Month List

Today we have a fantastic review from Alain who has used many of our products. If you'd like to be entered in our monthly prize draw, and receive a discount on all dye and pigment ink purchases, send your review to reviews@cityinkexpress.co.uk.

 

Cityink offers a lot of great products. I used these on all my printers (Canon, Epson, Brother) without ever having problems.

 

They are very professional and correct with the customers. Follow-ups and technical advice are always excellent.

 

I highly recommend these products that save us a lot of money while maintaining print quality.

Today we have a fantastic review from Geoff for his CISS. If you'd like to be entered in our monthly prize draw, and receive a discount on all dye and pigment ink purchases, send your review to reviews@cityinkexpress.co.uk.

 

I purchased the continuous ink system for my Epson 1500w after a recommendation and I am so pleased I did, not only was it very easy to install but the ink quality is superb and as a professional photographer this was important to me.

 

I had a few questions to ask when starting up and the customer service I received was faultless, thank you Louise. I also added an overflow ink tank which again was so easy and worked straight away.

 

I personally cannot recommend this system enough it is brilliant.

Here at CityInkExpress, we are often asked for advice on which printer model would be best for our customers. In this blog post, we hope to shed some light on the sometimes bewildering array of options available in the market.

 

 

Toner or Inkjet?

 

Traditionally, businesses have always chosen a laser printer over an inkjet because of the reduced running costs involved with a laser printer. That is no longer necessarily the case, and many small or medium businesses (SMBs) are taking advantage of the latest business inkjet offerings from the various printer manufacturers, with real-world print speeds of up to 22 pages per minute. Fitting a continuous ink system can often be cheaper than using toner cartridges, and the reduced startup costs are very attractive.

 

 

Which Printer Manufacturer?

 

Generally speaking, Canon produce the printers most suited to photo printing, and many of their models are able to handle cardstock up to 300GSM (grams per square metre).

 

Epson produce fantastic all-round printers, and their small-in-one printers from the Expression range are well suited to families on a budget.

 

Brother printers are relatively fuss-free, cheap printers suited to a variety of uses. Whether you are a small business looking to print invoices, or need a printer to handle your children's homework, a Brother printer may well be the way to go.

 

 

How Much to Spend?

 

Budget is a concern for most people, and we will always do our best to meet all of your requirements, but as with everything you get what you pay for. We can help you find a professional quality photo printer, or a high-speed printer for invoices, for under £100, but there will be a trade-off in terms of other functions. Ideally, you should look to buy a printer which does everything you need it to, and nothing more. That way, you won't be spending money on a function you won't use.

 

There is also another key point to consider when buying a new printer: running costs. One of the cheapest printers currently on the market is the Canon iP2850, starting at around £30 plus VAT. If you need a basic printer for occasional use, it may well be the way to go, but the cartridges can cost £25 a set, and will only last for around 180 pages. Clearly, printer price isn't everything.

 

 

You're Not Helping. Which Printer Should I Buy?

 

Alright, back on topic. You need a printer, and you don't know which one. There are too many to choose from, and you don't know how to narrow it down. The easiest way to choose a printer is to ask yourself the following questions:

 

  • How much do I want to spend?
  • Do I need a scanner/copier, or just a printer?
  • Should the printer be wireless? Will I want to print from my phone?
  • What kind of things will I be printing? Is it for card-making, invoice printing, photo printing, or a mixture of everything?
  • How much printing will I do?
  • Will I need to print double-sided?
  • Do I want to print in A3, or just A4?
  • Is there anything else I want the printer to do, or any other features I would like (e.g. printing onto CDs, fax capability, or a rear tray for cardstock).

 

If you can answer most of these, we will find the printer for you. Here are some examples of printers which we might recommend for different uses*:

 

 

"I just want a printer. For printing."

The Epson WF-3010DW is a fantastic little printer. It is completely lacking in bells and whistles, which means that the money goes to producing one of the best small printers on the market. At 9.2 colour pages per minute (or 15ppm in black and white), with automatic duplexing and wireless functionality, and a 250-sheet paper tray as standard, the WF-3010DW punches well above its weight in terms of print quality and speed. If you want all of this and a scanner as well, you would have to spend twice as much on the printer!

 

 

"I need something cheap with a scanner to print the kids' homework, and occasional photos."

Epson's Expression small-in-one printers are ideal for light use in a home environment. The XP-225 is the cheapest currently on offer, and for just £45 you can have a USB printer/scanner/copier capable of handling all types of printing.

 

 

"I need a printer for the office, as cheap as possible. I mainly print invoices."

Brother's all-in-one printers offer a very competitively priced option for small businesses or home offices. With prices from £75, the DCP-J4110DW is a real workhorse. With print speeds of 16 pages per minute, and the option of occasional A3 printing as well as a scanner/copier, many businesses should look no further than Brother's J4000 range of printers. For larger offices, the J5000 series is well worth a look, as they are more suited to heavy use.

 

 

"I want a professional-quality photo printer, but I don't want to spend any money."

The Canon Pixma iP7250 was made for photo printing. For just £60, you can have a wireless printer with a maximum print resolution of 9600*4800 dpi, and capable of handling cardstock up to 300gsm.

 

 

"I would like a printer for heavy use in the office."

This is a request we get a lot, and there are plenty of options to choose from. Whether it's Epson WorkForce Pro range, Canon's new MAXIFY printers, HP's OfficeJet Pro or Brother's J5000/6000 range, there is a huge range of inkjet printers available for SMBs. Different prices and print speeds, along with other options such as fax and double-sided scanning, enable you to find the perfect printer for your requirements.

 

 

"I don't like any of those. My needs are different."

That's not a problem. Drop us an email to admin@cityinkexpress.co.uk and we'll find a printer/CISS combination to suit any environment.

 


*Prices and current models are correct as of 29/01/2015. Links provided are to printer bundles, with a CISS and 100ml bottles of ink included in the price.

I first bought a Ciss system from city ink express 3 years ago. From the day it arrived I have been extremely happy with their service and products.  I have since bought 3 more Ciss systems for other printers and each time I have been very happy.

 

I have bought both pigment ink and dye ink refills and can say that the quality of both is superb. Thank you Cityink Express you have saved me hundreds of pounds, and each time I press the cartridge reset button It makes me smile thinking about all the money I am saving.


Keep up the good work.


James

Write us a review in November for our best prize yet: FREE FOTORITE INK REFILLS FOR A WHOLE YEAR*

 
*you will receive a unique discount code of 100% for any fotorite dye and pigment ink you purchase through our website. Maximum spend in the year is £250. This does not include postage costs. Expires 30/11/2013.
 
Just e-mail your review to reviews@cityinkexpress.co.uk quoting your order number and you will receive the 20% discount code for future ink refills, and be entered into the exclusive prize draw. Pictures are also appreciated as part of your review, but not required.
 
Last month's winnder of the nintendo 3DS XL is Rick:
 

 

 
 
September's winner of the brand new built-in wifi KINDLE is Andrew:
September Winner
August's of the brand new brother was won by Jim and Linda: "Big thank-you for the amazing all singing all dancing printer a BROTHER MFC-5890CN chuffed to bits with it!"
 
August Winner
 
July's winner of the nikon coolpix 16.1MP camera was Richard and Sylvia:
 
July Winner
 
June's winner of the brand new 32" flat screen tv was Derek : "The TV has arrived and works wonderfully. Our old one was just going on the blink - in fact our son had started praying for a new one"
May's winner of the Apple Ipod Touch 8gb was M.Swinden, Birmingham, Spencer Swinden Design

 

Full terms and conditions apply and can be found here

Hi City Ink Express


I have a home business and I use a lot of printer ink and paper. I used to print stuff off and photocopy duplicates.  Since being introduced to the CISS Ink system I can't rate it high enough.


The ink is great, the system is simple and the service from City Ink Express is outstanding. If you haven't got your system yet I suggest you do it now.


Jason L.

My first CISS from City Ink Express was bought 3 years ago and I am still using it! The original printer passed away 2 years ago and I just transferred the CISS to a new printer. Simples! Shane at CIE is wonderfully patient and helpful, and although I was a complete novice he managed to turn me into a CISS expert!

 

Currently I am running two ip4850 printers and an ix6500 A3 printer (which has to be the best A3 printer bargain on the planet), all with CISS’s from Shane - one of the CISS’s is on its 3rd printer (started with a 4700, then a 3600 and now on a 4850). The inks are all the same (just in different orders) and the chips from the cartridges supplied with the printer can just be transferred to the old CISS cartridges.

 

As my business expands (yes, I am making a profit thanks to the reduced ink costs!), I will be ordering more CISS’s from Shane. The range of Canon printers he now has CISS’s for is amazing. There is absolutely no discernable difference between a CISS with Lyson ink and the original cartridges. OK, my eyes are not what they used to be, but a young photographer friend of mine cannot tell the difference either.

 

If you are worried about investing in one of City Ink Express’s CISS’s then don’t – talk to Shane & if you are still not convinced email him & he will pass the email to me – I’ll soon convince you!

 

Ian

This is the first time I have used City Ink Express after buying numerous cheap CISS systems which have either not worked at all or ruined the print head after a month or so. I decided that the extra cost was worth it for the customer support, warranty and hopefully better quality system and ink. I originally ordered a Canon MG5150 CISS bundle but Shane emailed me very promptly asking if it would be ok to upgrade the order to the next model up (Canon MG5250) at no extra cost which I gratefully accepted. The printer arrived the next day and I had great communication from the courier. Everything was packaged well and all boxes undamaged.
 
Next step was setting the machine and CISS system up. As with all City Ink Express systems you can find very helpful tutorial videos on their YouTube channel so this is where I headed first and found the video to match the printer. The video was very thorough and easy to follow which made setup a breeze. As with most multi-function printers, CISS systems can be difficult to route due to having a scanner on top. This means that the lid on this model has to stay open slightly but a metal bracket is included for the job. The only criticism I have of the CISS system is the metal bracket may not be substantial enough to support scanning heavier items such as books as it only supports one side of the lid. It may be an idea to include two brackets, one for each side of the printer, to better distribute the weight of the scanner and make it more stable with the CISS system installed. Other than that setup went without a hitch following the video and everything I needed.
 
 

 

 
 
This is how the printer looks once setup is complete. Even with the lid open slightly everything functions as normal. I was worried that the slight slant may make scanning more difficult but the scanner is aligned from the back left corner so I found the slant actually helped keep documents in place.
 
 
 
When the printer was turned on for the first time it detected the cartridges and began its priming process which took around 5 minutes. I had to do a single head clean to pump some ink through the CISS system and remove any air from the tubes and after this the printer performed perfectly. All colours print well and look vibrant and text is very clear.
 
 

 
Overall I am extremely pleased with both the Canon MG5250 printer and the CISS system from City Ink Express. Shane replied to any questions I had promptly before purchase and the level of customer service throughout the transaction was superb. I have bought many CISS systems over the years and some have been disastrous. From now on I will be paying a bit extra and buying from City Ink Express. The quality of the system and ink seems far superior to any CISS system I have bought previously and I have somewhere I can go back to for refills which will be of the same high quality as the ink already in the system which is a big plus for me! I will be highly recommending City Ink Express from now on.

 

 

 

Cityinkexpress offer amazing value that makes colour printing cheaper than ever! I print approximately 2800 double sided colour A4 sheets (5600 prints) for a  village newsletters every 2 months plus a lot of business printing. I reckon the 5600 prints I have done in the last week cost slightly over 1 penny each! I actually printed nearly all of them with the ink that came with the CISS system apart from a top up of black ink.

 

I very quickly stopped buying the molten gold they put in original cartidges and for years I was buying cheap compatible cartridges then I started to buy refillable cartridges, refilling them with syringes. Then I saw Cityinkexpress’s CISS systems and I am certain there is no cheaper way to print.

 

With a decent printer and a CISS system you just keep topping up the CISS with ink (just pour it in) and that’s it! The huge amount of ink that comes with the system gives me an almost immediate payback. They are very helpful too, I wear out a printer every few months and I always ask them to suggest a printer then I get a CISS system and a printer to match it so I never have to buy any cartridges.

 

I see they now do packs with printers and CISS systems so it will be easier than ever next time. Thanks Cityinkexpress!

 

Best regards,

 

Cliff

We have been using CISS Ink systems for some time now. We find them very reliable and cost effective.  We are a support organization for Greater London North East Scouts and any money we can save means that the savings can be ploughed back into the Scouts. 

 
Edward.R
County Print Team
(A service to Scouting)