Digital BW, The Print

Thank you all for your advice! In the end it was a small leak in one or two of the 
dampers which neather I nor the tech could detect at first. All better, for now.
In general, over the course of the last three years, we have noticed more clogging 
problems with our MIS in Epson 9000 during the Fall/Winter transition NE, USA(i.e. 
humidity drop), so the humidifier is something I will deffinetly do. As to re-fill carts I 
have found that using them more than once is generaly a recipy for disaster (ink spilling 
all over the cartredge wells, fome, etc.), I still save 50% off pre-filled using them only 
once. I also never, ever leave the printer on when it isn't actualy printing, not even for 
a minute. I've been doing this since I switched from the FS to the UTFS inkset, about 
four full sets of carts, and didn't have a single clog, untill this last unfortunate and 
costly incident. In dealing with my 9000's many problems (cloging, nosel deflection, even 
alignment) I have found that Epson techs love to blame the third party inkset, it has a 
ring of scape-goating to me. 
Thanks agean!
Boris Samarov

panopticongallery wrote:
> 
> Thank you all for your advice! In the end it was a small leak in one or two of the 
> dampers which neather I nor the tech could detect at first. All better, for now.

That doesn't happen often but the connection between damper and 
the ink tube can be leaking air in. Changing dampers wears out 
the seal in time. Shorten the tube by 4 mm and assemble again is 
teh remedy.


As to re-fill carts I
> have found that using them more than once is generaly a recipy for disaster (ink spilling 
> all over the cartredge wells, fome, etc.), I still save 50% off pre-filled using them only 
> once.

One thing to remember with refill cartridges is that you should 
puncture the cart first in the printer itself and after that fill 
through the hole that is so created. Then the hole will be at the 
right spot and less wear will happen later on. I'm not a 
supporter of using refill carts too often as the 9000 cart seals 
wear out in time, could start leaking and the debris of the seal 
is gathering in the damper or worse in the hole of the cartslot 
needle (know about 4 cases of the last).  There are also some 
small electronic boards just below the cartslots, with leaking 
they get a shortcut and usually an error appears on the display. 
Most of the time it can be easily repaired  by cleaning the 
boards and drying the connectors but it is a nuisance. Part of 
the reasons why I made my CIS systems directly to the internal 
inklines.

Ernst