How long can printer sit without printing?

[ben_wickerham]

I have an Epson R1800 printer that I haven't used in approximately 8 months

because of a sudden move. The printer has been with my parents since, and I'm

starting to wonder if this extended sit-without-printing period has damaged the

printer. Any experience or recommendations with this one? Will it still print

normally after a few cleanings, etc.?

[yoni_perlmutter]

I let an Epson 2100 sit idle for nearly 7 months as I was away.

When I got home I turned it on, ran the Epson head cleaning and

alignment program. It printed perfectly after that. That was in 2004

and the printer is still in perfect order.

 

Get it working as soon as you are able.

[Stock-Photos]

The software that came with my Epson 2200 allows for the printing of a nozzle check page.

 

Before risking a sheet of photo grade paper, look for the test page print option (for use with plain paper).

[fanta]

Just run the nozzle check, with a bit of luck... if it turns out bad, and you have cartidges that are almost out of ink, replacing them may help (I doubt the printer will do a cleaning cycle when low on ink anyway).

[saskphotog]

As a last resort, I have put a few drops of ammonia on the "parking pad" of the print head and left it over night. It seems to dissolve Epson clogs nicely if the cleaning function won't cut it.

[norman_valentine]

I have an Epson Stylus 1200 that went a couple of years unused. I used a whole set of ink cartridges on head cleans and printing on plain paper and it eventually cleared. It is now fine.

[roger_smith4]

I recommend removing the cartridges, using a syringe to try to suck a little ink out of them, putting water or windex on a Q-tip and clearing off dried ink on the spikes in the printer where the cartridge opening goes (and/or scraping dried ink off them with a tool). If that fails do a few head cleanings with cartridges filled with cleaner (try inksupply.com) or windex.

 

After using windex or ammonia or cleaner on the pads and cartridges you might have to leave the printer for a few days before you can print in a worst case scenario. That fixed my worst clog to date.

[jim_z]

I prefer the HP printers, they can sit any amount of time and fire right up and print without doing any nozzle check or cleaning. In fact, they have never clogged for me or needed a nozzle cleaning (I've had 5 of them) The one Epson I have (Picturemate) always needs the cleaning after sitting, and in fact usually will clog a nozzle somtime during a printing session too.

[errol young]

My Canon i960s are four year old. I have 3 of them. 2 are stored for 10 months with no power and then get heavy use. The heads park and do not dry out. They do take some ink to prime the heads. But after that they work great.

 

Errol