Printer problems

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gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8916
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Fri Mar 09, 18 12:00 pm Post subject: Printer problems

I've replaced cartridges, cleaned nozzles automatically several times,aligned and cleaned heads, but it prints script in outline and block black not atall.
On the test print for nozzle clean I'm just getting the colours,not the black.

Epson XP 322, Expression Home

Any ideas what the next step would be, I'm loth to take it to PC World for maintenance and I don't know anyone locally

I have to go off for a potters' weekend in an hour,so if I don't respond until after the weekend I'm not being rude..I'm not sure if we'll have Wi Fi or that the tablet will work

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46207
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Mar 09, 18 10:08 pm Post subject:
driver update ? a slipped something in the printer settings? lens tissue stump and propyl alcohol as a head wipe?

Shane

Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 3467
Location: Doha. Is hot.

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 18 3:27 am Post subject:

Same thing has happened to our HP printer. Problem is that we only use it occasionally, and HPs are renowned for the black ink print head getting clogged up with ink if they are not used regularly. We've got exactly the same symptoms and have been through the same routine as you, so maybe Epsons suffer from the same thing. I bought a print head cleaning kit and ran that through the print head a few times, but it's still clogged up solid so I've given up. Only solution is to buy a new print head, but they're not available for our printer so now it's only used as a scanner!

derbyshiredowser

Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Posts: 980
Location: derbyshire

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 18 3:25 pm Post subject:
I remember someone on here suggesting using ammonia to clear printer heads.

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8916
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 18 9:30 pm Post subject:
Thanks...Iknow I'd left it for a bit,but it had started printing ok..thought I'd got away with it!

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46207
Location: yes

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 18 11:55 pm Post subject:
i have killed quite a few printers, the most robust especially for surviving down time without clogging have been canons.

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8916
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Mon Mar 12, 18 10:07 am Post subject:
Unfortunately Canons are not linux friendly,unlike hp and epson....the latter even supply linux compatible gubbins!

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46207
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Mar 12, 18 11:41 am Post subject:
mine all seem to work on cinnamon mint although the most modern one needed some drivers downloading (linux forums are your chums ) my lowest epson moment was watching it bleed to death while trying to clean itself

buzzy

Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds

Posted: Mon Mar 12, 18 6:09 pm Post subject:
Printers are often a real pain. Our line printer at work used every now and then to change character sets, so when you were expecting a batch of data for one of our clients to check, all we got was an inch thick wodge of non European symbols, which possibly meant something in some language. Otherwise it kept anybody who had small children in scribbling paper or hamster bedding! Henry

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8916
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Tue Mar 13, 18 9:10 pm Post subject:
I've had advice...get a laser printer!! They didn't offer to pay the difference!! Its tempting to buy another printer for £35..but of course that model has been superseded and the ink I have wont be compatible with the new one Or do I get a cleaner kit and get very messy

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46207
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Mar 13, 18 9:42 pm Post subject:
i would probably get messy and if messy does not fix the current machine get a laser printer. that said iirc it is an epson ink jet so getting a half decent laser printer and saving a few quid towards it by missing out the messy bit that probably wont fix it might be sensible.

buzzy

Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds

Posted: Tue Mar 13, 18 11:58 pm Post subject:

My experience of laser printers is that they don't mind being left for long periods between uses, whereas, listening to other people, ink jets hate being left, and dry up and cause all those messy cleaning problems.

But toner cartridges are more expensive, though I can buy individual colour cartridges, whereas my m-i-l seemingly has to buy all the colours in a pack for her inkjetter, whether or not they have all run out.

Henry

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8916
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 18 11:12 am Post subject:
more inkjets are coming with individual cartridges,thankfully, so you don't have to replace a whole multi cartridge when one colour runs out

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8916
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 18 11:21 am Post subject:
How does the print quality and resistance to fading compare to inkjet? i'm thinking of cards and possibly prints to frame

buzzy

Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 18 4:12 pm Post subject:
I have not had any of my colour laser printer prints exposed to light for any appreciable length of time, so can't comment on that. Sorry. Henry

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