Digital BW, The Print

Information about changing black inks in the Epson 4800.

Posted for information to both the DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint and
Epson4000 Yahoo Groups.  [The Epson4000 Group also covers the 4800]

Three or four weeks ago I successfully and easily changed the black in
my 4800 from PK to MK.  In the process I used 88.3ml of ink.  Of
course I wasn't happy that the process wastes that amount of ink – but
I knew before I bought the printer that was the way it worked, so …

I now need to replace the MK with the PK so I started the process
again.  Much to my consternation the printer reports that there's not
enough ink in the 4 right-hand cartridges (LK, LC, LM, LLK) for the
change to take place.  But according to the ink monitor there's at
least 25ml to 30ml in each of those four 110ml cartridges.  By the
way, there's a similar quantity of ink in the C, M and Y carts but it
doesn't indicate a problem with them.  The MK is much fuller.

I called Epson support in the UK.  They told me that there is a
certain minimum that must be present in the carts for the swap of the
Black cart to take place - although they couldn't actually say how
much that is.  The only advice they could offer was that in order to
change the Black cart, I'd need to purchase four more carts (LK, LC,
LM, LLK), swap the part full carts out for the new full ones, then go
through the procedure to change the Black cart.

At that point I'd then be left with the ink configuration I wanted,
but also left with four carts each at least one quarter full.  I was
told that I could then swap these for the four new carts so that I
could use their remaining ink.  I only hope that I don't find that
there's a minimum ink level in a cartridge below which I can't swap it
back in!?  And if there is I wonder if it's the level that the four
have already reached.  If that is the case then the Black ink swapping
process gets even more seriously costly.

I guess I'm not surprised that there would be a minimum ink level
below which this process can't take place – say a few millilitres. 
But for it to be at least 25mls in each cart is just plain bad printer
design.  Or is it bad programming and in fact it doesn't really need
this much at all?  Perhaps another way to force us to buy more ink?

I'm now off to buy four more carts, much sooner than I'd planned, so
that I can print with PK.

What a rubbish system design.  Shame, because I love the print quality
– with both PK and MK.

I'll report back on how it goes and on exactly how much ink I consume
to swap the blacks.

Steve Gledhill
http://www.VirtuallyGrey.co.uk/