Digital BW, The Print

I'm using UT-1 inks on an Epson 2100.

I have a strange problem that I wonder if anyone else has 
experienced. I've refilled original Epson cartridges with the MIS 
inkset using the standard technique described on that very exhaustive 
website with all the colour pictures (don't have the link now). 
Afterwards, 6 of the 7 cartridges gave perfect nozzle checks with one 
cartridge (the light magenta position) refusing to lay down any ink 
at all. Head cleanings don't help, but uncrimping the filling tube 
and sucking out a little ink through the exit port using the bottom 
fill adapter followed by re-crimping the filling tube typically gives 
me a perfect nozzle check on this cartridge. After that I can print 
one, maybe two large prints before the nozzle check reverts to no ink 
being laid down again.

When I replace this cartridge with an original Epson cartridge that 
hasn't been refilled the nozzle checks are fine, and stay fine, so 
the problem is with the cartridge. I've since prepared a second light 
magenta cartridge for refilling and have the identical problem - it's 
either perfect nozzle checks or no ink being laid down at all from 
that particular cartridge.

My feeling is that it is almost like there is a vacuum within the 
cartridge that is holding back the ink and not allowing it to be laid 
down. I say this because when I introduce the bottom fill adapter 
when the cartridge is not laying ink down I initially feel a slight 
resistance when pulling back the syringe, and I draw out air from the 
cartridge, followed by a 'letting go' after which I get an ink stream 
re-established. As I say, after doing this the cartridge works fine, 
at least for a while, after which another air pocket or some kind of 
vacuum seems to form.

It just seems a bit odd to me that I've had this problem with two 
light magenta cartridges now.........has anyone else had anything 
similar? I guess I'll just prepare a third but wanted to report here 
and see if anyone had ideas.

Best regards,

Dave

That does sounds strange.

Have you checked that the rubber sealing in the exit port of the
cartridge is firmly in place? I had one of those fall out inside the
printer here the other day, with the result of no ink coming out of the
cartridge. Other than that I can't imagine why two carridges would give
you equally poor results. Do you have good vacuum in the cartridges when
you're filling them? Do they suck in all 12ml of ink by themselves after
you create the vacuum?

--
Daniel Staver
http://daniel.staver.no

Hi Daniel, thanks for coming in on this.

Both cartridges create a good vacuum and a full 10-12 cc of ink gets 
sucked in on refilling. The rubber seal looks to be seated in place 
just as well as any of my other cartridges.........maybe it's just a 
strange coincidence because I can't think of a reason for this either.

The only thing that does seem to be the case is that I do have the 
impression an air pocket is forming somewhere. 

Prints (when contributed to by all 7 cartridges) are coming out very 
nicely indeed - thanks for the curves Daniel!

Dave

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Daniel Staver" 
<daniel@p...> wrote:
> That does sounds strange.
> 
> Have you checked that the rubber sealing in the exit port of the
> cartridge is firmly in place? I had one of those fall out inside the
> printer here the other day, with the result of no ink coming out of 
the
> cartridge. Other than that I can't imagine why two carridges would 
give
> you equally poor results. Do you have good vacuum in the cartridges 
when
> you're filling them? Do they suck in all 12ml of ink by themselves 
after

> you create the vacuum?
> 
> --
> Daniel Staver
> http://daniel.staver.no