Digital BW, The Print

Hello Group..

  Yes..I know I've been a STRONG proponent of the MIS SPONGELESS 
carts for use in a 1280..BUT..I guess now it's MY turn to come to the 
group with a problem I'm having..I'm using MIS UT2 Inks in these 
refillable carts..No problems after 5-6 refills (and 5 months of 
use)..that is until NOW!
  I haven't been able to get a decent nozzle check since my last 
fill..I've done all the usual cleaning/purge cycles/patterns plus 
Windex on the parking pad and Windex on the paper-towel-in-the-tray-
cleaning..And gues what..VERY little seemed to be coming out of the 
C, M and K ports..BECAUSE..They NOW have NO INK left in those 
chambers!..Where and Why did the ink go??..(I think I know where!)
  I've replaced these carts with OEM original color dye carts and now 
have the worst clogs ever....I'm doing the parking pad soak again 
along with the in-the-trough cleaning..Still can't even get these 
dyes to print..I've faxed a copy of my nozzle check sheet to MIS, but 
I'm sure I will not hear back from them on a Sunday during a holiday 
weekend..
  Has anyone had a similar problem to mine?..How about a "FIX"?

TIA and Happy holidays to all..

Eddie Wiseman

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "pahtspix"
<pahts@c...> wrote:
>
> Hello Group..
<snip>
> And gues what..VERY little seemed to be coming out of the 
> C, M and K ports..BECAUSE..They NOW have NO INK left in those 
> chambers!..Where and Why did the ink go??..(I think I know where!)

For the record:-
I bought 6 T009 and T007 spongeless carts over the past few months.  2
of the T009 came with semi-hollow, "T-shape" plugs, the rest with the
solid plugs.  These were used for various inks in 3 1270/1290
printers.  One T009 and 2 T007  worked reliably, one of each I have
not used (nor will I). *ALL* of the rest had leaks at one time or
another, usually soon after filling.  I could only get them to work by
taping over the plugs with very sticky tape to seal them.  Sometimes
the tape was not sealed properly and after leaving the printer
overnight I'd have an empty colour (it got to the point where I
removed the carts every day to check for leaks).  

MIS support was supportive, but in the end we agreed I was either
doing something wrong (no idea what) or was getting a large number of
faulty carts (they claimed that faults were normally rare, and I
believe them).
  
Anyway my 1290 died last week, and I decided to cut my losses with
this system so have taken all but one of the printers out of action
(and that to follow soon). 

I think I wasted nearly 1 pint of ink in leaks, changing to new carts
and tests while using a similar amount for printing :(  
It is a great system while it works, but the weakness that it requires
a good seal at the plugs is fundamental, and limiting. MIS continues
to get my custom, but never for T007/T009 spongeless carts. 

Ken

Sorry, I forgot to add (actually, hesitated to add):-

when I was caught out like you (empty chambers due to leaks), I
assumed the printhead had got full of air.  I *gently* syringed some
of the appropriate ink into the nozzle using a spare length of
silicone CIS tube.  This fixed the problem in my case each time. 

I suspect this is a very risky procedure (the risks being damage to
the print head as it is not made to operate under pressure) the value
of my printers was considered unimportant at the time I did this (3
times on 2 printers).

Ken

Hello,
I just started using the spongeless carts in my new 1280 (with UT2 
inks). When I received the new T009 cart, the plugs were not in the 
cart, supplied in a small bag. The second fill, I used a straight pin 
to help remove the plugs. This procedure had been mentioned by a 
couple posters here. But I saw a problem with that. The pin can go 
right into the plug, into the hollow center of the plug, thus 
creating an air channel, and possible leaks. I feel it was a learning 
error, and I could probably carefully use the pin without it piercing 
into the hollow portion of the plug. But still I ordered 10 extra 
plugs the other day, and will learn to refine the procedure.

I wonder if a similar mishap could be allowing air into your plugs, 
inducing ink to flow freely out of your nozzles?

best,
Ken Smith


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "pahtspix" 
<pahts@c...> wrote:
>
> Hello Group..
> 
>   Yes..I know I've been a STRONG proponent of the MIS SPONGELESS 
> carts for use in a 1280..BUT..I guess now it's MY turn to come to 
the 
> group with a problem I'm having..I'm using MIS UT2 Inks in these 
> refillable carts..No problems after 5-6 refills (and 5 months of 
> use)..that is until NOW!
>   I haven't been able to get a decent nozzle check since my last 
> fill..I've done all the usual cleaning/purge cycles/patterns plus 
> Windex on the parking pad and Windex on the paper-towel-in-the-tray-
> cleaning..And gues what..VERY little seemed to be coming out of the 
> C, M and K ports..BECAUSE..They NOW have NO INK left in those 
> chambers!..Where and Why did the ink go??..(I think I know where!)
>   I've replaced these carts with OEM original color dye carts and 
now 
> have the worst clogs ever....I'm doing the parking pad soak again 
> along with the in-the-trough cleaning..Still can't even get these 
> dyes to print..I've faxed a copy of my nozzle check sheet to MIS, 
but 
> I'm sure I will not hear back from them on a Sunday during a 
holiday 

> weekend..
>   Has anyone had a similar problem to mine?..How about a "FIX"?
> 
> TIA and Happy holidays to all..
> 
> Eddie Wiseman
>

> .They NOW have NO INK left in those 
> chambers!..Where and Why did the ink go??..(I think I know where!)
>   Has anyone had a similar problem to mine?..How about a "FIX"?
> Eddie Wiseman


I had the same problem. I think what happened in my case was I placed Windex on the 
parking pad and let the head sit overnight....as the Windex drained through the parking pad 
it pulled the ink with it. I guess the siphoning effect in action.

I also had one bad cart that leaked from the start...I think a seam was cracked.

The 1280 has been sitting idle for a few months and I have not tried to trouble shoot as I've 
purchased an Epson 4800 and can't be more pleased and at ease....no more worries if the 
printer will work! Works every time!

> The second fill, I used a straight pin 
> to help remove the plugs. This procedure had been mentioned by a 
> couple posters here. But I saw a problem with that. The pin can go 
> right into the plug, into the hollow center of the plug, thus 
> creating an air channel, and possible leaks. I feel it was a learning 
> error, and I could probably carefully use the pin without it piercing 
> into the hollow portion of the plug. But still I ordered 10 extra 
> plugs the other day, and will learn to refine the procedure.
MIS supply 2 types of plug (at least) one is a solid cylinder with a
small bump at one end, these go flush into the cart when fitted.  The
pin trick is appopriate for these.  The other design is T-shaped or
hat shaped: there is a hollow cylinder, that goes into the cart, plus
a cap that is larger than the  hole in the cart. The pin trick is not
appropriate and should not be needed for these - lift the cap part and
pull.  

I suspect the main problem is quality control of the holes drilled in
the tops of the carts (some are definitely too large to give a tight
fit).  

Perhaps some printers are more susceptible to leaks - mine were all
very old.  I had ink leaking around the cartridge nozzles on the
printhead (and probably also through the printhead, but it was hard to
tell).

Ken

I'll chime in with my $.02 on the MIS Plug problem...

From the moment I saw them, I knew that these plugs would be trouble.
 So far, I've only had one leak, but that was my fault due to
over-agressive removal of the plug.

But for new refills, I'm going to do away with reusing the MIS plugs.
 I am just going to buy a small tube of silicone rubber sealant. and
put a daub of it over the fill-hole when I'm done.  In a couple of
hours or less, it will be cured with a good, almost guarantied
air-tight seal, and will be easily removable (and disposable).

Or you could go with the glue-gun method, but sometimes those are a
little harder to remove.

DRK
>