Review: Epson T048 Series Inkjet Cartridge Cracked Open

Inside the Epson T048 Series Inkjet Cartridge:

The T048 series of inkjet cartridges are very popular, and work in a number of Epson Stylus Photo inkjet printers (complete list below).  They are not “new” cartridges, and  have been out for several years, however they remain very popular; both compatibles and remanufactured cartridges are in very good supply.  There are six (6) cartridges in the T048 set which include:

• Black – T048120
• Cyan – T048220
• Magenta – T048320
• Yellow – T048420
• Photo Cyan – T048520
• Photo Magenta – T048620

Inside The T048520:

Since all the T048 cartridges are the same size and shape, and contain the same amount of ink (weights are all the same) we cracked open a T048520 Photo Cyan cartridge to see what it looks like on the inside.  We also got out the trusty syringe and removed all the ink as to get an accurate measure of the amount of ink contained in the cartridge.  For some reason Epson does not like to provide information about how much ink is in their cartridges; this information is not on their website, or on the retail cartridge boxes.  The T048 series of inkjet cartridges contain 17ml of ink which seems high compared to current cartridge offerings.

Front Side Of The T048520 Cartridge:

Click image for larger picture.

Removing the cover:

Removing the cover from the opposite side of the cartridge was a fairly simple process.  This is not really necessary if you are refilling the cartridge since the cartridge can be refilled through the holes on the bottom of the cartridge.

Where the tabs are located to remove the cartridge cover.

Once the cover has been removed, here is what the cover looks like from the backside:

Back view of cartridge cover.

Black Tape Prevents Prying Eyes?

Once the cover is off, removing the black tape is virtually impossible without getting ink all over the place.  Epson’s current line of ink cartridges have a clear plastic film which holds the ink in the cartridge, and that clear plastic tape is covered by black tape.  For the T048 series of cartridges, the clear tape seems to be bonded to the black tape so the attempted removal results in ink going all over the place.  We tried the heat gun, exact-o knife, et al, but nothing worked.

Black tape prevents us from seeing inside the cartridge. What's the big secret Epson?

What The Inside Looks Like:

After we removed the tape here is what the inside of the cartridge looks like. Not a ton of airspace in this cartridge, and Epson is able to cram 17ml of ink in the cartridge.  Compare this to newer “high capacity” Epson inkjet cartridges which contain a measly 11ml of ink and cost $20.00 each!  As you can see from this image, Epson cartridges are nothing but ink tanks (ink holders), and all the “technology” you see inside the cartridge is just there to try and prevent refilling.

Sections highlighted in red are airspace.

Refilling?  Reset The Chip.

If you are going to try and refill these cartridges, don’t forget to buy a chip resetter to re-boot the chip which is on the end of the cartridge.  Chip resetters can very handy in general and we recommend all Epson owners have one.  Remanufactured and compatible T048 series cartridges are readily available at reasonable prices for these printers.

The T048 series of inkjet cartridges are made for the workhorse Stylus Photo 6-Color printer series, R200, R220, R300, R300M, R320, R340, RX500, RX600, and RX620.  If you own one of these printers, take care of it!  The new Epson printers use cartridges with 60% less ink.

A Full set of these cartridges will run you well over $80.00 when purchased from Epson direct.