Inkjet head clogs was:Re: filmscanners: real value?

[Arthur Entlich <artistic@ampsc.com>]

I know I'm treading on thin "Off-topic" ice head. (as opposed to digital 
ICE, I guess)


DISCLAIMER:  I take absolutely no responsibility if any of the below 
suggested procedures damages you printer in any manner.  They are simply 
suggestions I have gleaned from others or those which have worked for 
me. They only apply to Epson inkjet printers.  Applying any of these 
procedures or concepts to your printer is done at your own risk.

Epson suggests not removing the cartridge for shipping or short term 
lack of use.  The reason is that there is an ink reservoir in the head 
which holds several milliliters of ink, and this ink will indeed dry and 
clog up the head rather badly.  I have noted on Epson ink cart boxes 
they now state they have diethylene gycol in them which is both an 
anti-freeze and something which will prolong drying.

If you are only storing your printer for a few eeks or a month, I would 
suggest doing the following:

1) place several drops of water on the ink cleaning station (rest area 
for the head prior to shut down.  Make sure the head locks down
2)place printer in a large sealed plastic bag.
3) If you live in a very dry region you might wish to place a mildly 
damp paper towel inside the plastic bag, but away from printer 
components, before sealing.

If you are leaving the printer for a long period of time (like several 
months) you might wish to make up a flushing cart.  I use an empty cart 
in which I fill 50 % ammoniated glass cleaner and 50% isopropyl alcohol.

I then run the printer with this mixture until the ink is very light in 
color, which indicates most of the ink has been removed and replaced 
with the fluid. I would then probably remove the cart.  Epson does 
something similar to this on the refurb printers they sell.

Good luck,

Art


Hersch Nitikman wrote:

> Wouldn't it make sense, if going away for an extended period, to remove 
> the cartridge? Or am I missing something here?
> 
> At 09:54 PM 01/30/2001 -0600, you wrote:
> 
>>  >(1)  Will the 1200, using non-OEM inks, clog up if it's used for 
>> periods
>>  >separated by months?
>> 
>>  >(2) Will the 1200 clog up, using Epson inks, if only used 
>> periodically as
>>  >above?
>> 
>> In an attempt to respond to the above question, I think that most 
>> inkjets,
>> including the 1200, if left for any extended period of time could clog up
>> with either OEM or third party inks.  With non-OEM inks, there is 
>> always the
>> distinct possibility of clogging due to other factors such as air 
>> bubbles or
>> impurities.  Clogging due to extended periods of inactivity ( especially
>> with respect to third party inks) can be minimized by flushing the ink 
>> out
>> of the printer.
>>