Digital BW, The Print

FYI :
I had not used my Epson 3000 for about 6 months other than a few 
nozzle checks to verify it was still okay....

I tried printing with it yesterday: nozzle tests okay, and the print 
was fine, well except for it being very posterized. Turns out, the 
pigment settled out of the PiezoTone Cyan and Magenta inks and they 
were nearly the density of the Yellow positon.

Pulled the carts, did a 'shipping' dump of the ink, sucked and tossed 
what was left in the carts, refilled and reinstalled. All Is Okay 
again....

InkJetMall says :
" Here's what I can tell you about the 3000 printer. Even if you have  
been running nozzle checks, the ink movement through the lines hasn't  
been displaced much, and so the ink in the lines and the print head is 
"old" ink. In a 3000 printer, unlike all newer Epson printers, when 
ink  sits unused for a long period of time, the ink in the tubes and 
print head looses density over time. The time that this takes to 
happen can be  shorter than one month. "

Best,
Alex P

Alex,

Inks changing density because of the printer being idle for some 
time: more or less the same thing happened with me with my 1160, CIS 
and Sundance Neutral Warm inks (= the old Piezo inks). I solved it by 
taking the carts out and shake them for a couple of minutes. 

Nevertheless, it is a scary thought that the output can never be 
really consistent, unless you print daily (which I don't).

I would like to know:

-Is a CIS/CFS more prone to this danger then carts?

-Does it make any diference what pigment-ink you use? How about the 
MIS inks?


I g o r

The ink doesn't "get old" as it were. The pigments settle. All pigment 
inks do this; some faster than others. This will always be true as long 
as we live and print in a gravity well.

I've had the same problem in my 7600, though not as severe. All it takes 
is to pull the carts, give 'em a shake or two, and reinstall. Then print 
a couple of small test prints (about 12x15 inches) to mix up the ink in 
the lines (longer lines like the 9600 may take more printing). At least, 
that's all it took for me, but I only left my printer sitting for a 
couple of months.

Other than maintenance issues like this, I've been very happy with 
Piezotones in my 7600.
--
Hogarth Hughes


A Pettit wrote:

>FYI :
>I had not used my Epson 3000 for about 6 months other than a few 
>nozzle checks to verify it was still okay....
>
>I tried printing with it yesterday: nozzle tests okay, and the print 
>was fine, well except for it being very posterized. Turns out, the 
>pigment settled out of the PiezoTone Cyan and Magenta inks and they 
>were nearly the density of the Yellow positon.
>
>Pulled the carts, did a 'shipping' dump of the ink, sucked and tossed 
>what was left in the carts, refilled and reinstalled. All Is Okay 
>again....
>
>InkJetMall says :
>" Here's what I can tell you about the 3000 printer. Even if you have  
>been running nozzle checks, the ink movement through the lines hasn't  
>been displaced much, and so the ink in the lines and the print head is 
>"old" ink. In a 3000 printer, unlike all newer Epson printers, when 
>ink  sits unused for a long period of time, the ink in the tubes and 
>print head looses density over time. The time that this takes to 
>happen can be  shorter than one month. "
>
>Best,
>Alex P
>
>
>
>  
>