This Buying Guide provides the most common questions that a a buyer who is considering purchasing the New Generic Compatible T048120/T048220/T048320/T048420/T048520/T048620/ t048 series for the EPSON STYLUS PHOTO R200 R220 R300 R300M R320 R340 RX500 RX600 RX620 printers should ask.

Top 7 questions asked BIDABITCOM
1. Where are the Cartridges manufactured and are they refurbished?
2. Why do some of the sellers place so much emphasis on American ink. ?
3. Why are the prices so low?
4. Will my pictures last as long as the original?
5. Will the cartridges ruin my printer?
6. Why should I buy from a reputable seller?
7. What Printers does this cartridge go with.


1. Where are the Cartridges manufactured and are they refurbished?

The T048 SERIES is never refurbished as the value is too low to make it worthwhile. All the cartridges you see on ebay are brand new manufactured generic compatibles. Generic Compatible means that it is manufactured by a third party not the original OEM. In this case Epson. All the new generics that I've heard of are manufactured in Asia. The quality of 3rd party cartridges varies greatly. The most important difference is the quality of ink used in the manufacturing process. The best quality, usually a little pricier, is those that are manufactured using American, Korean, or German Ink.


2. Why do some of the sellers place so much emphasis on American ink. ?

The Manufacture of ink is a very precise and exact process. The countries listed above are able to implement a high degree of quality control batch after batch. On the other hand the Asian companies seem to be less consistent in there ability to reliably produce quality ink. Example this week you purchase Chinese ink filled cartridges they work fine but the next week you purchase again and they print differently (or not at all).  

The premium cartridges like Bidabit sells use American Ink and provide excellent quality print after print. Our company has less than a 1/4% defect rate on New Generic Cartridges.


3. Why are the prices so low?

Based on the price of original Epson Cartridges our prices should be double. The low price is a result of Supply and Demand Economics, factories in Asia can provide unlimited supply. Since the supply is so high and the competition is so heavy, prices have been lowered to a level that provides skinny profits for the seller, and a bargain for the buyer. Bidabit purchases in large quantities and can sell at wholesale prices to the retail customer.
 
 
4. Will my pictures last as long as the original?

Epson makes representations that their ink will last 99 years. Any ink if exposed to the sun will fade even Epson. None of our vendors has ever provided us with a fade test comparing our ink to Epson. So I always reply honestly, "I don't have any studies. If you are keeping your photos in a photo album than you probably won't see much difference but if you are hanging on the wall and you want to be sure that the Photo lasts than I suggest that you use original Epson Ink." Many customers are willing to trade in the certainty of durability for a 75% price savings. By the way the other sellers on EBay may make representations that their ink is archival. Ask them for a copy of the comparison Fade Test!


5. Will the cartridges ruin my printer?

Epson print head is on board the printer and if that print head runs dry than the print head will burn up. I've sold 1000s of cartridges over the years and had a miniscule amount of complaints that our cartridge ruined the printer. When  questioned the customers  all admitted that they had printed more than 10,000 pages, and that instead of trading out a non-functioning cartridge, they spent a inordinate time trying to get it to work. Most had done at least 4 to 10 head cleanings in a row.

Our advice is that if you ever have a problem with color control either use the instruction that we email you (see below). Or only do one head cleaning, if the head cleaning doesn't work than trade out the cartridge or cartridges.  They certainly are inexpensive enough.

We've also come up with an alternative to head cleaning,  we can email you the link if you write us. Just go to our About Me Page to contact us.

Bidabit only sell the best quality ink, so I can't be sure that a C quality cartridge might not cause this issue but in years of selling ink I've never had a batch where I saw a pattern of these complaints.


6. Why should I buy from a reputable seller?.

A Seller (Like Bidabitcom) who is moving quantity of ink and with a rating over 99% is a safe bet. They have shown a commitment to providing quality and service. Also they generally are purchasing through normal channels. One of the pitfalls of purchasing ink is that if a cartridge while in storage is exposed to high temperatures it can ruin the cartridges. So surplus cartridges are a risky proposition. Our cartridges are stored in a air conditioned facility during the summers and winter climate is moderate in our section of California. We only purchase cartridges through regular sources So when you purchase from us you are getting excellent quality.

7. What printers should this cartridge go with.

EPSON STYLUS PHOTO R200 R220 R300 R300M R320 R340 RX500 RX600 RX620