Epson printer clogging: HOW true ???

[dhiren]

I am relatively new to photo printers [especially EPSONs], I

know/understand that Epson has ruled print market for awhile now and

then there are other brands like HP/Canon coming up.

 

I hear a lot of concern about Epson printerhead clogging. I know

this used to happen with older machines, but how is it going with

new models like R2200? How often do you have to print [lets say

couple 4x6] to keep head clean [once a week or a month?]

 

Are Epson printers NOT recommended for people, who wouldn?t use it

regularly?

 

I ask all these questions, because I am debating between hp 8750 &

Epson 2400, I am really thrilled by the amount of flexibility Epson

printers offers in terms of various paper combinations.

 

In terms of print quality I guess Hp and Epson are neck to neck.

 

All your thoughts/experiences would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

[byronlawrence]

i have an r1800 and like the results. the "archivability" sold me, however i keep my prints in a folder, and some of my older hp prints still have no fading (only a couple years old though). as far as clogging goes i think it may be possible. the inks must be used before 6 months (according to what i remember of the manual) and i had an r800 before that started creating a pretty striped texture across all my prints (i tried cleaning, new ink, reinstalling/upgrading driver, etc. to no avail) so maybe it had a clogged head or two. i traded it in for my new printer. it works beautifully the new driver is better than for the r800.

 

the r2400 uses bigger ink droplets than either the 1800 or the 800 and so may be less susceptible to clogging, but it uses different ink too. however this is all just speculation. older 2200 i have encountered (in college classes, so they get heavy use) didn't have any problem and the 2200 is likely more comparable to the r2400 than the r800 is to the r2400.

[michael erlich]

I used to use a Stylus Photo 870. Admittedly not a high-end printer, but the quality was excellent, when it worked. But despite regular (daily) use, I practically spent more time cleaning the heads than actually printing. The heads would clog even in the middle of a job. I only used Epson inks.

 

I replaced it with a Canon i9100 about a year ago, and many hundreds of prints later I haven't had to clean the heads once.

[byronlawrence]

also ... epson printers use ink cartridges in a cariage and pipe the ink to the print head which does not get replaced in the life of the printer (unless you send it off to do so) while hp and canon use print head built into the actual cartridge (so you replace print head each time you replace the ink cartrige). this does have obvious advantages. but many will argue that epson inks are better and are willing to sacrifice for that.

[michael erlich]

Actually, my Canon i9100 has a separate (replaceable) print head, not part of the ink

cartridge. I have had no need to replace it.

[mattb1]

Yes Epson print heads clog. Mostly because of inactivity. If you print a couple of days a week, it isn't a problem with their dye inks. Their pigment inks may need more activity, but I do not know fist hand. Third party pigment inks clog a lot more, people over look this fact because they like the ink. For me, I printed with my old Epson every couple of weeks, and had to do a head cleaning or two before printing. This got worse as the printer aged.

 

The Epson pigment inks do have a large range of media choice available, if you do print on fine art papers then it may be the best option. If you don't currently print on fine art papers then it is most likely a non-issue. For me the range of media choice was a smaller issue because I liked more traditional media.

 

HPs are great, they have been in the printer biz longer than Epson (Canon has been in biz a long time as well). The only caution I would give is to check out the water fastness of the 8750, and evaluate if that is a quality you need. Not sure if the 8750 has a problem or not. I have a DesignJet and love it, but some people have problems with prints from it because the dye is water soluble. Personally, I have not had a problem with it at all. Much happier than I was with my old Epson.

 

I would advise some skepticism on Epsons, people tend to way overstate things on the internet (big surprise). If you can, take a look at actual print samples on the paper types you use, don't rely on other peoples opinions too much...

[jtk]

I use a 2200 with OEM pigments. I leave it on and unused for days at a time, sometimes a week or more. Carelessness. I've made hundreds of prints over the past three years and it has NEVER clogged (has never created any artifacts either)...and I'm in a very dry climate.

 

There are virtually no online reports of 2200 clogs except from people who use non-standard inks (typically bulk feed systems). I've seen no

meaningful reports on 2800 as yet. I've seen no mention of clogging with the R1800. If I were you, and comfortable with the price, I would order a 2800 because it's only a little more expensive than 2200 and is probably much better with semi-gloss papers (reports from 4800 say this).

 

Canon's not a real competitor: not archival, no paper versatility. HP's a better alternative: archival, cheaper and more economical to run, but it limits your paper options. HP's blacks are better than 2200 but probably not better than 2400.

[kirk_thompson]

My 4000 clogs a lot, but my 2200 never did. I run a PhotoDisk test print through it every

day or two, to 'exercise' all the nozzles, & that helps.

[kris_carnmarker]

Does anybody have any tips on how to minimize the clogging?

 

I am also considering the R1800, but being an amateur I don't see myself printing every week. How about removing the cartridges after each use and storing them in airtight bags or something? At the same time maybe cleaning the cartridge heads with some solution.

[kaiyen]

I don't think taking the carts out and storing them or cleaning them with solutions on a _regular_ basis would be such a good idea. You'll start introducing enough other liquids into the ink mixture that you'll spend more time cleaning them anyway.

 

Many claim humidity helps. But others (including in this thread) have indicated that they are fine even in dry climates.

 

What I know is that I have a 1280, which is an OEM dye printer, and have a pigment bulk system feeding it (ultratone b&w inkset). I print try to do a full page print 1x a week, and a nozzle check every other day, maybe every 3rd day. I have had, at most, 5 incomplete nozzle checks in 2 years (and I mean just barely incomplete - at most 1-2 spots missing). I find it not at all difficult to do a full print 1x a week.

 

What I usually do is do all my test prints over 2-3 weeks. I rarely need to have a print done RIGHT NOW, so I do test prints with small tweaks over several weeks.

 

allan

[dhiren]

so general consensus is, epson printers need to kept wet and running at least once a week. with this assumption, i guess the cost benefit factor against HP doesnt seem to make sense. overall i feel the running cost of both the printers are same.

 

epson has an advantage of water-proof prints and wide array of papers and hp seems to have less maintainance.

[kaiyen]

Well, printing about 8 nozzle checks and 4 prints a month isn't exactly much of a cost. Even with the hour per _month_ it takes me to do that doesn't add much. But, what works for me might not work for you, so I guess the cost could be higher if the system does clog more.

 

allan

[rich815]

While I do not necessarily doubt the stories of nightmare clogs on Epson machines I think the fear is way overblown. I've had two 1160's, two 870's, a 1270 and 1280 and a 2200. The only serious clog I ever had was with one of the 870's. After trying over and over to clear the stubborn clog I simply left it alone. A few days later it was fine---probably an air bubble. Now if I only had one printer at the time it would have been frustrating but I just used my 1160 (no slouch itself, actually) in the meantime. One of the worse things someone can do when they have a clog is to run the head cleaning utility over and over again. If 2-3 runs do not clean it then running it anymore can just make things worse and wastes ink. I think many who complain wonder why 20 cleanings are not working. I have left my 2200 idle for 2-3 weeks and when re-started needed only a cleaning or two and it was then fine and ready to go.

[ilkka_nissila]

I had clogging on my Epson Photo 700, but newer models including 890, R300, and R800 have never really clogged. I do print several times per week. Dust can destroy the printer if it is allowed to get in, but this is easy to avoid as the new printers have lids to protect the printer (keep them closed when not in use!) and I also cover it with something to keep it safe from dust. Another thing that can clog the printer is storing it next to a radiator!

 

All in all, the newer models are much more reliable and they should last the warranty period without problems.

[byronlawrence]

the issue (from earlier post) i had with my r800 i think was caused by what i put in the printer. i printed a cd with a label on it (instead of a printable disk) i think maybe this caused the print head to mess up, but either way. I liked the r800 enough to stick with epson.

 

if you are concerned with not printing enough and it has been more than a couple or more weeks since the last print then just run an automatic print head cleaning/alignment from the maintenance box when ever you print.

 

if you can get an r2400, then go for it, the r1800 is a little cheaper but still damn good (my opinion). HP is a good system but it still needs a little catching up due to papers, inks, etc. (also my opinion) (i have used both hp and epson) also if you intend to print mostly color then maybe lean toward the r1800, because it is cheaper than the r2400 and prints very well.

[dickhilker]

I've run a 2000P and more recently a 2200 sporadically for years with absolutely no problems. I'll no doubt replace the 2200 with a 2400 before very long to take advantage of its improvements. The little Epson C60 I use for casual printing does clog frequently, but isn't truly comparable to the 2200.

[gary m]

I have an Epson 1280 and have had a few relatively stubborn clogs, but 5 or 6 cleaning cycles cleared it up. (I know an earlier post stated not to do this - which does make sense, but it seemed to work in my case). Someone on an earlier thread stated that powering off the printer when not in use helps to prevent clogging. I've been doing that for the past several months and it does seem to help.

[wally_merrin]

I have been using an Epson 870 since December of 2000 and have had virtually no clogs with it even though it can sit for two or three weeks without being used. I used to have far more difficulty with the HP it replaced and would be very reluctant to go back to an HP inkjet. I have always used Epson inks and tried to remember to use the printer's power switch to turn the printer off rather than the power strip (that way the printhead is properly parked and capped). I am starting to have a problem with black ink leaking onto the edges of prints, but that may just be old age.

 

Wally

[john_wire]

I have an old Epson 820 that sometimes has trouble with the black cartridge...... several cleaning cycles required to get it working again. The last time I pulled the cartridge and put a small drop of ammonia in the head tube and cartridge port. This cleared the clog and no problems now. Did I damage the printer?

[john_atchley]

Well, the only reason I found this thread is because my 2200 suddenly stopped printing well. There are all sorts of gaps in the black. I have ONLY used epson OEM ink,always left it on and used it daily, and just cleaned it ten times with no improvement. To the contrary, I now have completely lost yellow and light magenta, with blue now showing gaps. Epson tech says to take it to a repair center. What do you think/ Should I try a cleaning myself or let them do it?

[f_p]

John, I am having The EXACT SAME PROBLEM. Apparently, the

post I left on this thread was not appreciated; it seems to have

been deleted. Let me say that, for $700, I expect more than a

1and 1/2 year's life expectancy. I am extremely unhappy, having

dumped more than $60 today alone trying to comply with this

stupid printer's wishes. Suddenly, the already sketchy printer

test results lost more colors...some times it prints (very poorly,

streaky) , some times it does not print at all. Yesterday it worked

fine. No bumps, drops, spills or other abuse. Simply stopped

performing.

 

Think I will look into buying and HP...or better yet, a Canon. For

some reason, throwing more good money after bad is not to my

liking.

[rich815]

Too bad you ran so many cleaning cycles. More than 2-3 is bad. That's why the other colors are now not working. Leave it alone for a few days. It'll likely work the air bubbles out by then.

[f_p]

Richard....are you serious?

[rich815]

Yes, read above, and elsewhere on this site where clogs are discussed. Too many cleaning cycles often can create more problems. If 2-3 cycles do not do it then its likely air in the head. Often waiting a couple days allows it to work itself out. Twice I've had stubborn problems like this on my 870 and 2200. Waiting a few days and they were gone.

[f_p]

Thanks Richard...I shall see. If it works in a few days, it goes up for sale, along with my other "digitalia". This is a FAR too expensive way to make black and white prints that are inferior (opinion) to chemical prints. I'm goin' back to the stone age. I'm sick of buying ink anyway.