Epson ink clogs

[Kirk Gittings]

A trick some may find useful on their ever clogging Epson printers. During all the time I took off for my knee surgery I did no printing. As a matter of fact I haven't done a single print in about 4 months, the longest time I have ever gone without firing up the printer. First time I fired it up after one cleaning it was ready to go. What's the trick? I park the head on a folded tissue soaked in Windex. I change it out about every two or three weeks.

[Walter Calahan]

Cool idea. Thanks.

[Andy Eads]

I'd like to throw a word of caution out here. Some inks will harden in the presence of certain solvents. I would start with distilled water on the paper towel. Not knowing what the reaction will be between the proprietary contents of Windex and your printer's ink could be costly. Be careful too that the paper towel is not so thick that it causes a "head strike"; that is, enough pressure to damage the nozzles. Modern print heads seem to be pretty robust but you really don't need to risk more than is necessary to get it running.

[Ron Marshall]

I've been lucky with my 2200. I print infrequently and turn it off, but I have had only four clogs in two years requiring more than one cleaning cycle.

[Kirk Gittings]

I'd like to throw a word of caution out here. Some inks will harden in the presence of certain solvents. I would start with distilled water on the paper towel. Not knowing what the reaction will be between the proprietary contents of Windex and your printer's ink could be costly. Be careful too that the paper towel is not so thick that it causes a "head strike"; that is, enough pressure to damage the nozzles. Modern print heads seem to be pretty robust but you really don't need to risk more than is necessary to get it running.

Thanks for the caution Andy, I've been doing this for a few years now. I mentioned it now because of the longevity of the down time during this period.

Ron, Where do you live? I think ambient humidity has allot to do with clogging.
I've noticed more clogging in the summers since I had my house upgraded from swamp coolers to air conditioning.

[Greg Lockrey]

I spray the Windex directly on the parking pad. I only had to do this one time on a 4800 when I bought a used printer that was giving the previous owner some problems. Since i run my printers at least 12 hours a day, I haven't had similar issues other than the normal cleaning cylce at start up and every four hours of production.

[Michael Gordon]

I recently hired a well-reputed Epson wide format tech to repair my 7600, and he distinctly stated that using ANY ammoniated product with Epson printers is asking for serious trouble. I, too, have been doing the Windex treatment for a handful of years with no ill effects (that I can see), but he cautioned me against doing so again. FWIW....

[Kirk Gittings]

Why Michael? Did he give a reason? I didn't invent the idea of using Windex by any means. I got it from some old time Epson users (who preceded my entry by maybe 4 years) and they still use it.

[BarryS]

Maybe he meant serious trouble with out of work Epson repair techs? :) I've been on the Yahoo Epson Large Format Printer list for a long time and Windex has been used and recommended for a long time. I haven't read about any trouble with using Windex, although maybe it has bad long term effects. Regardless--clogs on older Epson printers are a clear and present danger and I'd take my chances with Windex over known issues with clogging, massive ink use during cleaning cycles, and permanently clogged printer heads.

[Ben Hopson]

Though I have seldom had to deal with clogging, I also have used the Windex cure and have for a few years now. I hope I am not damaging my Epson printers, but have never noticed any ill effects from using Windex.

[Ron Marshall]

Thanks for the caution Andy, I've been doing this for a few years now. I mentioned it now because of the longevity of the down time during this period.

Ron, Where do you live? I think ambient humidity has allot to do with clogging.
I've noticed more clogging in the summers since I had my house upgraded from swamp coolers to air conditioning.

Chicago. Steam heat in winter, aircon for about two months in summer. So generally not too dry!

[Peter Mounier]

I think the rep may have been responding to the non-specific word "windex". Windex comes in many flavors. Some have citrus oil in it. Some have scents and colors. Some have vinegar. Some don't even have ammonia in it, which is what actually does the work on a clog. The citrus oil can damage plastic, and the acid in vinegar may upset the ph of the ink.
It is apparently safe to use Windex with ammonia, but be careful about using the others. They could do damage.

Peter

[neil poulsen]

Thanks for posting this tip.

Do you use Kleenex, or paper towels, or what? It sounds like you fold it once and place it soaked in Windex on the parking pad. Correct? I ask, because I want to get it right without risk of strafing my head.

I've been using my printer sporadically, and I found that turning off the printer right after the last print also helps.

[Kirk Gittings]

Neil,
I have used both Kleenex and paper towels though I cut the paper towels down smaller.

[Peter De Smidt]

I've used a scanner wipe with generic ammonia containing glass cleaner to get rid a of stubborn clog.

[Brian Ellis]

I used the Windex method with my 1280 when it was replaced by a 2200 and kept as a rarely used back up (until my wife appropriated it). I never had any trouble with the Windex and the printer is about 7 years old and still used almost daily by my wife.

I'm not so sure about those "ever clogging Epson printers." I've had my 3800 for over a year now, I don't use it very often (on average I probably print for a couple hours every 2-3 weeks) and have never had a clog. I don't remember a clog on the 2200 either in the three or so years I had it. I've told a story here before about moving from Florida to Oregon in early January, leaving the printer in the packing box in my unheated Oregon garage from January to April or so, discovering to my dismay when I finally got around to opening the box that the movers had packed it upside down, then plugged it in and it worked like a charm right out of the box.

[sanking]

I'm not so sure about those "ever clogging Epson printers." I've had my 3800 for over a year now, I don't use it very often (on average I probably print for a couple hours every 2-3 weeks) and have never had a clog. I don't remember a clog on the 2200 either in the three or so years I had it.

My experience with the Epson 2200 is about the same. I bought the printer several years ago to make digital negatives. The printer has several times gone from 2-3 months with no activity at all, and on powering it up again it never needed more than one or two quick cleanings. I have even used the Cone K7 Piezography pigment ink set in the printer with no problems.

I now have an Epson 3800 and hope that it will prove as reliable as the 2200.

Sandy King

[BarryS]

The 3800 is great and mine's been problem-free. I usually print in large batches as opposed to continuously and the 3800 seems to handle that well. In over a year I've only had one very minor clog after 3-4 months of inactivity--and that only took a single nozzle check and auto clean to fix. That printer paid for itself in print sales in a couple months and the quality is stunning on a good paper.

[Greg Miller]

It would be interesting to run a scientific survey on clogging. Of the Epson inkjets that I have owned (1270, 2200 (2 of these) , 4000, 4800), the 4000 had major clogging problems, but all the other have virtually no problems. I tend to print sporadically; I may go a few weeks with the printer off, then turn it on an run a nozzle check. With the 4800 I rarely have to run a head clean. The 2200 I still own gets used only once every few months and it rarely needs a head clean too. I live in New York so the climate rangess from dry winter days to humid summer days.

[Kirk Gittings]

I use a 4000, perhaps it was mainly that series of wideformat printers?

[sparq]

My 1280 clogs pretty bad. It can get clogged in the middle of a page.

[BarryS]

I've never seen any good correlation between climate/humidity and head clogging. Lots of anecdotal stuff, but if there is a relationship--it's more complex and probably involves printing frequency, type of paper, room environment and other variables. However, I don't think it's a secret that the earlier generations of printers had lots of clogging issues.

[Harley Goldman]

I have a 4800. In the first year, never had a problem. Now, it clogs fairly regularly. I have used the Windex method a few times, but always seem to have to run a cleaning cycle unless I just printed that day or the day prior. Wastes a lot of ink.

[kurthbousman]

Please tell me how to park the print head over a windex soaked towel - I've got a 4000 and if I don't print every other day , I have to clean . In detail , please . thanks /k

[Greg Lockrey]

Please tell me how to park the print head over a windex soaked towel - I've got a 4000 and if I don't print every other day , I have to clean . In detail , please . thanks /k

When your printer is shut down look at where the head is parked. It looks like a ink soaked pad in a rectangular box. Merely place a small piece of paper towel with windex on the parking station prior to shutting the printer down for the day. When the printer is in standby, it won't be on the parking station, at least that's how it is on my 9600, 4800 and 3800.

[D. Bryant]

A trick some may find useful on their ever clogging Epson printers. During all the time I took off for my knee surgery I did no printing. As a matter of fact I haven't done a single print in about 4 months, the longest time I have ever gone without firing up the printer. First time I fired it up after one cleaning it was ready to go. What's the trick? I park the head on a folded tissue soaked in Windex. I change it out about every two or three weeks.

Arthur Entlich has compiled an Epson cleaning manual which he will email to you if you contact him at the following address, e-printerhelp@mvps.org. If you have a specific problem clearing a clog you may wish to mention that in your e-mail. Be sure you mention the printer model and type of inks being used.

Don Bryant

[kurthbousman]

It appears the 4000 does not park the head away from the parking pad during standby. I wonder if anyone knows a menu/method for doing this . Really , the 4000 has me tied to it like an old wife - every two days it's got to do it's thing or it clogs/i.e. I waste ink on a cleaning cycle. I would love a solution that allowed me to take off a couple of weeks to be a photographer again. thanks

www.kurthbousman.com

[kurthbousman]

OK - I tried to email arthur at mvps , but no go . A more current email address ? And my 4000 always parks over the pad except when printing . Anyone know anyone who knows anyone , would be appreciated / thanks/k


www.kurthbousman.com

[Peter Mounier]

Arthur is a regular contributor at...
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/EPSON_Printers/
You'll have to register, but the group is a very good resource for Epson owners.
Yahoo hides your email address to combat spam, so Art's email address is hidden.
If you post your problem at the group, Art may chime in and tell you how to get his manual.

Peter

[Stephen Best]

The best tip I had regarding clogs came from an Epson techo relayed on the Yahoo forum, namely if you're experiencing nozzle dropouts (as distinct from clogs) just leave the printer alone and try again later. The nozzles get hot which causes the ink to dry and running repeated cleaning procedures just makes it worse. I now turn the printer on half an hour before I need to print and let it sit idle. If I get dropouts (rare) I just take a break and try again later ... invariably it has just sorted itself out.

[kurthbousman]

Peter - thanks /Stephen - thanks , but that's not the problem. I've had bad prints after about 3 or 4 large ones . Then I stop and it goes away the next turnoncycle. This is a clog from the very beginning , and requires a cleaningcycle to resolve . I want to be able to leave my printer alone for a week w/o it happening. Thus far , that's been impossible. k

[Jim Ewins]

Changing the moisturized pads every 2 or 3 weeks is a real trick if you're gone for 4 months.

[Iskra 2]

When moving, my 1280 was frozen/thawed several times and abandoned for a long period. A kit purchased from www.ufosystem.com "cleaned out" everything.

I tried the Windex soaked pad and ended up with lint or stuff under the nozzles. That was harder to clean than the clogged nozzles.

Regards.

[Iskra 2]

When moving, my 1280 was frozen/thawed several times and abandoned for a long period. A kit purchased from www.ufosystem.com "cleaned out" everything.


Hmmm...... bad URL now. Try Ink Republic directly www.inkrepublic.com. Great little kit that has a special (so they say) ink dissolving solvent and a syringe for application. Regards.

[mdd99]

I've noticed more clogging in the summers since I had my house upgraded from swamp coolers to air conditioning.

My, goodness, I thought those went out of use 20 years ago. Lived in a house with one in Arizona and nearly died. I'd worry more about the humidity it kicks off that could affect my lenses than whether it clogs printer heads.

[Greg Miller]

The best tip I had regarding clogs came from an Epson techo relayed on the Yahoo forum, namely if you're experiencing nozzle dropouts (as distinct from clogs) just leave the printer alone and try again later. The nozzles get hot which causes the ink to dry and running repeated cleaning procedures just makes it worse. I now turn the printer on half an hour before I need to print and let it sit idle. If I get dropouts (rare) I just take a break and try again later ... invariably it has just sorted itself out.

What is a dropout? And how does one distinguish a dropout from a clog?

Thanks.

[Petewit]

Sorry, but what is Windex?

[D. Bryant]

Sorry, but what is Windex?

http://www.windex.com/

[IanG]

In the UK Nilglas is similar, and very good for cleaning lenses - camera & spectacles too.

Ian

[keith english]

I don't think I would use windex on camera lenses. The ammonia may effect the glues used.

[Stephen Best]

What is a dropout? And how does one distinguish a dropout from a clog?

Thanks.

Sorry, I missed your query.

If you get a non-firing nozzle that persists, it's a clog. As opposed to previously good nozzles that drop out intermittently during the cleaning process. The latter will likely sort themselves out if you just leave the printer alone for a bit. Doing repeated cleaning cycles to clear these introduced dropouts just wastes ink.

[kurthbousman]

ok - a update on my 4000 problem- I went to the yahoo group , and by the way , the forums structure is difficult to use , and began applying about 3 drops af water on the parking pad a day . That seems to buy me up to a week of nonuse and is easy to do on a daily basis. The only problem is it's got to be done , meaning I still haven't seen a solution that allows nonusage w/o any attending at all , but it's better than nothing.

[Greg Miller]

Thanks for the explanation. I was not familiar with the term "drop out" despite a lot of reading that I do. From your explanation, drop outs were a common problem that I had with my 4000. I can't recall having this issue with my 4800 - I have had very few occasions where a nozzle check led to a head cleaning (I do an automated nozzle check prior to every print session).



Sorry, I missed your query.

If you get a non-firing nozzle that persists, it's a clog. As opposed to previously good nozzles that drop out intermittently during the cleaning process. The latter will likely sort themselves out if you just leave the printer alone for a bit. Doing repeated cleaning cycles to clear these introduced dropouts just wastes ink.

[Jay W]

I have a couple 1280's, and one was having a persistent problem with black and cyan channel clogs. I went through the process of doing one or two head cleanings in the morning and then in the evening, and wetting the sponge with Windex (w/ammonia). Sometimes I'd work on the printer for a while doing printouts of cyan and black (purges) followed by head cleanings and nozzle checks. I made sure to work on the printer every morning and evening for a couple weeks.

Then I finally got fed up and grabbed a couple old printer cartridges and used syringes to fill them with Windex through the exit holes. That took care of the problem in about two days of sporadic head cleanings, purges, and nozzle checks. The first nozzle check was dramatically better than any previous. There's surprisingly a lot of ink left in a dead cartridge, so the Windex simply made for a dilute mix of ink.

So far I've only printed checks (no prints), but the printer seems fine.

Jay

[michaelw]

Thank you to the original poster of this thread. We have an Epson 7600 and usually leave it in a New York apartment over the months of July and August. It has always been a painful process to declog it when we return in September. Last year it was late November before we got it clear again, using a supersonic cleaning process we read about on a forum, but it used a lot of ink.

While we were working on the declogging last fall, one Epson technical support representative suggested a 'puddle soak' overnight, a process which has been described by users on various forums. You turn off the machine, release the head and move it to the left, then spoon plenty of ordinary water onto the pad which the head normally rests on. Return the head to its resting place and do not turn on the printer (which would suck the pad dry). Leave the head against the saturated pad to soak overnight, and in the recommended process turn the printer on and run a cleaning cycle or cycles.

I am not sure if it helped in last year's declogging, but before we left this summer I did the first part of this with our printer, leaving the head on a wet pad when we departed, and then repeated it when we returned in early September.

Just today, I turned the printer on for the first time. Amazingly, it only took three cleaning cycles to get a clean print test. That is much better than last year's agony!

[kurthbousman]

I've been applying about 10 drops of water a day to the parking pad on the 4000 . This appears to be the solution , however I still haven't found a method for loosening the print head . I've just been using an eyedropper to reach as far inside as possible. If anyone knows the procedure for freeing the head , please give detailed instructions. I think it's a shame Epson doesn't publish this information. It make it appear as though they want us to use half of their ink as a cleaning tool . thanks

[Kirk Gittings]

Kurt. It is a little hard to explain this but if you reach in around the near side of the head there is a spring loaded release button that you push down and hold down and then slide the head to the left.

[kurthbousman]

ahhh......finally - I've been pushing on the spring that's more to the left edge of the head and goes from front to back . I shined a small flashlight inside and finally saw the button. Actually , the pad is smaller than I thought and the water from the dropper has probably been reaching just about the whole pad but maybe someone needs to design an automatic water feeder . About 10 drops a day should be sufficient .

thank you Kirk . As a thank you , here's my site .Patience - it's a slow loader. Hope you enjoy. Kurth


www.kurthbousman.com

[fotophil]

The print head will move away from the park position by using the cutter blade replacement commands in the menu

[Donald Miller]

Kurth, Your work is some of the most creative that I have ever experienced from any photographer, anywhere, and at any time.

You have succeeded in creating something that did not heretofore exist as you have presented it. This to me is creativity...all else is but representation.

[Kirk Gittings]

ahhh......finally - I've been pushing on the spring that's more to the left edge of the head and goes from front to back . I shined a small flashlight inside and finally saw the button. Actually , the pad is smaller than I thought and the water from the dropper has probably been reaching just about the whole pad but maybe someone needs to design an automatic water feeder . About 10 drops a day should be sufficient .

thank you Kirk . As a thank you , here's my site .Patience - it's a slow loader. Hope you enjoy. Kurth


www.kurthbousman.com

Strange and wonderful imagery. Thanks.

[kurthbousman]

thanks for your praise - and thanks again for helping me escape from being chained to my printer . I was almost at the point of selling it , and now I've almost gone two weeks w/o making a print , and it feels great to know that I won't waste ink getting back to making prints. Also I should be designing version 3 of my site in the next few months so check back . I've got alot more of my travel photos going on line , and of course more mexstreet stuff - thanks/k

[paradoxbox]

i'm a printer tech and would not recommend windex on the pad. there are a few reasons. number one, the windex could get partially sucked into the nozzles through capillary action (one of nature's wonders..) and any solvents in the windex/window cleaner may negatively effect the components of your printer. remember epson printers are NOT solvent printers and the pumps and ink lines are not designed to carry solvent inks.

secondly, if you DO get any capillary action, any windex that got sucked up into your print head/heads is going to come spewing out when you make the first few passes on a print. that means the colors are going to be off because the ink is diluted with windex.

third, if you really want to keep your printer trouble free, use an epson recommended cleaning solvent and a solvent resistant foam swab to gently dab at the head. avoid touching the nozzles ALWAYS if at all possible. those nozzles can be so delicate it's not funny (though they also seem to be tough sometimes i.e. major head strikes..)

anyway just my 2 cents. i echo the statement that windex is asking for trouble if you plan on doing all your own maintenance. i think it's just easier to hit the test print button on your printer once a week to keep the heads from drying, but that's just me..

by the way dropout is just a term that refers to whenever the ink stops or slows coming out of the print head in any number of colors. it can be because of a lack of ink, it can be caused by air bubbles in the ink lines, it can be caused by problems with dampers (forgive me I can't remember at the moment if the epsons have ink dampers, but if they do it's usually the 2nd leading cause of dropout on printers more than a year old, the first being the printer has run out of ink).

[Kirk Gittings]

FWIW, I did a half-a__ed test on the Windex/ammonia/ink problem. I removed some ink from a cartridge and mixed some ammonia in one sample and Windex in another and could not detect after a few days any hardening of the ink more than an unadulterated sample.

[kurthbousman]

Cory - my 4000 heads clog with only two days of nonusage - that's not usable for me - so far I've been using water on the pad everyday and it seems to help immensely - the whole ammonia/windex/solvent solution was a nostarter for me ...but water works great. I just went two weeks and was able to print after one simple auto cleaning cycle - that's a little miracle.k

[neil poulsen]

Another way to move the printhead is to turn on the printer, and when the head starts to move, pull the plug. An Epson service repairman gave the this advice.

Then return the print head, turn off, and then turn on again.

It's obviously better to use Kirk's approach, if you can figure out the lever.

Don't know if I said this previously, but my 4000 responds better if I turn it off as soon as I finish using it. Last week by mistake, and left it on for about three days, and the print head had a severe clogging problem.

[michaelw]

An update on my last post (September 28, above):

Sept 28: To recap, I had success. I had left the printer all summer with the head parked on its parking pad that had been soaked in water. I got a clear print head test after only 3 cleaning cycles.

Oct 3: I did not learn my own lesson and simply left the machine switched off for 6 days. Mistake, when I switched the machine on, and ran a print head test, there were many clogs; I ran 4 cleaning cycles and it seemed to get worse not better. I gave up, and soaked the pad with water, parked the head and left the machine off.

~Oct 15: without switching the machine on or doing any kind of printing, I re-soaked the head parking pad, left the head on it, and continued to let it soak.

Oct 25: the first print test today was almost perfect. I ran one cleaning cycle and then got a perfect print test.

So the moral of the story, which I think confirms Kurt's experience, is never leave the machine off without soaking the parking pad with water, even for a few days.

My concern now is with mold or fungus growing in that wet environment. I won't be using Windex, simply because I have not needed to, so why take any chance? But I do wonder whether I should use water with an anti-fungal chemical in it if I am going to leave the printer off for months at a time and with a wet parking pad. For the time being, to reduce the chance of biological organisms being in the water, I use a pyrex glass jug to carry the water to the printer, and a ceramic spoon to ladle it in: both have been washed in a dishwasher machine shortly before use. The water is from a tea kettle and has been left on the boil for a few minutes; I let it cool a bit, but I am sure warm water is fine and a better solvent.

[neil poulsen]

I'm wondering if the solvents in the ink would prevent mold growth.

I just reread this thread after several months, and I think that I'm dealing with heads that clog with too much cleaning. I'll do a nozzle test and everything is fine, except maybe for one or two colors. But after two or three cleanings, those colors clear up and others falter. Maddening.

You know, there's enough success with the methods described in this thread that Epson should be following up and producing something that will help clogging problems without causing a problem for the hardware.

It would surprise me if they did, though.

[Don7x17]

An update on my last post (September 28, above):

Sept 28: To recap, I had success. I had left the printer all summer with the head parked on its parking pad that had been soaked in water. I got a clear print head test after only 3 cleaning cycles.

Oct 3: I did not learn my own lesson and simply left the machine switched off for 6 days. Mistake, when I switched the machine on, and ran a print head test, there were many clogs; I ran 4 cleaning cycles and it seemed to get worse not better. I gave up, and soaked the pad with water, parked the head and left the machine off.

~Oct 15: without switching the machine on or doing any kind of printing, I re-soaked the head parking pad, left the head on it, and continued to let it soak.

Oct 25: the first print test today was almost perfect. I ran one cleaning cycle and then got a perfect print test.

So the moral of the story, which I think confirms Kurt's experience, is never leave the machine off without soaking the parking pad with water, even for a few days.

My concern now is with mold or fungus growing in that wet environment. I won't be using Windex, simply because I have not needed to, so why take any chance? But I do wonder whether I should use water with an anti-fungal chemical in it if I am going to leave the printer off for months at a time and with a wet parking pad. For the time being, to reduce the chance of biological organisms being in the water, I use a pyrex glass jug to carry the water to the printer, and a ceramic spoon to ladle it in: both have been washed in a dishwasher machine shortly before use. The water is from a tea kettle and has been left on the boil for a few minutes; I let it cool a bit, but I am sure warm water is fine and a better solvent.

Get some Thymol, make a 10% solution, and add a couple of drops to your water before putting it on the pads. (I used Thymol in Ammonium Citrate to prevent otherwise incessant mold problems.).

[Diane Maher]

I used to have Lexmark and Canon printers. I got tired of the ink constantly drying up/clogging (and having to replace expensive cartridges) simply because I didn't use them enough. I guess this is why I still don't use a printer to make my prints. Plus, I don't have the physical space on my desk.