Photo Black Ink Disappearance ???

[james_crotty]

<p>Hi,<br>

I'm currently using an Epsom Stylus Pro 3880 for my printing and have just had a repeat occurrence of a problem I encountered about two months ago, ie: My Photo Black Ink (250 ml) ran out far sooner than it should have. The first time it happened I brought it back to my supplier who kindly replaced it for me as we both surmised that it may have been faulty.<br>

However having replaced it with a fresh one it too has mysteriously vanished and with all the utility displays telling me that the cartridge is still full ( as they did the first time) I'm wondering if there is some kind of break in a seal that is letting the ink slowly leak/evaporate over time. Or if the ink is somehow being purged into the maintenance cartridge??<br>

Since the replacement cartridge I have printed very little ( maybe 20 x A4 approx) and I can assure you that the cartridge is empty as I have weighed both a full one and an empty one.<br>

I am at a loss for a solution and hope it is not going to be a very expensive fix!<br>

Anyone any similar tales or solutions???<br>

Any help would be greatly appreciated......................kind regards, <br>

JIM.</p>

[RobertChura]

<p>A friend of mine had that problem. It turned out that he had to replace the head.</p>

[howard_m]

<p>the 3880 carts are 80mL capacity and certainly not 250.</p>

<p>That said, let me ask you 'do you switch from PK to MK and back a lot?' If it's not the head (and if it is, it's probably not worth repairing) then it may well be the MK/PK switching valve which is a common failure point. basically, the ink drains directly into the maint. tank or elsewhere. A truly empty cartridge weighs about 60-65grams.</p>

[james_crotty]

<p>Hi Guys,<br>

First off my apologies Howard, you are correct the cart does indeed contain 80ml when full and weighs 60-65 grams when empty. Since I posted this a short while ago I have since discovered that this is a common problem with this printer and the solution is to replace the head. As this is a pressurized system that requires the valves to work properly, and when they don't (remain open) then the ink is expelled from the cartridge and the display is unable to give a correct reading of the content amount. <br>

Pity.... I love the printer, guess I'll just have to find the nearest epsom repair agent and pay the ransom out. What a bummer!<br>

Thanks for the swift responses guys,.......much appreciated</p>

[custom film holders for fl]

<p>You might want to do more research about this common problem. There are posts from people who have replaced the part(s) related to the valve versus the much more expensive head.</p>

[PapaTango]

<p>A great printer, but a common issue. It is one of the reasons that I opted for the Canon Pixma Pro 10 instead.</p>

<p>As noted, you may be able to get valve parts instead of the entire head assembly. Trouble is that either repair or replacement does not assure permanent resolution of the problem--it can emerge again--although from what I have read the risk is much less perhaps due to some minor change in the replacement parts.</p>

<p>As an aside, once you resolve this you may want to investigate the replacement of your ink set from the OEM to a Precision Color set. Very highly recommended, and extremely cost efficient. http://precisioncolors.com/E9B3.html</p>

[douglasely]

<p>I have the same printer with the same problem. The ink carts are connected to a module that includes one line for each cart and the whole module is under pressure. The module has to be replaced and the sooner the better. If you wait as I did, multiple carts can be blown dry. This is a common problem with our printer. It is a $300.00 fix to replace the module. I waited and lost about $200.00 additional in lost ink. i know of at least three others with the same problem and we all paid the identical price top have it repaired. Feel free to contact me directly if you like. Best of luck, Doug</p>

 

[bob_bill]

<p>Douglas, did you send it back to Epson for the repair? </p>

[douglasely]

<p>For service:<br>

Contact Epson Professional Imaging. U.S. phone number is 562-276-1305. They will tell you where an Epson certified repair center is located near you.</p>

<p>When you get the location, call and confirm that they are available, what they will charge, how close to you they are, and if you need to ship the printer, what service they recommend (probably Fed Ex.) I say this because I have found Epson Support to be less reliable every year.</p>

<p>Finally, if you ship it, read your owners manual to learn how to lock the carriage prior to shipping.</p>

<p>Once I made contact with the repair guy, everything went smoothly. He told me that he has repaired over a thousand of these with the same problem. It is a simple fix . . . pull out bad module, put new module in, done!</p>

<p>Wishing you the best! D </p>

[bob_bill]

<p>Douglas, thanks. No problem yet but I do regularly cycle between the black ink cartridges. I kept the original box/materials for just such a potential problem. Lovin the print quality and the feel of the epson papers. </p>