suprised to find out that Epson printers are programmed to kill the chips in the cartridges when a mere 5ml of ink has been used, even though there is usually the same amount still left in the cartridge. My local ink supplier can sell me cheap inks that the printer will kill after 5ml, or I can buy catridges which the printer cannot kill and they also give me 14ml of usable ink.

     

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59.  

    

    greg, Oct 14th, 2010 @ 8:18am

    
    

    Re: Epson not so bad...

    I dont know where you shop, i have never seen print cartridges for under $19.00. Most range in the $30s.

     

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60.  

    

    LHP (profile), Oct 25th, 2010 @ 6:59pm

    
    

    Epson R380 is the worse printer I ever bought!

    I bought it 4 or 5 years ago and I must have spent over $1000 on ink by now. Damn thing won't print if I run out of just one color! Even if I have a full black cartridge, if I run out of yellow I am SOL! I've also had problems with new cartridges not being recognized and had to unplug the printer and reboot to get around it. I have a new Vista laptop and even though I downloaded the R380 driver from Epson website, it just gives errors. Vista troubleshooter did not find the issue, it just says "error". I'm throwing this piece of shit out and am thankful that at least my cartridges are almost empty.

     

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61.  

    

    Angela, Nov 2nd, 2010 @ 1:12pm

    
    

    EPSON INK IS A SCAM. DO NOT EVER BUY THEIR PRINTERS OR INK.
    I've never used the colored ink AND THEY TELL ME I RAN OUT. I CHECK AND IT'S STILL FULL!!!
    
    THEY HAVE A CHIP IN THE INK THAT tells you to buy more INK.
    WE MUST REPORT THIS AND SUE

     

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62.  

    

    Kim, Nov 19th, 2010 @ 12:38am

    
    

    I broke open the 'empty' cartridge and guess what?

    Everytime I spend $70 to buy a full set of replacement cartridges for my Epsom Stylus Photo RX600 I know I'm getting screwed. But, sigh, so many battles - I give in.
    
    Tonite I got the familiar...'cannot print, light cyan cartridge is empty' from my printer. So I took out the old cartridge, put in the new one.
    
    THEN, I took the old 'empty' cartridge and shook it. As usual, I could here the ink swishing around inside. THIS TIME I decided to break open the cartridge. Inside, I poked multiple holes thru the black plastic which covers several compartments, and turned the open cartridge over a yellow notepad. Guess what folks? My yellow notepad is now soaked with light cyan ink from my 'empty cartridge'. I wish I had a picture for you. I am mailing in this notepad to Epsom to demand a refund. Or perhaps, even better, I should mail in the ink soaked notepad to better business bureau.
    
    The more ink that came out of the cartridge, the more disgusted I became. If the cartridges were cheap that's one thing but they're damn expensive.
    
    Folks, this is a con game. It doesn't matter what Epsom charges for the printer if they can collect $70 to replace a full set of cartridges and kill the cartridge when there's still a bunch of ink left inside, not to mention the ink soaked up by the 'blotter'.
    
    I am so disgusted. Class action lawsuit is what we need.

     

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63.  

    

    too_bz (profile), Dec 21st, 2010 @ 10:44am

    
    

    Epson printers - worse than vampires

    I own an Epson CX8400, having used an older Epson 800 before and was happy with it, I decided to get the CX8400. Like so many people, I was infuriated at how fast the inks go. I am reordering generics again. I would curse and swear @ Epson because even if I just want to use the scanner but am out of ink, the device refuse to work until I replace the ink. Never again will I ever buy another Epson product. We should all boycott Epson period. A greedy company like this who rip their "loyal" consumers off should be in existence. As far as I am concerned, I will never ever look at another Epson product again.

     

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64.  

    

    lee, Dec 30th, 2010 @ 1:47pm

    
    

    DONT BUY EPSON

    I own EPSON nx110.
    When ever i replace the ink, it make s me sick!!!!!

     

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65.  

    

    Martha, Jun 8th, 2011 @ 2:44am

    
    

    Re: R300

    Ihave always bought Epsom printer,s because they allowed the use of Generic ink,s... I have ran the R300 FOR 1YEAR NOW and its been fine no problem...! however today I installed a set of new Ink,s and IT WONT ACCEPT THEM.... I am so angry..why why why !!! has this happened ..there must be a way to by-pass ..this problem the inks are so expensive ...i just cant afford to run with a full set of EPSOM INK,S ..

     

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66.  

    

    Jerry Rossman, Aug 24th, 2011 @ 10:42am

    
    

    Epson Printers

    What we need folks is some nerd genius to figure out how to alter the program in the printers to bypass the out of ink feature. That way we would get full use of our printer ink and we could keep printing even if one or two were out of ink.

     

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67.  

    

    Evan, Sep 3rd, 2011 @ 8:34pm

    
    

    Try ink from axiomarts2011 on ebay

    I hated my printer because of cost and technical difficulty until I tried bulk ink from axiomarts2011 on ebay. They sell all kinds of ink you just have to ask. A liter of piezo pigment for my mimaki JV4 is only $65.00. They also sell a K3 alternative. For a fraction of epsons prices.

     

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68.  

    

    Jock Itch, Oct 6th, 2011 @ 1:43am

    
    

    I have a Epson all in one printer. I actually only use the scanner part to bring in hand drawings to my computer. I never really use the printer part that much. Today I was getting an error about one of the cartridges being low, which it shouldn't be, but I thought I'd take it out and give it a shake to get rid of the error message. Big mistake to say the least.
    
    Now it says that the cartridge is completely out of ink and refuses to start. I don't even care if prints or not. I just want to use the scanner. I'm not buying another cartridge, guess I'll just throw it in the trash.
    
    It would be like having your dvd drive go out on your computer and when you go to start it you receive an error message "Sorry you can't use your computer until you've replaced the dvd drive, thanks and have a nice day." Seriously...

     

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69.  

    

    Texas Matrix, Oct 26th, 2011 @ 3:18am

    
    

    Our Apologies

    Greetings,
    
    I have read each and every one of the complaints above. I empathise with each and every person who has posted a complaint here.
    
    I also own and Epson CX5800F that will not print, scan or fax when the color ink is low.
    
    My CX5800F sat in a supply closet for the last 3 years and was given to a new associate today. Of course like everyone else the ink levels were low according to the printer.
    
    So, what does one do? We purchase more ink. Of course like everyone else, black ink was the only color purchased as color ink isn't needed.
    
    No Joy! This printer will not print with only black ink.
    
    So you ask - Why did I title the subject 'Our Apologies'?
    
    Answer - I am the Chief Technology Officer of Texas Matrix. We are a national retailer of computers and consumer electronics sourced by the same distributor as Walmart, BestBuy, and Tiger Direct.
    
    As a result of what I see as flagrant unethical business practices on the part of Epson America; Texas Matrix will no longer carry the Epson America manufactured products.
    
    I have personally communicated this issue to the distribution source and encouraged them to drop Epson America as a client.
    
    In closing I would like to offer a small suggestion to the consumer public. Laser printers are slightly more expensive, but the ink toner is much better today than it was years ago in price and the amount of printed pages. You can spend about $300 on a nice multi-function laser printer and expect upto 80,000 blk printed pages.
    
    Have a great day!
    
    J.H. - CTO Texas Matrix

     

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70.  

    

    john suliot, Feb 28th, 2012 @ 6:16pm

    
    

    Re: EPSON, get cash for empty EPSON ink cartridges

    Purchase price is $0.10 each and free shipping. Recycling keeps jobs in America. Thank you Ursula Schoeneich, President & CEO Certified WBENC Women's Business Enterprise http://www.freerecycling.com
    
    Ten cents??????????????????? After all we have been through??? Get a real job!!!!

     

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71.  

    

    John Suliot, Feb 28th, 2012 @ 6:25pm

    
    

    Re: Empty New Ink Cartrages

    Sometimes I can repair these things, or maybe buy them from you. This is a growing business. Don't know who I would sell it to, but I can repair printers. I do art photography, and sell the prints. (yes, I have a bachelor's degree in it. jsuliot@gmail.com

     

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72.  

    

    Rick, Jul 18th, 2012 @ 10:14am

    
    

    Epson Ink Fraud

    A salesman praised Epson for its quality and reliability and sold me. What he didn't tell me is how fast the printer used ink and would get little use before having to replace the cartridges.
    We have been ripped off as consumers making Epson very rich every time we have to replace ink. Additionally I don't believe the replacement cartridges are full of ink, meaning they don't fill them up fully counting on you (we the consumer) to have to replace in a very short time. I for one am looking to replace both printers, throw these in the dumpster and never look a an epson for any of my future printing equipment.
    I AM DONE WITH GREEDY $$$$$ EPSON..........

     

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73.  

    

    GERRYMAC (profile), Sep 5th, 2012 @ 6:00am

    
    

    ink not recognized

    Anyone else had this...my EPSOM SX445W After installing non-Epsom cartridges and printing a few pics,my printer then comes up with a warning...''CANT RECOGNIZE CARTRIDGES''.....
    I Dont understand how it printed the earlier pics but now doesn't recognize the same carts. that already printed.???

     

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74.  

    

    Darthanos, Sep 23rd, 2012 @ 11:38am

    
    

    Epson CX6000

    I've had this printer for a long time, and I suppose maybe it has gone bad. It started printing crap (blank pages, or just a few gray lines on a page), and when I wanted to do a head cleaning, it said I couldn't because I was out of ink. Went to try to change the ink cartridge, and the printer won't let me, because I'm not actually out of ink. (It wouldn't even let the print head get into the proper position to remove the cartridge.) So I'm in a catch-22 - I can't print because the head needs a cleaning, I can't do a cleaning because the yellow is too low, and I can't change the yellow ink because it's not empty. What crap! I think I'll go back to HP - this sucks!

     

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75.  

    

    Tom, Feb 25th, 2013 @ 4:50pm

    
    

    Clicklinks sold me Epson replacement cartridges that don

     

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76.  

    

    Tom, Feb 25th, 2013 @ 4:52pm

    
    

    Clicklinks sold me replacement cartridges for Epson that don't work

    I don't know if this is the right place to put this, but here it is.
    
    I had been buying Epson replacement cartridges from ClickLinks for several years. The cartridges are expensive and don't last long. So when ClickLinks offered replacement cartridges for my Epson printer, "just as good" but cheaper, I bought 6 for $54.
    
    Money completely wasted. When I installed the first one, no longer would the printer print with the black, it was an illegible mess.
    
    I emailed ClickLinks -- twice -- to ask them to refund my money. They have not responded.
    
    So I thought your audience would like to know.

     

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77.  

    

    Dennis, Mar 20th, 2013 @ 6:37am

    
    

    Epson Workforce 840

    I bought a Epson Workforce 840 in 2011. It's real name should be Work Horse. I do mass mailings from home to market my business. On one black XL 127 cartilage I can print around 300 letters and 300 envelopes. I have to change the colored ink probably once every two or three months. Should I be getting more performance from the ink cartilages? The only complaints I have about the printer is that I can’t scan legal size documents to PDF and I have to babysit the envelopes while printing. It’s hard to get them to start to feed. I was not aware of Epson’s problems until I tried to trade my empties. I have probably have 50 or 60. Does anyone know they best place to trade them in?

     

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78.  

    

    kathy, Apr 17th, 2013 @ 9:04am

    
    

    Re: epson cx4600

    regarding comment #40 jan 22nd, 2009@5:45pm. Andre writes that he would keep us all updated on the result of his quest to have all the chips reset in his ink cartridges.
    Sooooo???

     

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79.  

    

    Marianne, Apr 21st, 2013 @ 12:11am

    
    

    It all really depends.

    I currently use an EPSON ME 320, i think it's exclusive to Southeast Asia, if I'm not mistaken. I bought an entire set of cartridges to print out a certain 200 page colored textbook (not at best though) and all the print-outs came out fine. Used up the entire $40 (10 for each 141 ink), but seeing the printout results, they were okay. Several key issues in this thread:
    
    1) I think that this issue doesn't only apply to EPSON, in regard to having ink left even if the system says there are none. Our family had already gone through different refilling stations to confirm this to us, and since two of our printers (Cannon and HP) broke because of improper refilling, we best venture the originals. Refills and imitations also have a problem with ink detection.
    
    2) In regard to the ink not being detected problem, just reinstall the ink PROPERLY, like the software instructs. Or try to reset the printer. If no result, then the cartridge is faulty.
    
    3) Avoid moving your printer around. I don't know why, but it depletes the ink more. and then the printouts become choppy, then you have to do headcleaning, then ink is charged and wasted, AGAIN.
    
    4) The scanning without ink is possible to me, if the Epson Scan prompt is used. If you have no ink, don't press the button on the printer to scan, use the software.
    
    I'm a student and I have worked with Canon and HP, and I wasn't altogether satisfied. Probably because of my obsessive need to not have my print-outs jagged, since Cannon and HP does that when they print pictures.
    
    I hope this helps, if ever. It really depends on what you prioritize in printing. Epson is not exactly a saving decision, but their print-outs are by far best to me.

     

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