A CISS consists of cartridges, similar to the original ones, multi-channel tubes connecting the donor-containers for inks with cartridges, respective ink containers (reservoirs) and inks.

Ink cartridges

In Continuous Ink Supply System, the ink cartridge is the one that is put in ink box. It contains original cartridge and special cartridge. Original ink cartridge is the one that is reformed from the original printer ink cartridge or generic ink cartridge for CISS, and special cartridge is manufactured specifically for CISS which is filled with ink, the user can directly install it easily, generally it contains non-sponge ink cartridge, ink sac and so on, non-sponge ink cartridge which is convenient and has a long life is mostly popular now.

EPSON printer ink cartridges are almost all equipped with the Intelligent IC chip which records ink level, after printing finished every time, the chip will be required to calculate ink using level (different ink levels in different printing tasks, such as cleaning, printing text, printing picture), compare with the original record, and then update the chip data. So after it shows “use up”, the printer will stop working, only when the Intelligent IC chip return to the initial state can the printer continue working. Generally there are two recovery methods, one is to use recovery software, such as the most influential Russian SSC Service Utility software, the other is to remove the ink cartridge from the printer, and refresh with the decoder. But both methods are rather troublesome, because the software does not support all printers, removing the ink cartridge is even worse, so CISS inner cartridge used another approach - directly install a permanent chip. The size and volume of permanent chip is almost the same to the original Intelligent IC chip, but the recovery methods are different: When the indicator on the panel of the printer which is installed a permanent chip flashes or the computer says "use up", one method is to turn off the printer and after a few minutes open the power supply again, the other method is to replace ink cartridges with the "formalism" approach and operate the button on the control panel, but the ink cartridge do not need to be taken out, another is unplug the printer power, the permanent chip can be recovered using power turn-off method, at this time the remaining ink is checked "full" in the computer, and the printer can continue to work.

Multi-channel tubes

Ink reservoirs transport the ink through the tubes, according to the number of ink colors, the tubes are stuck together which are called multi-channel tube, four-color printer uses four-channel tubes, and six-color printer uses six-channel tubes. One side of the multi-channel tubes connects to the ink reservoir, and the other side connects to the ink cartridges. In order to ensure the normal movement of ink box, the multi-channel tubes need to be fixed with adhesive tape or clip. The multi-channel tube is made from silicone, flexible, stable.

Ink reservoirs

Ink reservoir is the ink cartridges outside the printer. Ensure the ink reservoirs and the printer are at the same horizontal plane, and the level of the ink is slightly lower than the printer nozzle (do not exceed the printer nozzle too much, otherwise the pressure is too great, the ink will flow into the printer through the print head). The level of ink in ink reservoirs will decline with the consumption of ink, so it is necessary to heighten the ink reservoirs, or we need to replenish the ink. To solve this problem, the CISS ink reservoirs with air holes extending into the bottom play a balanced role, according to air pressure, no matter how much all colors of ink remain in cartridges, the pressures of ink exits are basically the same.

Ink

Strictly speaking, ink is not a component in the Continuous Ink Supply System, but the ink is very important for the CISS, from this point, it is listed separately as an integral part.
Ink for ink jet printer generally falls into three classes: pigment ink, Dye ink and sublimation ink.

Pigment ink is a kind of waterproof ink. opaque particles suspended in ink to provide color. Pigment molecules typically link together in crystalline structures that are 0.1–2 µm in size and comprise 5–30 percent of the ink volume. Qualities such as hue, saturation, and lightness vary depending on the source and type of pigment. It suits for outdoor advertisement. It has good waterproof and anti-sunlight function. It is good for family photos store or office important files store.
　

Dye-based ink is generally much stronger than pigment-based ink and can produce much more color of a given density per unit of mass. However, because dyes are dissolved in the liquid phase, they have a tendency to soak into paper, making the ink less efficient and potentially allowing the ink to bleed at the edges of an image.

Sublimation ink is necessary for heat press, which consists of solid particles and offer wide color gamut available, when heated to 150 ℃ the sublimation inks will sublimate, and lower the temperature the inks become solid. So in the sublimation process, the sublimation inks are used to transfer patterns to the cups, plates, mouse pads, etc. They have bright color, true color, fluent, no jam to print head.