after being on the fence for a few months now (http://www.steeldolphin-forums.com/showthread.php?t=878&highlight=epson) on what printer to buy, my decision has been made - thanks in part to my Color professor who pretty much said "buy this now, not later" and being forced to do a LOT (and i mean a WAY LOT) of color matching for this class; i decided to go with an Epson 1280 + a CIT (continuous ink system) - the 1280 being $300 after rebate and the CIT being another $300 or so with ink.

i was just wondering if anyone has had any experience with brand names of CITs for a 1280 - the one that seems to come up most often is this system (http://www.inkjetart.com/cis/nomorecarts.html) from inkjetart.com

No I have never used a continuous ink system. The main reason why is archivalness.
As far as I know none of them have been tested by an independant authority for archivalness, but I have not looked into it lately.
You have to remember it's the combination of ink and paper that gives you a archival rating as well.

These guys are pretty much the authority: http://www.wilhelm-research.com/

Saw this pdf in "cheap inks" http://www.wilhelm-research.com/pdf/PCWorld_Cheap_Inks_2003_10.pdf

yeah... the stuff i am reading is saying that they are essenetially OEM inks sold in bulk - so the archivalness is the same as what you get from a $24 epson ink cartridge.

the stuff i am reading

I'd like to know what you're reading, as I have never seen any claims that they are the same inks. Words like similar, or equivalent are always used.

I doubt very much that Epson would sell their inks through a 3rd party. That is the whole reason they put chips on the cartidges.

Epson ink, because of the technology they use won't work well in any other brand of printer, which is another reason they wouldn't sell it to anyone else.

After reading the PDF I posted above, stating that some 3rd party inks only last for 1/2 a year without fading I would be extra cautious about trying anything else, especially for artwork and photos.

:)