printer long term storage

[vicgin]

Epson response to my long term storage inquiry was vague...

"We do not test for storage. However, it is recommended that ink be used within 6 months of installation. If your printer is being moved and/or stored for longer than 6 months, it would be best to have it covered and make sure you turn the printer off with the power button to insure that the printhead is in the capped and locked position. When you start the printer back up again you will need to do some cleaning cycles to get the printhead working again."

I will be out the country for about 2 years. Don't want to lose this very nice Pro Stylus 3800. Do you think the above is enough? Just turning it off and covering it? I assume they mean to remove the ink tanks as well.

Any suggestions or experience with storage will be helpful.

Thanks,

Herbert

[Bruce Watson]

Sell it. You'll play hell getting it to run again after two years. It will very likely require a head replacement. And, there will very likely be a better newer model printer out by then. Epson doesn't support their printers very long -- they haven't been good about updating drivers for older printers when new OS upgrades come out. That's a problem too for putting a printer in storage for a couple of years.

Sell it. Use the money for film while you're gone ;-)

[Charles Carstensen]

Herbert, you will be money ahead by selling it now. It will only depreciate. One less thing to take up storage space. Buy a new one when you get back.

[Brian Ellis]

Epson's suggestions sound good. I don't think there's a whole lot more you could do. My Epson 2200 was "stored" by movers packing it upside down in a carboard box with all the ink cartridges in it. It then travelled 3,000 miles by moving van from the east coast to the west coast in winter, where it sat upside down in the unopened box in my Oregon garage from January to May. I opened it up, plugged it in, and it ran like a charm. I don't think I even had to do a cleaning cycle. Even over a longer time I'd expect no less from the 3800 if you follow Epson's suggestions. Of course it will depreciate. Everything depreciates (especially my house and my stock portfolio) but that doesn't mean we sell everything we own.

[BarryS]

Two years? I'd sell it or lend it to a trustworthy friend that will give it light, but regular use. The 3800 is much less prone to clogs than previous models, but two years is a long time. My 3800 had a six month stretch with no use, and only needed a couple of light cleaning cycles, so maybe 2 years would be ok. Some of my ink carts are two years old, and they're still fine.

[Lenny Eiger]

Sell it.

I'm 100% with Bruce on this one. Great suggestion.

They will be at the next number, or two more by the time you get back and you will wonder why you kept this thing when there was that advance just down the road. Two years is a long time in the technology arena.

Lenny

[nathanm]

So if it sits in the cart it goes bad within 6 months but if you spray it on some paper it's supposed to last 200 years! Weird. :D

[David A. Goldfarb]

Sell it. You'll want a different printer in two years anyway with 27 inks and eleventysevenzillion dpi.

[aphexafx]

Sell it. You'll want a different printer in two years anyway with 27 inks and eleventysevenzillion dpi.

And still you will have to switch out blacks. :rolleyes:

[vicgin]

Thanks for the advice. I will sell it. Hate to though. Got real attached to the little honey.
Regards,
Herbert

[seepaert]

So if it sits in the cart it goes bad within 6 months but if you spray it on some paper it's supposed to last 200 years! Weird. :DThe problem will not be the ink won't dry, but that it will dry prematurely, preferably in the head of your printer. I did not use my 1290 which is of course an older printer, for less than a year, but after more tha a thousand cleaningcycles I decided I would never get a proper yellow back again.

It lasted less than four and a half years and less than 5000 prints, which means that it was a very expensive operation in the end. I will probably never buy an Epson again.