Digital BW, The Print

My first 1280 with CIS and MIS inks worked like a charm its entire life.

I've had this second (Silver) 1280 just over a year and, more often
than not, it won't print correctly.

At first, I continued with the original CIS and UT2 inks, but when I
got new CIS carts I could never get the printer to recognize the black
cart. Epson even replaced the printhead, but still no luck. At that
point I decided to try the new MIS spongeless carts. It's been
hit-or-miss printing ever since. When they print, they're great, but
there are problems of some sort--primarily with the color cart. I can
usually install an OEM color cart and print OK. The black MIS
spongeless cart has been OK except for a couple of brief instances
where it wouldn't print properly.

I just replaced the MIS color cart a couple of weeks ago with a new
one, thinking that the original one was defective. I'm still plagued
with problems. At first it worked OK, but then one day when I tried to
print the light magenta position was gone entirely. No nozzles firing.
I put in a new MIS cheap color cart I had just purchased. Still no
light magenta. Cleaning and letting it sit overnight with H2O/ammonia
on the pad didn't help. I finally injected a little of the H2O/ammonia
into the printhead and soaked the pad with the same solution for a
couple of days. Eventually I was able to print again with that cheap
color cart.

So I put the MIS cart with UT2 inks back in and printed OK for a
couple of days. Two days later when I tried to print the light magenta
quit again, but not entirely this time. A few nozzles were firing. I
soaked the pad overnight. No change the next day. I put the color cart
in again and waited a day. 

Today, that MIS color cart printed OK right off the bat. So I put the
UT2 inks back in and everything except the cyan and light cyan printed
OK. Nothing at all from the cyan and light cyan jets. Cleaning
resulted in banding in all colors except the light magenta which had
only 2-3 nozzles firing; within a minute all colors were fine except 
magenta (banding) and light magenta (nonexistent). I put the color
cart back in. Everything except the yellow and light magenta printed.
There was no evidence of yellow or light magenta nozzles firing at all.

By the way, all printing is from a purge pattern in PS CS2.

I don't get it. I'm printing less these days, but that didn't matter
with the first 1280. It could sit for a week or more (always on) and I
never had to worry about printing nozzle checks and rarely needed to
clean the nozzles.

I really can't afford a new printer right now and need to figure this
out if I can. But I don't understand what's going on and need some
suggestions.

Thanks...

Tom Keesling
Hoosier Recollections
Indianapolis