Digital BW, The Print

David,
I suggest you go to the Yahoo epson printer group:
 (http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/EPSON_Printers/
and look for posts by Art Entlich.  He has Epson printer cleaning manuals that he will email to you but you have to email him directly outside of the group.  It shouldn't be too hard to find a post by him where he gives his email address.  If I recall correctly he has manuals for both the desktop and the large format printers.  Be sure to let him know it is a 3800, since it sounds like the 3800 is a desktop (more or less) size unit with large format ink lines.
Art's cleaning fluid includes isopropyl alcohol as well as Windex.  He recommends using no more than an eye dropper (not a syringe) to inject cleaning fluid into the ink nipples, but discourages the practice except as a last resort (just before you throw the 3800 into the wood chipper).
Another suggestion is to go back to the OEM carts since that is the last time the printer worked OK.  Perhaps make cleaning carts out of the OEM carts.  I'm suggesting this because you indicate that when you started using the IJM carts is when your problems started.  Also, try emailing John Cone at IJM.  He seems to be very supportive of his products and may be able to help.
Mike Brubaker

--- On Wed, 6/1/11, davidkachel <david@davidkachel.com> wrote:

From: davidkachel <david@...>
Subject: [Digital BW] Epson 3800 and B&W inks headache
To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
Date: Wednesday, June 1, 2011, 5:05 PM















 
 



  


    
      
      
      I really need help from this group as I am close to tossing this 3800 into a wood chipper.

About a year and a half ago I purchased a new Stylus Pro 3800, some hextone inks from OVI and a set of then just-released refillable cartridges from Inkjetmall.



I first set up the printer with factory inks and ran a bunch of prints until one of the cartridges ran out. All the prints were perfect. Nothing wrong with the printer. At that point I swapped out the OEM color inks for the IJM cartridges filled with the hextone inks.



This is when my problems started. (To date, I have never gotten a single B&W print out of this expensive boondoggle.) Attempting to run test pages for calibration, I kept getting worse and worse results. Pages were missing big chunks of printing and nozzle checks kept getting worse. The more I cleaned and checked, the worse things got.



Throw in a heart attack and an inconsiderate landlord who forced me to move within weeks of said heart attack and here I am a year+ later trying to tackle this problem all over again and the frustration level is high to say the least.



The printer has been collecting dust for a year. Dried ink is not a surprise I guess, but this one seems to be dried all the way back to the factory.



Here is what I have done:



1. Removed all the ink and filled all the cartridges with Windex.

2. Buffed the underside of the printhead with paper towel and windex until even the shoe shine boy said "that's enough!!"

3. Run nozzle checks, Auto nozzle checks (I believe this cleans and checks) and power cleanings until I have changed out the maintenance tank three times.

4. Filled the sponges with Windex and parked the head on them overnight twice.



Here is what I notice:



1. Some of the lines from the cartridges to the print head are still filled with ink even after all that cleaning.

2. Some lines appear to be filled with Windex.

3. The maintenance cartridge has very little ink/Windex in it when it needs to be changed.

4. The line for the MK/Ebony ink appeared to have air in it but nonetheless, it appeared to be the only one that ink was actually flowing through. (Before swapping Windex for ink, that was the only ink that printed on a nozzle check. However, previous attempts months ago showed that ink printing poorly!

5. After all that cleaning and rain dancing, the levels of Windex in the cartridges remain at the full line. 



Based on my very limited knowledge, the head is thoroughly blocked and I need a nuclear solution to that problem.



However, these problems all started before the printer sat for a year and have only grown worse.



I have found little of use searching the internet. I did see where some printhead clogs have been solved by forcing Windex or hot water through the print head from the ink cartridge insertion point. However, this doesn't look possible with the 3800. If anyone knows a way it can be done, please advise.



HELP! Please! Anybody. How can I get this printer on its feet and working?





    
     

    
    


 



  










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