<< I think they might ship with a sample size cartridge. I've read that you can get 80-90 4x 6 prints from a color cartridge..... >>
90 4x6 ~ 22 8x10 that is not possible, unless most of your pictures are white snow and cloud
For cartridge saving design, Canon does better job. Most people tend to use up one particular color faster, Canon uses individual cartridge for each color in certain modles. Epson's ink indicater seems not really measuring the ink, instead, it counts how many printing have done. From my experience with BJC6XXX (individual ink cartridge), I always use one color twice as much as others. But the Epson ink level shows I use all colors evenly