Howdy old doggies!   
      
   As part of the original workup of FidoNet back in the time of 300 and 1000   
   baud modems I've still got a number of much later yet classic computers here   
   and there that still use digital printers.  Typically Epson LQ870's or   
   whatever.  For YEARS I have used the beautiful Mac Inker to re-ink the   
   standard ribbons over and over again until they wind up with holes worn in   
   them or whatever.  What you normally do as I have done for years and years now   
   is just use up the big bottle of the special ink you pour in the little hole   
   enabled container on the inker and it wets the new ink on to the dry ribbon in   
   about twenty minutes or so.  Well things have gotten so much slower for these   
   printers that this last bottle of ink has gotten sort of dried up and really   
   isn't what I need to go on doing this for the pile of ribbons I still need or   
   others need to service.   
      
   OOPS!  Come to find out that the Computer Friends manufacturer seems to have   
   'vanished' to a couple of different addresses in the same area and somewhat   
   different telephone numbers that even the latest one 503-257-2321 answers 'No   
   longer in service' or whatever.  There are a pile full of so-called individual   
   sources of the machines here or there on Ebay; whatever.  But I can't find any   
   real source for the 'official' bottle of ribbon ink!  I think I spotted one   
   suggestion for a company called Alibaba which seems to be a HUGE Chinese   
   outfit with, say, a USA interface.  But outbound telephone call attempts to it   
   get nowhere!  As well there are hundreds of all this and that 'ink' items but   
   I can find nothing that points me to what I think I need,   
      
   Sure, I could dump a bit of Cutex fingernail erase stuff in it.  But I sure   
   don't want to get any solvent in the ink ribbons that might damage the digital   
   printer heads on these needed printers.   
      
   Anyone have any thoughts on where I can go to get the real stuff to keep my   
   Epson printers working?  Sure I can buy even official new Epson ribbons for   
   these machines.  But they aren't near as BLACK as the old ones.  As well as   
   who wants to throw them away after each one goes out of original ink.   
      
   Suggestions?   
      
   Mike Luther as N117C at 1:117/100   
      
      
      
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    * Origin: BV HUB CLL(979)696-3600 (1:117/100)