Digital BW, The Print

Craig,

I agree with Ken.  I've been using a 1280 for about two years and for
the most part have had very good service from it.  I also use MIS
spongeless carts and UT-2 ink.  However, occasionally I have a spell of
the exact problem you are describing, for example the current moment!
Like Ken said, if the entire color disappears, you probably have a
cartridge problem.  The color will not disappear all at once, but over a
page or two of printing.  It will start out with a few missing jets and
end up with the entire color missing.  If you let it sit a while, the
problem goes away only to return after another couple of pages.

Some things to look for are:
- Make sure you uncovered the vent holes when you installed the
cartridge.  I have made this mistake several times!
- Check the vent holes and make sure they are clear.  Sometimes ink can
get in the holes and dry out.  This will prevent air from getting in the
cart as ink is used.  This creates a vacuum inside the carts that will
overpower the inkjet's ability to squirt ink.  If this happens, peel off
the plastic film the covers the vent hole path, clean it and recover the
paths with something like thicker packing tape.  Make sure the vent
holes that are supposed to be uncovered are uncovered after you are
done.
- Try repriming the carts just in case air bubble got into them. While
you're doing that, check the spring-loaded pop valve at the bottom of
the missing color and make sure it is operating correctly; that is it
didn't allow all the ink to leak out and it opens smoothly and level
when you reprime the cartridge.

If all this does not solve the problem, let the printer sit overnight
with carts filled with Windex and run a few cleaning cycles.  (I have a
set of Windex filled cartridges for the two types of printers I own.
For single color carts, you only need one.  I just install chips for the
particular color I need to fix.)  The lower viscosity Windex will
hopefully flush out any bad ink from the heads.  If the cartridge still
does not work, throw it out and use another one.  I've had to do that a
time or two.

One other thing to think about, bad news travels ten times farther than
good news.  In other words, you'll hear grips about the 1280, but you'll
also hear good things.  Many of us have had good results with the 1280,
some have had bad results.  But then we are using a $300 printer verses
the $850 2400.  I'd take the 2400 any day, but at the moment, I don't
have the extra $550!  At least until I start selling some of the great
prints I'm getting from my 1280!

I hope that helps.  If anyone has any other ideas, please share them.

Bob