Digital BW, The Print

I purchased my 1280 almost exactly a year ago as a refurb from Epson.
The first one had to be sent back because the case was cracked. This
was my first foray into DT printing so it was all new to me. I was a
virgin to the world of clogs, sponges, foam and cleaning cycles. I
started by printing BO with the Epson dye cart just to get a feel for
things, thinking I would try QTR too. The BO looked so good I just
stuck with it. As Einstein said, things should be made as simple as
possible, but not any simpler. BO printing seems to fit that principle

After using a cart of the MIS Eboni I switch to a CFS in my black
position and used the cheap $5 MIS color carts in the color slot.
Things went pretty much fine for a few months unit I started to get
clogs that would not clear. I tried to use the foam removal method
from MIS 's web site, called them a few times and even rubbed some
chicken bones on the printer. I finally gave up on the cart after
making a mess of things and just bought a new one from MIS. That one
would not work either. I got them to send me another one that finally
worked.

Things hummed along nicely for a few more months. I participated in a
few B&W print exchanges, seeing how my BO prints stacked up to FS ink
prints. I adopted Nick Nugent's method of keeping my ink level at the
same level as the print head. I didn't print every day, but in those
salad days with my 1280 I could go a week or two at a time and get a
good nozzle check with nary a problem. Life was good...

Finally, however, clogging issues resurfaced. It became harder to get
good nozzle checks. I installed a second port on my cart and filled it
from the top, another Nick Nugent inspired hack. That seemed to work
for a short spell. Clogs returned. What the H#LL was going inside that
cart and infernal sponge? I would put the Epson cart back in and
IMMEDIATELY get perfect nozzle checks.

At this point what else could it be but foam? I was about to start
another dreaded round of sucking out the cart, refilling it, cleaning,
waiting, wasting more time, ink and paper. Then I noticed a post here
about the new spongeless carts from MIS. I had experimented with the
spongeless carts from Ink Republic, being really excited to get away
from sponges. But I could not make their cartridges work with Eboni
Ink. I could almost get them to work with their pigment inks but clogs
would show up shortly after installation. One theory was that the MIS
Eboni ink was too thick to flow through their filter. After a week of
exasperation I gave up on the IR spongeless dream.

Last week I ordered two of the T007 spongeless carts for my 1280 (one
as backup), a chip re-setter and the needle. Like a nerdy little kid
on Christmas morning I ripped into the package when it arrived,
followed the directions on the MIS site, installed the new cart, ran a
cleaning cycle and made a nozzle check. Yep, you guessed it, missing
nozzles. More cleaning cycles and purge prints. Still no clean nozzle
checks. I went to cart #2. I re-read the instructions, filled and
primed the cart, and STILL MISSING NOZZLES. More cleanings, purge
pages, and a few cheapie color carts later I was still without a good
nozzle check. I put back in an original Epson Dye cart and got PERFECT
nozzle checks right off the bat. I made a few test prints with the
Epson carts. All perfect. Put back in the new spongeless carts and
right back to missing nozzles.

I called MIS and by chance got Bob Zeiss.  I ranted my tales of woe to
him. He said he would send out a care package that day and that if I
could get good nozzle checks with an Epson cart then we could make it
work with MIS inks. I'm one day away via Fedex/USP ground from MIS.
The following day the promised package did not arrive. I was a very
unhappy, frustrated camper. Screw it. I decide to take a chance and
clean this bastard with some of the Klean-Strip paint cleaner. I'm
ready to throw this printer out the window anyhow. I let it soak with
Klean-Strip over night. Still no luck. 

Over the next day I load up some Windex in a IR spongeless damper and
print black purge pages with windex. I get page after page with with
blobs of ink on it. I run some Klean-Strip through an IR damper too.

My original Epson cart is now empty and the care package finally
arrives from MIS. I install a generic black dye cart. Now I can't get
a good nozzle check with a dye cart. The # 6,8 and 9 positions of the
top bar in the nozzle check are missing. Nothing will bring those
three, stinking little hashes back. Putting back in a pigment cart
just results in 50 percent of the nozzles, or more, missing. Finally I
lose most of the black nozzles even with a dye cart.

Maybe I killed the printer messing around with Klean-Strip? At this
point I don't really care anymore. I'm tired of spending hours dinking
around. I just want to print.

I'm now in the process of letting Klean-Strip soak over the weekend,
then I will try a hot wash of distilled water to flush out the
Klean-Strip. If the nozzles don't come back then I'll be ordering a
new 1280 from Buy.com or Amazon. They have free shipping on them and a
$100 rebate. For $269 I will have a new 1280 which I will put on Amex.
That will give me two years of warranty service, one from Epson, one
from Amex. I can't see spending $600 for a 2200 when I only BO print
and you cannot see any improvement over prints made in the 2200 over
the 1280.

I'm hoping that these new spongeless carts are the answer to our
clogging prayers. I also think I will avoid running any of the black
dye inks through the printer as suggested here. Can't hurt. Just in
case I'll have some chicken bones on hand...

<jim0266@y...> wrote:

> from Amex. I can't see spending $600 for a 2200 when I only BO 
print
> and you cannot see any improvement over prints made in the 2200 
over
> the 1280.

Wow, I thought I've had some hard times with this process. I own a 
2200(UC color) and a 1280(UT2)and I can say that the 2200 doesn't 
give me nearly the clogging problems the 1280 has given me whether 
its OEM dye or MIS pigment in the 1280. In fact after a couple years 
with the 2200 I can say that it's never given me 
clogging "problems". I've had maybe two times where a nozzle check 
has a missing gap but one cleaning cycle and the gap is gone. QTR 
also heavily supports the 2200 with pre-made curves using OEM UC 
inks. I can see a slight quality advantage in the resolution of the 
2200 over the 1280. 2880 dpi with the 2200 seems to resolve a little 
more detail (maybe its just some kind of sharpening algorithm?)

> I'm hoping that these new spongeless carts are the answer to our
> clogging prayers. I also think I will avoid running any of the 
black
> dye inks through the printer as suggested here. Can't hurt. 

Even after what I've said above I'm currently committed to making 
the 1280/UT2 combo work and I'm hoping those spongless carts work 
too...primarily because of the ink cost savings.

> Just in
> case I'll have some chicken bones on hand...

 I once saw 12 barefoot Deadheads wearing fake furs cave man style, 
dancing on at least 6 buckets worth of KFC during a Jerry Garcia 
Halloween show. I was there doing research.

Jim

I can totally empathize with Jim on this issue. Can you imagine I own
three 1160s and two 740s, those that are known for clogging problems.
MIS stopped supporting the 740s due to their marginal ability to pump
pigment inks.

I still have them and they are still running great with MIS Ultratone
inks. But there is always that fear that one of these days I will have
to spend hours or even days fighting clogs that make you want to
declare war against all things inkjet.

I have developed quite a skill in maintaining these printers and able
to remove a head and put it back in under 1 minute, still I hate the
fact that every time I need to make a print I have to go through the
ritual of printing a nozzle check pattern, a purge pattern, then
another nozzle check, just to make sure I don't start to get banding
in the middle of a large print.

I happen to have one of a newer printers, the C80, which is infinitely
more reliable than my older ones, so I believe the newer 
printers such as the 2200 should give less trouble than the 1280.

So Jim I wonder if you should go for the 2200 even if you use the BO
workflow. I'd love to get a 2200 to replace my 1160s once they stop
printing. But getting a 2200 just to use the black ink might be too
much of an overkill.

I hope to hear good news from you that all the nozzles are restored -
with pigment inks - and you don't have to get a new printer.

--nick

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "jim0266"
<jim0266@y...> wrote:

> 
> I purchased my 1280 almost exactly a year ago as a refurb from 
> Epson. The first one had to be sent back because the case was 
> cracked. This was my first foray into DT printing so it was all new 
> to me. I was a virgin to the world of clogs, sponges, foam and 
> cleaning cycles. ...

> Over the next day I load up some Windex in a IR spongeless damper and
> print black purge pages with windex. I get page after page with with
> blobs of ink on it. I run some Klean-Strip through an IR damper too.
> 

> 
> Maybe I killed the printer messing around with Klean-Strip? At this
> point I don't really care anymore. I'm tired of spending hours dinking
> around. I just want to print.

I've seen Klean-strip, but never used it-what is it's chemical base? is 
it a paint stripper/laquer remover?
> 
> I'm now in the process of letting Klean-Strip soak over the weekend,

I've found the most effective emergency prosedure to be the Windex 
direct injection method-it allows you to circulate windex in both 
directions. If I have a tough clog, I pump in gently, pull back out, 
dump the windex & refill several times, so that anything that won't go 
through the head gets pulled out the other way. The last time I go in 
only, to get the air out of the head. 

Following this forum over the last three years I've noticed that some 
of the worst clog problems have been with the CFS units-the ink 
congeals in the tubes eventually, and makes a huge mess. Between that 
and needing to keep easy ink interchangeabilty I've stuck with 
refilkling carts, as irritating as that has been until now.

best luck,

Steve Karafyllakis

Nick,

Where did you learn how to change out the jet heads?  Is there a 
reference you could direct me to?  I just purchased a 1280 for use 
with both MIS UT2 and color pigmented inks, and am building up my 
reference library of "Recovery Data" for the day of that inevitable 
clog!

While I'd like to have a 1280 for B&W and a 2200 (or 1800) for color, 
this amatuer doesn't do enough printing to keep two printers happy.  
My approach is to use three sets of cartridges.  The sets will be 
filled with UT2, A color pigment inkset that I have not yet selected, 
and cleaning solution.  The cleaning cartridges will be used between 
every ink change to prevent mixing and also for proactive 
preventative measures.

From your experience, what would you recommend for cleaning 
solution.  I've seen several mentions of Windex, but there is 
also "cleaning solution" you can buy.  What is you experience?

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Bob M

"Nick H. Nugent" <nghin@p...> wrote:
> 
> I can totally empathize with Jim on this issue. Can you imagine I 
own
> three 1160s and two 740s, those that are known for clogging 
problems.
> MIS stopped supporting the 740s due to their marginal ability to 
pump
> pigment inks.
> 
> I still have them and they are still running great with MIS 
Ultratone
> inks. But there is always that fear that one of these days I will 
have
> to spend hours or even days fighting clogs that make you want to
> declare war against all things inkjet.
> 
> I have developed quite a skill in maintaining these printers and 
able
> to remove a head and put it back in under 1 minute, still I hate the
> fact that every time I need to make a print I have to go through the
> ritual of printing a nozzle check pattern, a purge pattern, then
> another nozzle check, just to make sure I don't start to get banding
> in the middle of a large print.
> 
> I happen to have one of a newer printers, the C80, which is 
infinitely
> more reliable than my older ones, so I believe the newer 
> printers such as the 2200 should give less trouble than the 1280.
> 
> So Jim I wonder if you should go for the 2200 even if you use the BO
> workflow. I'd love to get a 2200 to replace my 1160s once they stop
> printing. But getting a 2200 just to use the black ink might be too
> much of an overkill.
> 
> I hope to hear good news from you that all the nozzles are 
restored -

> with pigment inks - and you don't have to get a new printer.
> 
> --nick

Hello Bob,

I got some service manuals for the 1160s and 740s. The
head removal procedures for both printers are almost
identical. Using the same knowledge I was also able to
figure out how to remove heads from my C80s as well. So it
appears that the techniques are very similar between at
least desktop printers.	Still if you read on you will find
that there may not be a need to remove the head for
cleaning at all.

As to cleaning solutions Windes is the most recommended
liquid to use, however I believe the inkjet maintenance
guru (Art Entlich) has begun to recommend certain dilution
of household ammonia to handle tough cleaning jobs.

What I usually do is use an old cartridge, flush it out
pretty well and prepare a Windex solution (or something
stronger that can dissolve latex paint  :)  ) and mix in a
little amount of black ink to make your cleaning
cartridge.

I think preventative maintenance is a good thing. While I
don't exactly know what is in an MIS inkset or the
original Epson Ultrachrome ink, I believe there is
something in the so-called encapsulation of the pigment
that is the culprit behind most inkjet clogs. Also the
clotting that occurs when one switch between inksets of
different pH.

The ammonia in Windex can dissolve most of these clogs if
... and only if you can successfully get it into the
printhead. If you can get a good nozzle check pattern
using your cleaning cartridge, this is all you need to do
for routine maintenance. For the clog from hell do the
step below.

One group member suggests using a syringe to first pump
the liquid into the head, then suck it back out. Now I
think this is a great idea as it doesn't require head
removal. Do this a couples times then end with the last
stroke that leaves the liquid inside the head.

In my experience if the head was badly clogged, you'd want
to follow after an overnight soak with the same procedure
using warm distilled water. The ammonia may have softened
the clog but the piezo electric action may not be strong
enough to dislodge whatever that was sitting inside.

I was able to restore one of my 1160's after accidentally
getting some liquid latex caulk into the head. Don't ask
me how I did it but it happened during an experiment. This
was the time I needed to use a mild paint stripping
solution and it worked. Actually it worked so well that it
is now my most reliable printer despite the fact that it
is the oldest and most screwed up one I got on Ebay. Like
Jim who started this thread I was about to save this
printer for parts.

Anyway, after playing with these printers for so long I
got really good at getting them back to peak performance
again. And I can ramble on and on about things that I have
learned which sometimes are very difficult to communicate
to others who may never have gone through the same
experience to understand.

Get to know your equipments and they will serve you well,
--nick

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Bob
Marsolais" <bob@m...wrote:

> Nick,
> 
> Where did you learn how to change out the jet heads?  Is
> there a reference you could direct me to?  I just
> purchased a 1280 for use with both MIS UT2 and color
> pigmented inks, and am building up my reference library of
> "Recovery Data" for the day of that inevitable clog!
> 
> While I'd like to have a 1280 for B&W and a 2200 (or 1800)
> for color, this amatuer doesn't do enough printing to keep
> two printers happy. My approach is to use three sets of
> cartridges.  The sets will be filled with UT2, A color
> pigment inkset that I have not yet selected, and cleaning
> solution.  The cleaning cartridges will be used between
> every ink change to prevent mixing and also for proactive
> preventative measures.
> 
> From your experience, what would you recommend for
> cleaning solution.  I've seen several mentions of Windex,
> but there is also "cleaning solution" you can buy.  What
> is you experience?
> 
> Thanks for sharing your experience.
> 
> Bob M
>

Here's an update....

Over the weekend I used some of the latex dissolver that Nick
mentioned. I applied it six or seven times over a day and a half,
dropping it onto the spike that goes into the cartridge. Then I also
soaked the pad with it and then slide the print head over to the right
to cap it.

Last night I started to flush it out with hot distilled water. I also
tried sucking out anything from the post as described by another
member. I simply put a bottom fill adapter over the post to do this.

Then for the last step I loaded up an Ink Rerepublic cartridge filled
with Windex and put the end of the tube into the windex bottle. I now
had a CFS Windex system. :) As an aside, I only BO print with this
1280 and thusly am not concerned with the color positions.

It took about 30 pages of printing an 8x10 solid black purge image,
but I finally got two clear pages in a row. Before that I was getting
ink on the pages. Generally anywhere from 5 to 12 one to two inch wide
lines on the left side of the paper. Then at the I would get a big
dumping of ink/windex. As time went on the liquid coming out was less
ink, more windex.

One I had a clean page I popped in a cart of MIS photo black I had
handy and printed a nozzle check. It was perfect!

Next I filled a new MIS spongeless cart with Eboni ink.  It was
missing few teeth. I ran a few cleaning cycles and it did not help.
Then my color cart ran out. After replacing it ALL my black nozzles
were missing. Whaaaaa?

I called MIS and they are sending me their cleaning injection kit. Why
Bob Zeiss of MIS didn't send that in his "Care Package" I don't know.

So now I appear to be right back where I was before I started this
adventure. The guy at MIS said that the photo black carts a mixture of
pigment and dye inks and not as thick as Eboni. So their theory is
that I still have some clogging and that the thinner inks can squeeze
through the print heads where Eboni cannot.

Where can I find the pure ammonia? I can't seem to find any at local
stores?

--Jim



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Nick H. Nugent"
<nghin@p...> wrote:

> 
> Hello Bob,
> 
> I got some service manuals for the 1160s and 740s. The
> head removal procedures for both printers are almost
> identical. Using the same knowledge I was also able to
> figure out how to remove heads from my C80s as well. So it
> appears that the techniques are very similar between at
> least desktop printers.	Still if you read on you will find
> that there may not be a need to remove the head for
> cleaning at all.
> 
> As to cleaning solutions Windes is the most recommended
> liquid to use, however I believe the inkjet maintenance
> guru (Art Entlich) has begun to recommend certain dilution
> of household ammonia to handle tough cleaning jobs.
> 
> What I usually do is use an old cartridge, flush it out
> pretty well and prepare a Windex solution (or something
> stronger that can dissolve latex paint  :)  ) and mix in a
> little amount of black ink to make your cleaning
> cartridge.
> 
> I think preventative maintenance is a good thing. While I
> don't exactly know what is in an MIS inkset or the
> original Epson Ultrachrome ink, I believe there is
> something in the so-called encapsulation of the pigment
> that is the culprit behind most inkjet clogs. Also the
> clotting that occurs when one switch between inksets of
> different pH.
> 
> The ammonia in Windex can dissolve most of these clogs if
> ... and only if you can successfully get it into the
> printhead. If you can get a good nozzle check pattern
> using your cleaning cartridge, this is all you need to do
> for routine maintenance. For the clog from hell do the
> step below.
> 
> One group member suggests using a syringe to first pump
> the liquid into the head, then suck it back out. Now I
> think this is a great idea as it doesn't require head
> removal. Do this a couples times then end with the last
> stroke that leaves the liquid inside the head.
> 
> In my experience if the head was badly clogged, you'd want
> to follow after an overnight soak with the same procedure
> using warm distilled water. The ammonia may have softened
> the clog but the piezo electric action may not be strong
> enough to dislodge whatever that was sitting inside.
> 
> I was able to restore one of my 1160's after accidentally
> getting some liquid latex caulk into the head. Don't ask
> me how I did it but it happened during an experiment. This
> was the time I needed to use a mild paint stripping
> solution and it worked. Actually it worked so well that it
> is now my most reliable printer despite the fact that it
> is the oldest and most screwed up one I got on Ebay. Like
> Jim who started this thread I was about to save this
> printer for parts.
> 
> Anyway, after playing with these printers for so long I
> got really good at getting them back to peak performance
> again. And I can ramble on and on about things that I have
> learned which sometimes are very difficult to communicate
> to others who may never have gone through the same
> experience to understand.
> 
> Get to know your equipments and they will serve you well,
> --nick
> 
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Bob
> Marsolais" <bob@m...:
> 
> > Nick,
> > 
> > Where did you learn how to change out the jet heads?  Is
> > there a reference you could direct me to?  I just
> > purchased a 1280 for use with both MIS UT2 and color
> > pigmented inks, and am building up my reference library of
> > "Recovery Data" for the day of that inevitable clog!
> > 
> > While I'd like to have a 1280 for B&W and a 2200 (or 1800)
> > for color, this amatuer doesn't do enough printing to keep
> > two printers happy. My approach is to use three sets of
> > cartridges.  The sets will be filled with UT2, A color
> > pigment inkset that I have not yet selected, and cleaning
> > solution.  The cleaning cartridges will be used between
> > every ink change to prevent mixing and also for proactive
> > preventative measures.
> > 
> > From your experience, what would you recommend for
> > cleaning solution.  I've seen several mentions of Windex,
> > but there is also "cleaning solution" you can buy.  What
> > is you experience?
> > 
> > Thanks for sharing your experience.
> > 
> > Bob M
> >

The cleaning kit just injects windex into the print head post.  See

http://inksupply.info/?_a=knowledgebase&_j=questiondetails&_i=9

You have, in effect, done this already.

Hi Jim,

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "jim0266"
<jim0266@y...> wrote:
> 
> Here's an update....
> ...
> One I had a clean page I popped in a cart of MIS photo black I
> had handy and printed a nozzle check. It was perfect!

Whew! So the printhead is still functional. Great. I think
you're getting closer.

> Last night I started to flush it out with hot distilled water.
> I also tried sucking out anything from the post as described
> by another member. I simply put a bottom fill adapter over the
> post to do this.

You may find a tubing that can step-down from the bottom fill
adapter to an excess piece of CIS tubing, or a piece of tubing
found inside something like a hair spray bottle. I think the
bottom fill adapter is too hard to make a good seal. However
if you feel you get a good suction that's probably fine.

> Next I filled a new MIS spongeless cart with Eboni ink.  It
> was missing few teeth. I ran a few cleaning cycles and it did
> not help. Then my color cart ran out. After replacing it ALL
> my black nozzles were missing. Whaaaaa?

I think I have a clue here. I analyzed the functional
description of the MIS spongeless cart and I feel here maybe
the reason you don't get good nozzle checks right away. You
need to prime the cart using a modified bottom fill adapter.
The ink damping chamber may not have any ink in it so
subsequent cleaning cycles will cause foam to develop (just
like the inkreplublic dampers you had seen earlier).

I hope this is the case. But if you already ensured that the
ink damper chambers are filled then I'm stumped. Because the
problem can't be with your printhead. With all the cleaning
you did and perfect nozzle checks I don't think you need to do
any additional cleaning. What you need to do is properly prime
your system.

So how do you prime a cartridge that has a poppet valve? The
valve effectively prevents you from using the bottom fill
adapter to draw ink out. Earlier I mentioned a step-down tubing
that connects the bottom fill adapter with something else. Here
that something else is a piece of brass tubing (or just use a
piece of plastic tubing found in a ball point pen or the piece
they provide with a compressed air can). I cut a tiny slit
across this tubing so ink can flow into the syringe when you
press it against the poppet valve. This is how you can draw
ink into the damper chamber and the outlet port.

Maybe I should describe this at my website because all these
words can be confusing.

> Where can I find the pure ammonia? I can't seem to find any at
> local stores?

A Walgreens Pharmacies. Look for household ammonia.

--nick

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Nick H. Nugent"
<nghin@p...> wrote:
> 
> Hi Jim,
> 
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "jim0266"
> <jim0266@y...> wrote:
>
> 
> > Where can I find the pure ammonia? I can't seem to find any at
> > local stores?
> 
> A Walgreens Pharmacies. Look for household ammonia.
> 

Household ammonia--which is far from being "pure ammonia"--is about a
5 to 10% solution and is certainly is stronger than what's in
Windex. I doubt that anyone here really wants to mess with the
strongest aqueous ammonia solution available, which is 28%. The 28%
ammonia solution must be used only in a _very_ well-ventilated space
(or expect to drive everyone out of your house and possibly find
yourself staggering and gasping for breath). The 28% ammonia solution
is available from blueprint supply shops--usually in one-gallon
bottles. I'd call that the "nuclear option".

Phil

WallyWorld brand is cheap.  It's called clear household ammonia.  You don't
want the "sudsing ammonia."

Seth


==> 
==> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "jim0266"
==> <jim0266@y...> wrote:
==>
==> 
==> > Where can I find the pure ammonia? I can't seem to find 
==any at local 
==> > stores?

Nick: I'm having no problem using the stock MIS bottom fill adapter to
prime the 1280 EZ fill carts. It just works for me. 

Like you, I stumped about Jim's problem. 

Bob Michaels

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Nick H. Nugent"
<nghin@p...> wrote: I think the bottom fill adapter is too hard to
make a good seal. However if you feel you get a good suction that's
probably fine.

Hi Bob,

I stand corrected. Somehow I have problems priming the C80 carts which
have poppet valves. So I thought I would warn Jim of this possibility.
Maybe next time when I have to work with them I'll take a closer look.
It's possible that I may not have pushed the adapter in far enough to
open the valve.

Are the 1280 EZ fill carts the same as the spongeless carts? Can you
usually just pop in the cart and start printing right away? Almost?
With my 1160 sponge-packed carts I have to let it stabilize for hours
before I even dare to turn on the printer.

Thanks,
--nick

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Bob Michaels"
<bob@b...> wrote:

> 
> Nick: I'm having no problem using the stock MIS bottom fill adapter to
> prime the 1280 EZ fill carts. It just works for me. 
> 
> Like you, I stumped about Jim's problem. 
> 
> Bob Michaels
> 
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Nick H. Nugent"
> <nghin@p...> wrote: I think the bottom fill adapter is too hard to
> make a good seal. However if you feel you get a good suction that's
> probably fine.

Nick: I'm having luck just filling the carts, pulling the slightest
amount out with a bottom fill adapter and putting them in the printer.
Usually perfect nozzle checks right out of the gate. I think it's the
priming that does it. Since there's no sponge, nothing to let settle.
It's more like ink in a bottle. 

Of course we all know what happens when the world seems too perfect. 

Bob Michaels

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Nick H. Nugent"
<nghin@p...> wrote:

> Are the 1280 EZ fill carts the same as the spongeless carts? Can you
> usually just pop in the cart and start printing right away? Almost?
> With my 1160 sponge-packed carts I have to let it stabilize for hours
> before I even dare to turn on the printer.