Epson 4900 Printer Extreme Clogging Problem

[EOTS]

I did it!

Two fresh towels for a minute and now a third fresh one soaked in the glass cleaner which I now leave in for a longer period...
At least some color came already onto the towels ...

Let's see if that will help!
*hands-folding* *praying*

Best,
Martin

[EOTS]

Thanks for all your help.

But now giving up on the printer ...
Tried the towel method for a week (over the nights), but OR / PK did not clean up,
the others did however.

I managed to get hold on a service manual / service software,
and cleaned the wiper blade and the flushing box.
Everything looks tidy in there - and did so before, only hints of ink on the wiper blade ...

Using the software, I also tried an initial flush to get rid of air in the ink tubes ...

Here you can see the latest state with the nasty OR/PK:


I'm selling all the 4900 ink now, and decided to switch to a HP Z3200ps.
I hope I will have more luck there, and looking forward to the onboard spectro,
as I want to try some Canson papers...

Inks are available here in case somebody is interested (only shipping within EU):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281036609768
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281036624297
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281036631612

Best regards,
Martin

[EOTS]

Already ordered and looking forward :-)
I'll open a new thread regarding paper choices

[paulr]

Martin, do you have a sense of the humidity level where you keep your printer?

[EOTS]

Around 30%

[photobymike]

I am watching this thread with interest... i have a 4800 that has been sitting for months without use. When i get the income tax return i am going to invest in the ink conversion using the 4800 to cone mono inks

[EOTS]

From what I've read I think the x900 series are especially prone to clogging problems,
as the nozzles are even finer as f.ex. the x800 series.

So I guess you're good, photobymike.
However with Epson, I would print a test pattern of color clusters every three days or at least week,
and never let it idle around.
Think 'Tamagotchi' ;-)

Best regards and happy Xmas,

[paulr]

From what I've read I think the x900 series are especially prone to clogging problems,
as the nozzles are even finer as f.ex. the x800 series

John Cone posted about this on his blog. He hasn't had bad problems yet with his 7900s, but is concerned based on everything he's hearing from other users. And apparently Epson has made them much less user serviceable than previous models. He's recommending extended warranties, which can be a serious expense. It's all pretty disappointing.

[Peter De Smidt]

I've said this before... With the bigger printers, having a set of flushing cartridges is a very good idea. They can be old Epson cartridges. Fill using a MIS bottom fill adapter and use a chip resetter. Effective cleaning solution is very easy and cheap to make. Don't run a ton of cleaning cycles, as they cause head wear. Cleaning the bottom of the head can very easily cause more damage. It should be an absolute last resort.

You can use Quad-toned rip to print with only one ink, if needed, which is helpful if you only have one bad channel.

I recently rehabbed an old 7600 that had sat with ink in unused for about 5 years. It took a little patience, but now it's printing like a champ.

[paulr]

Here's a good DIY formula for cleaning / flushing. It avoids the ridiculous expense of commercial solutions and the mystery ingredients of home cleaning products.

-3% glycerine or propylene glycol

-20% isopropyl alcohol (pharmaceutical grade without any additives), if you can not obtain it: 96 % potable alcohol (expensive !)*

-distilled water to make 100%


you can add 3 drops of concentrated ammonia per 100 ml if you want a greater cleaning power.

Source discussions:

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3211

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/vie....php?pid=56002


My version (based on what I have around):

isopropyl alcohol (20%)
Diethylene Glycol (3%)
photoflo (0.5%)
Distilled Water (to make 100%)

Add ONLY for externally cleaning stubborn clogs:
household ammonia (20%)