May Epson rot

[Loose rivets]

After years of computing, in which I managed to fix most things, I have finally been stuffed.

It wouldn't be so bad if it was just some pile of junk that I could ditch, but it is my "new" Epson CX5400 that has me by the proverbials.

While in the UK, the heads dried out. Staples say tough luck, as it's over a year old. I think this is an appalling way to treat customers...but back to the point.

The inks were all new this summer, and very little used. I was already freaking out cos of the rate at which the new ones were going. $ 1.00 per letter is what I am expecting from this joke of a machine. Most of the ink goes while it farts about cleaning the heads.

The manager at Staples says that the falling prices mean that I just throw it away...scanner an all. No help from the ridiculous help line. "Automated replies only"

It seems that there is a continuous stream of victims who are all saying the same thing. Now I'm stuck with not even being able to get the liquid gold out of the (genuine) refills.

Anyone know of a way to clean the heads? And if they are easy to get out.


What a day!!! I spent the morning finding a short on my Chevy Blazer. 1.5 amps was disappearing into THE MIRROR!!!! The timer circuit for the little map lights in it have a dedicated chip and 30 or so other components. The worlds gone mad!!!:mad: :mad: :mad:

Rant over...

[SoftTop]

have a look here (http://www.eserviceinfo.com/equipment_type/Printers_22.html)

The list isn't very well sorted (well, not sorted at all by the look of things) but your one might be in there somewhere. :confused:

Hope it helps

ST

[Conan the Librarian]

Similar thread a few weeks ago and I gave a similar answer too.

Don't get your knickers in a twist just yet. Get some head cleaning cartridges from a "compatible" ink supplier and let them do their stuff. Your heads, sadly, are integral to the printer I think, so cartridge replacement will get you nowhere. The cartridges are charged with a solvent that will seep through the heads overnight and when you switch on the printer afterwards, it will pressurise and hopefully blow the crud away. Once you are making some headway, get printing! A long tome or two will loosen the blockage even further and hopefully restore your printer to full use. You have nothing to lose.

Google for ink cartridge+cleaner+uk


With ever greater resolution from todays printers, the nozzles get smaller and so the blockages occur more easily.

Let me know if I can help further

Conan

[P.Pilcher]

I cannot agree more with Conan's advice. Do remember though that if you intend to switch off your Epson printer, do so with its own on-off switch, don't just pull the plug out. When it is turned off as it should be, I believe some form of precautions are taken to prevent the ink jets from drying out.

Like Conan, I've posted on this matter before, if you use the search engine you may find it worthwhile reading our previous posts.

P.P.

[Loose rivets]

Thanks folks...


I'm back in Texas at the moment, but aging parts willing, I'll be twixt here and New Orleans for the next while.

I've calmed down a bit now, and have fitted a cartridge to a HP Laser 4 Plus that has been doing nowt for many years. This gets me back in business.

I asked the nice manager from Staples here, if there was a head cleaner cartridge, he did not know of one, so I'll search on the suggested threads.

I have even sucked up the nozzles with a skinny plastic pipe to see if the dry ink was upstream of the head holes. All to no avail. I guess I may have wrecked the heads by doing this, but it stopped me hurling the thing into the river!!!

Anyway, thanks again. I'll try to get the solvent bottles. LR

[Bo Nalls]

Problems abound with the Epson CX5400 (also applies to the C82, CX5200, C54 and C84) failing to print after installing a new cartridge. There is a site that has a fix. The ink purge tube falls off. If you can get it back on all may work again

http://inkjetprinterhelp.us/duraink.html

[Conan the Librarian]

Well done Bo. Cracking site and added to my favourites. don't need it now, but will one day I am sure.

Conan

[CBA_caption]

I had a CX5200 that met with the same fate. Went through all the advice on this thread including a piece of software that seems to set off a bomb in the nozzles (i'll try to post the name when I can remember it). However, it is currently residing in the rubbish/garbage.

My brother works for a printer shop and wouldn't touch epson because cartridges are so expensive and you can't replace the head.

On his advice I am now the happy owner of a very impressive Cannon IP4000.

CBA

[Conan the Librarian]

Oh Speechless..... To use a technical term, I am b*ggered if I know. However a good bet might be to go back to the cleaning cartridge supplier and see whether they do them in the component colours. I wouldn't have thought it would make a difference as the carts are mainly solvent, but you never know...


Let us know on that score. Am curious to know the answer to that one.

With a multi cartridge printer, I think the best bet is to print a picture of your favourite aunt or something every ten days or so. It is cheaper than head cleaning every time you crank the thing up and with a reasonable pic, will exercise all cartridges.

Now... Guess who has had his whoopy doo Epson R800 offline for the last three weeks?

I feel a headache coming on...

Conan

[Loose rivets]

I feel a war coming on. I really should not waste time on such trivia, but I don't like getting ripped off.

Here in Texas, Staples went some way to making amends. They gave me a new $34 B&Wt cartridge. Maybe it was because they didn't want to see a man cry...or maybe it was because I had phoned four time today before noon.

It really is EPSON that should be carrying the load.

I have run the saturated tissue under the heads etc. But by the time I had put the cartridge back in twice, the chip reported empty despite ink sloshing around in it. That's when I got....er, determined.

Also the ten buck a question deal did little to cool me down.

The Internet response was to ask me if I had tried cleaning the heads and then went on to explain to me how to press the appropriate buttons. #@$%@#$ me, it was like being back in the sim.
"Er, yes.......that's why all the #$%%@ ink has gone." Dah.

Every time one pulls the cartridge out, it has to "recharge". Oh darn, there goes another gallon.

[Conan the Librarian]

Merci, Speechless! Logic is saying to me that if you unblute the heads, then you will have to spend more than the cost of the cleaning cartridge, flushing through with the appropriate colour to get rid of the Yellow!

The catch with all of these printers and it isn't going to get better - is that the resolutions now on offer, are a World apart from printers of even a few years ago. If there is an analogy, it might be, that it is rather like trying to strangle a darkie whilst wearing a pair of 10 denier Pretty Polly tights.

If anyone wants to take any bets on whether my own Epson is going to play up after its enforced layoff, then place your bets here. Will have it fired up by Wednesday...

Conan

[Keef]

Been there (sigh).

One useful bit of advice I was given: don't mess with the "head cleaning" ritual which wastes all the ink colours. Just prepare a graphic of a page that is all-yellow, another all-cyan, and another all-magenta. Print the relevant one till the colours work correctly.

Anyway, I got through two sets of cartridges last month trying to get the pesky Epson to work (cost = more than I paid for the thing). So I scrapped it and bought a Canon IP4000. That's a very impressive printer, which works very well with my desktop machine.

But it won't work with the laptop - all sorts of wondrous error messages come from the install routine. Canon say "Not our fault, your Windows is corrupted". It's odd that everything else about the laptop works perfectly, including printing to the HP laser that I use for B&W, and the Epson before it died.

I decided I can't win, so I e-mail colour stuff from the laptop to the desktop and print it from there.

[Conan the Librarian]

Nice one Speechless. Remember, the compatible suppliers will almost always send you a freebie if you get a problem. Some of them are not bad at all.


Conan

PS Leave the cleaning cart in place until you get another ink cart in there. Don't want the heads to dry up now, do we?