Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 27

Thread: Epson 9600 Printer Question

  1. #1
    Pali K Pali K's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    MD, USA
    Posts
    1,397

    Epson 9600 Printer Question

    I have an opportunity to pickup an Epson Stylus Pro 9600 printer in good working condition and wanted to get some feedback on these.

    I will be using it for occasional printing and can't imagine printing more than 2-3 prints a month and probably no bigger than 20x24.

    Would love to know if these are reliable units and how much do you think it's worth it it works and has about 50% ink remaining.

    Regards,

    Pali

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Posts
    108

    Re: Epson 9600 Printer Question

    If you only do two or three prints a month it will be a nightmare of clogged heads and wasted ink. You would be far better off spending your money getting the prints made for you.

  3. #3
    Resident Heretic Bruce Watson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    USA, North Carolina
    Posts
    3,362

    Re: Epson 9600 Printer Question

    Quote Originally Posted by J. Fada View Post
    If you only do two or three prints a month it will be a nightmare of clogged heads and wasted ink. You would be far better off spending your money getting the prints made for you.
    Yep. This.

    Bruce Watson

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Glasgow
    Posts
    1,009

    Re: Epson 9600 Printer Question

    Actually, the x600 printers are pretty easy to unclog - I recently resurrected two 7600s that had been idle for several years in about a couple of hours. They're not complicated machines compared to later Epsons & generally better made. That said, unless you want to run K7 piezography via QTR (or similar) on matte papers or work out a solution to let you run newer than K2 inksets (realistically via a fairly expensive RIP), I'd suggest not going for it unless the price is really low (or they'll pay you to take it away!). If it matches what you need, go for it!

  5. #5
    Pali K Pali K's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    MD, USA
    Posts
    1,397

    Re: Epson 9600 Printer Question

    Thank you everyone for the feedback. I have decided to pass on the printer.

    Pali

  6. #6
    Pali K Pali K's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    MD, USA
    Posts
    1,397

    Re: Epson 9600 Printer Question

    The seller made me an offer I could not refuse. He offered to give me 6 rolls of mixed paper which I would say are worth about $300 alone. I got the printer, with rolls of paper for less than $200 and in return, I offered him drum scans if he needs them in the future.

    Anyways, I got the printer setup and it's making amazing prints. However, two bars in the light magenta are clogged but worked intermittently. I did some windex cleaning after watching youtube videos and the printer is coming back to life. I am not 100% sure if this was a good decision but I can already make amazing BW prints for what is practically free so I won't complain much.

    Will keep you posted! Any tips on maintenance and regular use you can offer will be greatly appreciated!

    Pali

  7. #7
    Pali K Pali K's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    MD, USA
    Posts
    1,397

    Re: Epson 9600 Printer Question

    Looks like all but one line on the printer head is back to life now. Made some test prints and I can't even tell that there is an issue with the head. I do see banding in low res (300DPI prints) but not in high resolution ones.







    I have a few questions for someone with more experience with these printers.

    1. What is Super X microweave and should I be using it?
    2. I got a "backprint film" roll that I believe is for printing transparencies. Does anyone know what's the best way to print on these? It has a dull-paper side and a glossy polyfilm side. I would love to print some of my velvia scans to see how it turns up but don't want to try to mess things up.
    3. How do I print in 2400 DPI? The scanner seems to only offer 720 and 1440 in the paper settings under the driver.
    4. Would love to hear what settings are recommended for ideal quality and ink consumption. Posting my test settings below.




    I am really impressed with the printer. Seems to be in fine condition even after years of use.

    Pali

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    Mount Horeb, WI
    Posts
    975

    Re: Epson 9600 Printer Question

    Quote Originally Posted by Pali K View Post
    I have an opportunity to pickup an Epson Stylus Pro 9600 printer in good working condition and wanted to get some feedback on these.

    I will be using it for occasional printing and can't imagine printing more than 2-3 prints a month and probably no bigger than 20x24.

    Would love to know if these are reliable units and how much do you think it's worth it it works and has about 50% ink remaining.

    Regards,

    Pali
    Pali,

    I'm late to this thread, but my 9600 has been going strong for 15 plus years. I've put over 200 ink cartridges through it and calculated that I have run 336,330 running inches, or 28,000 feet through the printer so it has paid for itself many times over. A piece of advice, run a humidifier in the same room, it really helps keeping the heads from clogging. I've shut the printer down for several weeks while traveling and upon return, I'll run the humidifier for a couple days before turning it back on. Seems to help a lot. I've had routine service done a few times over the years. I'm probably looking at replacing within the next year only because one part needs replacing and parts are no longer made. I did pick up a used 7600 for the replacement part, hopefully so that will work temporarily. Good luck, I think it's a great printer.

    How much ink and paper have been put through the printer, that can have a major effect on how long the printer will run. Has it ever been serviced? Like I said, mine has been a workhorse.

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    Mount Horeb, WI
    Posts
    975

    Re: Epson 9600 Printer Question

    Pali,

    You can only print at 2880 with luster type papers using the photo black inks, I believe. Mat papers are limited to 1440 if I'm not mistaken. Seeing that I'm set up for luster/glossy papers, I know that 2880 is available to me. I also generally leave the SuperX checked on under microweave. Have you tried the power cleaning feature of the printer? That might help clear the remaining head clogs.

  10. #10
    Pali K Pali K's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    MD, USA
    Posts
    1,397

    Re: Epson 9600 Printer Question

    Jim, you are absolutely correct that I cannot print in 2880 with Matt inks. Just caught up on the manual for it and it talks about different media setting available under each black ink types. I currently have Matt installed and apparently changing it wastes quite a bit of ink. I think it must flush everything in the long tube that carry the ink when you change the settings.

    I can ask the seller about it's history and load that it was used under. All I know is that it has never given the previous owner any problems and they did it to replace it with a new unit. Ill be sure to keep it near a humidifier.

    The printer is a joy to use and I now have everything unclogged. I made a 40 inch wide test print and can't believe that I have this beast sitting in my house

    Thanks again for the information.

    Pali

Similar Threads

  1. Epson 9600 printer printing wrong colours!!
    By ljwhyte in forum Digital Hardware
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 2-Sep-2013, 10:33
  2. Transporting an epson 9600 printer ?
    By archivue in forum Digital Hardware
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 9-Nov-2007, 07:09

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •