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Personal Review of Everest-Team CISS for Epson 890.

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#1: Personal Review of Everest-Team CISS for Epson 890. Author: Peter_G, Location: Hertfordshire, UK

Posted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 11:28 pm
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Bought via eBay, the system arrived a week after initial order (Buy-it-Now!). On arrival I found that the 6 bore pvc tubing was badly kinked in a couple of places due to storage in hot conditions, and I had to remove a short section to get the system to operate in the printer without the tubing touching the printer mechanism. Also the roller for shutting off the tubes whilst filling has been left pressing against the tubes, leaving them flattened and marked. Not a good start !!

When it came to fitting the system into the printer, things were even worse, as the support bracket was configured for the tubes to feed from the left hand side if the printer, whereas the 890 has a large area suitable for fixing the support "velcro" on the right hand side. This meant that all the feed tubes had to be disconnected, and then withdrawn and rethreaded in the opposite direction. Then of course the tubes had to be refilled (done using a vacuum pump on each colour in turn).

In retrospect I should have returned the whole shooting match for a replacement or refund - but then 20-20 hindsight is a wonderful thing.

In short the system was poor value for money, damaged in storage and not configured correctly for the intended printer - oh and the instructons were for a different printer just to add insult to injury. As for support, forget it - had an air leak in one of the ink channels which Everest-team FAQ said required a new cartridge. Several emails to their "support " line and even an offer to buy another cartridge produced deafening silence. I eventually located the air leak on a barb fitting which had been badly molded. I removed the offending molding flash with 1200 abrasive paper, and bingo - no new cartridge required.

So, although the basic design of the system is better than some, the quality of the goods is poor, they have been stored badly, my system was supplied configured for the wrong printer, the instructions were incorrect and support is apparently non existant. Now, after several hours of "fiddling", the system works as intended, but if you want a trouble free installation, steer clear of this one.

PS I still have a kinked supply tube, but at least the system works now (fingers crossed)

#2: Author: Martin, Location: South Yorkshire, UK

Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 9:22 am
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Thanks for the review Peter..

I have to say that I've held off on mentioning Everest Team despite itching to slam their support forum as I had no idea how their email support was but I guess you've pretty much cut that one last hope down and the report about the state of the kit when it arrives is definitely not good news.

For anyone considering Everest Team kits just wander over and take a look at their support forum to see when they last responded to a support request. I believe it was sometime in August of last year, after which they just didn't bother... Since then I've popped over and tried to help out a few people and it was that site that was one of the catalysts for putting this site together.

Thanks again Peter.

#3: Author: jensieboy, Location: London

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:59 pm
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Maybe I did the right thing and came over here for support. My system for an Epson 2100/2200 had a broken clip on the light magenta but absolutely no respones from the support contact. Eventually solved after a few different glues, and a few more ££/$$..

Maybe if I'd tested the system a bit more before I posted positive feedback on Ebay, I may have been in a stronger position Wink

The jury's out on the actual system until I get some initial problems sorted out ( see main forum )..

#4: Continuing the story Author: Peter_G, Location: Hertfordshire, UK

Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 11:02 pm
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The Everest CIS bought for my Epson 890 some 6 months ago gave problems with colour rendering right from the beginning. I have at last resolved the problem by dumping the remainder of the "cheap" ink it was supplied with, and using MIS standard dye ink instead. This was a revelation, as parts of the grey scale which had proved impossible to print correctly even after much fiddling with Photoshop "curves" now could be made to print correct neutrals with discernable graduations all the way through the density range.

I downloaded an ICC profile for the ink and printer from the MIS website, and used it in Photoshop even though it was for Epson paper rather than the Kirkland (Costco) paper that I now use exclusively. I also calibrated my monitor using Adobe "Gamma".

To generate correction "curves", I used a downloaded colour target which contained 18 neutral squares ranging from white (RGB 255,255,255) to black (RGB 0,0,0). This was annotated, printed, scanned (calibrated HP S20) and finally imported back into Photoshop where the "info" window told me the good (or bad) news about each "neutral" square.

With the original inks it was impossible to set the neutrals to print correctly all the way through the density range, a colour cast always remained on some of the darker squares. With the MIS inks, after a couple of iterations all the printed squares appeared neutral after new "curves" were applied.

I think I now have confidence enough in the stability of my system to order a custon ICC profile from The Dot Foundry at £14.99. Their website is:-

http://www.thedotfoundry.co.uk/profile.php

The moral of this story is:- "If you want good prints use good ink - dont mess with the cheap stuff"

#5: More info on EVEREST ? Author: jensieboy, Location: London

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2006 2:24 pm
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Does anyone know any more about "EVEREST-TEAM" (.com) ?

I like others bought a CIS off Ebay ( Epson 2100 w ULTRACHROME inks ). If you read another post on this site, I had continual problems with blockages and eventually ditched the system itself but carried on with the ULTRACHROME inks they supply with some empty cartridges from MIS. I now get clear nozzle patterns but have tried printing ( albeit with the wrong, but close-ish ICC profile ) prints. I'm getting really messy blacks and everything in the shadows just goes, well, black.

I'm now printing out some patches to have a custom profile made to see if things get better. Everest are bullish about the quality of the ULTRACHROME inks ( made in Germany etc ) and as they're well priced, I'd like to get it right.

My problem is - Do I continue with them? Orders made from the everest-team.com web site take AGES to arrive. I am now waiting 3 weeks+ for some ink and just went to the web site to chase it up, and the site is DOWN. When I try to email them, nothing. The one time I did get a reply was when I asked a question VIA Ebay itself (I can only presume it gets answered in anticipation of a sale).

The guy himself, 'B', is pleasant enough ( when you get through to him ) and orders placed via Ebay arrive quickly. Trouble is, they don't sell the inks on ebay, only the pre-filled system! I'm now waiting on another reply ( asking them if they're still 'trading' ) and whether my order is being put together. Needless to say, I've cc'd it to the 3 contact emails I have..

Does anyone know ANYTHING about the backround to this company ? Are they here to stay ? ( they seem to do a good trade in mug printing technology ) Or do I bite the bullet, pour all my ink down the sink, and start again with MIS ( who have been faultless with their customer service )

I suspect I know what answers I'm going to get.

Banging Head

Quick Update - I actually just had 2 replies in the space of half an hour from them (!) saying that they have more ink on order for the future and will be selling through Ebay itself. However, I'm still curious to know more - maybe even what the manufacturer of their ULTRACHROME inks is just in case supplies dry up here in the future.

Have just sent off some ICC patches for a custom profile from http://www.batsys.com - I'll keep you posted on the service. £14.95 inc VAT.

#6: Author: Martin, Location: South Yorkshire, UK

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2006 4:58 pm
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I'll be completely honest I'm very biased when it comes to this particular company..

Their website is (or was) showy and seemed to indicate they cared about support but a year later I see them as just another front with poor customer service.. I spent 6 months popping on to their web forum and finding various posts from people who got no response at all. The last anyone got from any official staff members was about 14 or 15 months ago... Since then, silence and a lot of frustration... If anything their site was one of the key reasons for setting this one up.

As to their inks... I really can't comment. If I wanted to be nasty I'd query their claims regarding the ink source but I have no proof either way... Based on your experience though I have to question why you're getting more ink from there.

My advice would be to seriously consider alternative suppliers.. Personally I'd rate Gemini Colours in Holland as that's where I get my stuff from... Minimums are unfortunately a litre of each but they may know someone in the UK who is reselling (I'm thinking about it but haven't committed as yet). Failing that there's hobbicolours amongst others.. I'd recommend taking a look at the forum on nifty-stuff.com forums and see what people recommend there.. You'll know who to trust based on their posting quality..

Hope that helps...

#7: Author: jensieboy, Location: London

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2006 5:11 pm
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Thanks Martin - I got the impression you had a 'view' and I'll take a look at the suppliers you recommend. I've been to nifty-stuff before but not the others.

Looks like I'll get my last order through, and I've paid the £15 for the profile, so I may as well use up the supplies and give myself the time to re-evaluate as I've come this far..

This will help any others contemplating the Everest system, and maybe if they read this they can reconsider their approach. I feel I've been fair about them and will give them this one more opportunity to deliver ( literally )..

Come on guys, sort it out and maybe you'll build up a good reputation in the long run. In my experience that's how you make good money.

Smash

#8: Author: Peter_G, Location: Hertfordshire, UK

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2006 5:46 pm
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My experience with Everest dye ink was not a happy one - I tried for weeks to generate Photoshop curves that would correct gross distortions of the grey scale at high densities, and I never did succeed!!. Eventually went to MIS dye inks which were vastly better, but then found a problem with apparent spreading of the yellow dye over time when using Kirkland paper (see "Ink or Paper Problem" in the MIS forums).

These experiences lead me to ditch both Everest and MIS dye inks at just about the same time as my Epson 890 started playing up - so the whole lot was discarded and I bought an Epson R220. This was quite a revelation in terms of print speed and quality, albeit using expensive Epson paper and ink. The ICC profile supplied by Epson was rubbish, so I had one prepared by "The Dot Foundry", which gave a vastly improved but not perfect grey scale. The jury is still out on this one.

I have now purchased a set of refillable carts from "Print on a Dime", and will think about which ink to use when I have used up three set of Epson ink cartridges that I purchased for a song on eBay. A friend, who used to work for Kodak in the good old days, swears by Proprint dye ink on Kirkland paper, and has shown me results of fade tests to justify his choice. Don't know who makes ink for Proprint, but it seems worth a try as the fade tests are pretty impressive.

Hope this does not throw too big a spanner in the works.

#9: Report on profile.. Author: jensieboy, Location: London

Posted: Fri Nov 17, 2006 6:45 pm
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As promised, a report on the custom profile I had made by http://www.batsys.com . Impressive! Turned the job around in 24hrs too. All the shadows are now back..

Report on the Everest ULTRACHROME inks, equally impressive - although I have no idea of knowing about the lighfastness. Colours rich and true, with lots of life. Also, my refill inks arrived the next day after sending an email to 'B' at Everest to chase them up. Let's hope it can continue.. Afterall, that's how it should be.

For the time being.... Cheers

#10: Author: Martin, Location: South Yorkshire, UK

Posted: Fri Nov 17, 2006 6:47 pm
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Nice to be proven wrong for a change... I'd be interested to know if you pointed out this thread in email B Wink

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