Cleaning Epson 1280 inkjets

After running into a clogging problem & wasting way too much ink in

trying 'cleaning cycles' five times I finally went into the darkroom

& got an eyedropper I use for pt/pd real prints & a bottle of

alcohol. I took out the ink cartridges & put the alcohol loaded eye

dropper over each hole, covering the spouts that go into the ink

cartridge,and then squeezed a few drops of alcohol into each color

hole.

Put the cartridges back in and hit print on 2 pages of color print &

writing & all was clean & sharp. I ran another 25 images after with

no problems at all. No banding & no trouble.

 

Any idea if good old rubbing alcohol or Everclear is better for

cleaning the printing jets? Or if there is any damage to the

plastics in the printer from this? Certainly a lot cheaper than

wasting half an ink cartridge on endless cleaning cycles.

There's not too much difference chemically between rubbing alcohol (2-propanol) and

everclear (ethanol). The inkjet gods at MIS suggests alcohol-based cleaners (see link below),

so I'd guess you're fine, especially if everything seems to be working OK.

 

http://inksupply.info/index.php?_a=knowledgebase

thn follow the "unclogging print heads" link on the lower left)

 

-brad

I always wondered how much ink is actually used in a cleaning cycle. I often have to cycle my 1280 1-3 times to unclog it if it hasn't been used for awhile (rarely if ever 5 times though). I suspect it is more of a time and inconvenience problem than a significant ink consumption problem (where does the ink actually go if a lot of it is being used).

<<(where does the ink actually go if a lot of it is being used).>>

 

On mine (2000p) it goes into a tray that drains into the bottom of the printer. Holds quite a lot of ink. I've heard that the printer remembers the total # of cleaning cycles and will shut down for servicing before too much ink collects in the holding area. So yes, it uses a lot of ink.

And to think there are people who drink that stuff.

Mentione this to a nearby Epson pro dealer & he said it would probably save a fortune over time doing it. He then pulled out 3 trays filled with wasted ink from Epson 4000 printers. Ink is expensive & the cleaning cycles waste a lot since one can't choose just the ink color that is having problems. A poor design.

It is definitely NOT a poor design if the manufacturer makes more money form their ink than from their printers.