Good question Pat.
Has anyone here been denied warranty service using 3rd party inks?
Let expose the bad.
Has anyone received warranty service when using 3rd party inks?
Lets praise the good.
Has anyone had a 3rd party ink supplier step up to the plate and repair a printer that had problems caused by the inks?
Lets give them Kudos.
Lets hear it people.
Triangle has been very helpful in figuring out any issues. That said, we haven't really had any. A minor issue which turned out to be static--not even ink related. We have had numerous repairs that were covered under warranty, and not had any warranty claims denied. That said, if we ever did receive a denied claim, I wouldn't be mad at the printer manufacturer. I'd absolutely disagree with them, but I couldn't say I'd blame them for voiding a warranty.
While Frank may or may not be correct, the burden of proof would still fall on you to prove that the ink did *not* cause the issue, not the other way around. I'd imagine most of the printer manufacturers have pretty good lawyers.
I'm a big proponent of 3rd party ink--for the right shop. 3rd party ink (ESPECIALLY bulk) is not for the casual user or the shop only doing a couple cartridges of ink per color per month. If you're a low volume shop, stick with OEM and avoid any possible headaches. If you're doing higher volume, the cost savings of using 3rd party ink will offset any potential costs, should you have to replace something. We save literally thousands of dollars each month. I have had to replace exactly two heads since switching to Triangle bulk inks almost three years ago (this is out of twelve total heads in service). Both of the heads that were replaced were about the 4 billion shot count, which is actually beyond expected head life.
Keep in mind, we clean our machines daily. This is in part due to the higher volume we run, along with the hotter mix of the Triangle MLD inks. We run Triangle wipers, which are more resistant to the stronger solvents (and also cost less!) than OEM.
We also enjoy faster dry times and a more durable finish for unlaminated products.
So yes, there are pros & cons to 3rd party and bulk ink systems. There is no right or wrong answer across the board. If you are willing to take on a little risk for a possible savings, the potential is there.