Digital BW, The Print

I know this is a b/w forum, but hopefully someone here can guide me to the  
correct answer to my question.
 
I have an Epson 2200 which has given me five+ years of great service.  No 
problems to speak of, just the occasional head cleaning to clear up minor  
clogs. I've never used anything but the Epson Ultrachrome color inks that are  
dedicated for this printer.
 
I've just upgraded to an Epson 3800 and want to put the 2200 in storage for 
 the time being. I'll keep it as a back up for my color printing needs.
 
What do I need to do to insure that the 2200 will remain in good shape  and 
printing order for the next year or more? Should I remove all the ink  
cartridges that are now in the rig? Should I flush out the heads? If I need to  
flush, how can I go about this? Do I need to buy empty cartridges from a  
supplier such as MIS and fill them with cleaning solution?
 
Any thoughts or guidance will be much appreciated.
 
Rob
 
 
 
 
 
 
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

> I've just upgraded to an Epson 3800 and want to put the 2200 in storage for 
>  the time being. I'll keep it as a back up for my color printing needs.
>  
> What do I need to do to insure that the 2200 will remain in good shape  and 
> printing order for the next year or more? Should I remove all the ink  
> cartridges that are now in the rig? Should I flush out the heads? If I need to  
> flush, how can I go about this? Do I need to buy empty cartridges from a  
> supplier such as MIS and fill them with cleaning solution?

Rob, just one experience here and others may have differing...  I had a pair of R220s that I put into deep storage.  I used refillable carts and used MIS cleaning solution.  I ran purge patterns that covered entire sheets of plain paper with both Heavyweight Matte settings and Premium Glossy settings until those purge patterns had absolutely no tint in them.  The plain paper will become very wet as it is overloaded but I think that is a good thing overall.  I also ran the patterns over a period of about a week giving the cleaning fluid a good bit of time just sitting in the nozzles.

It took a great deal of paper to get all of the nozzles to clear especially the matte black.  I was using UT3D in one and MISPRO in the other.  Most colors cleared after about 50 full 8.5x11pages of purges, the mattes may have taken more.   I then left the cartridges out. 

After about a year and a half I sent one to my mother when her printer died.   After a half dozen head cleanings around a head alignment (probably from the shipping) it was printing fine and six months later still is. 

I still think letting the cleaning cartridges remain in would probably be a better way but at the time I changed chips and used the same cartridges in another printer.

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "robert49brake" <robert49brake@...> wrote:
>
> 
> > I've just upgraded to an Epson 3800 and want to put the 2200 in storage for 
> >  the time being. I'll keep it as a back up for my color printing needs.
> >  
> > What do I need to do to insure that the 2200 will remain in good shape  and 
> > printing order for the next year or more? Should I remove all the ink  
> > cartridges that are now in the rig? Should I flush out the heads? If I need to  
> > flush, how can I go about this? Do I need to buy empty cartridges from a  
> > supplier such as MIS and fill them with cleaning solution?
> 
> Rob, just one experience here and others may have differing...  I had a pair of R220s that I put into deep storage.  I used refillable carts and used MIS cleaning solution.  I ran purge patterns that covered entire sheets of plain paper with both Heavyweight Matte settings and Premium Glossy settings until those purge patterns had absolutely no tint in them.  The plain paper will become very wet as it is overloaded but I think that is a good thing overall.  I also ran the patterns over a period of about a week giving the cleaning fluid a good bit of time just sitting in the nozzles.
> 
> It took a great deal of paper to get all of the nozzles to clear especially the matte black.  I was using UT3D in one and MISPRO in the other.  Most colors cleared after about 50 full 8.5x11pages of purges, the mattes may have taken more.   I then left the cartridges out. 
> 
> After about a year and a half I sent one to my mother when her printer died.   After a half dozen head cleanings around a head alignment (probably from the shipping) it was printing fine and six months later still is. 
> 
> I still think letting the cleaning cartridges remain in would probably be a better way but at the time I changed chips and used the same cartridges in another printer.
>

Robert's advice seems sound to me.  I agree, I'd leave the cartridges in the printer after cleaning, and then store with cartridges in the printer, full of cleaning solution.  Unless the heads are clean as a whistle, drying tends to be the enemy.  

Another option, if you have the room, is to leave your 2200 hooked up and use it for routine desktop printing of letters, web pages, etc., reserving your big printer for your photos.  That's what I do.  I use my 2200 infrequently (sometimes it sits for a month or two).  Occasionally, it needs a nozzle cleaning, but even after a month it usually prints just fine.  I'd rather do that than put it into storage.  

Lou

> > > What do I need to do to insure that the 2200 will remain
> > > in good shape ...


> >  I used refillable carts and used MIS cleaning solution. ...

>  I agree, I'd leave the cartridges in the printer after 
> cleaning, and then store with cartridges in the printer, 
> full of cleaning solution.  Unless the heads are clean as
>  a whistle, drying tends to be the enemy.  

I also agree with the above.  One refinement would be to use MIS UC clear base or the "do it yourself" C6 base described at 
http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/Ink-Mixing.pdf

The problem with MIS cleaning fluid is that it's a lower viscosity product than the clear base or OEM inks.  In one printer I had in storage with cleaning fluid in it, the fluid ran out through the head.  When I went to use the printer, the carts were empty.  The higher viscosity of the MIS UC base or C6 base should avoid this problem.  I use the C6 base now and it seems to work very well.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

I had a 2200 in storage for almost a year. I left the ink cartridges in, followed the "prepare for shipping" instructions, then sealed it really well in several layers of plastic to create a reasonably airtight seal and put it in an air-conditioned storage unit. 10 months later I moved it mostly across the country. 

When I unpacked it and set it up it took I think only 2-3 head cleanings to be back in working order.

OTOH, once you get comfortable with the 3800 I don't think you'll ever want to go back to the 2200 for anything, unless it is playing with 3rd party ink sets.

Good luck,

  - susan


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, robtmckay@... wrote:

>
> I know this is a b/w forum, but hopefully someone here can guide me to the  
> correct answer to my question.
>  
> I have an Epson 2200 which has given me five+ years of great service.  No 
> problems to speak of, just the occasional head cleaning to clear up minor  
> clogs. I've never used anything but the Epson Ultrachrome color inks that are  
> dedicated for this printer.
>  
> I've just upgraded to an Epson 3800 and want to put the 2200 in storage for 
>  the time being. I'll keep it as a back up for my color printing needs.
>  
> What do I need to do to insure that the 2200 will remain in good shape  and 
> printing order for the next year or more? Should I remove all the ink  
> cartridges that are now in the rig? Should I flush out the heads? If I need to  
> flush, how can I go about this? Do I need to buy empty cartridges from a  
> supplier such as MIS and fill them with cleaning solution?
>  
> Any thoughts or guidance will be much appreciated.
>  
> Rob
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
> **************A strong credit score is 700 or above.  See Yours in Just 2 
> Easy Steps! 
> (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1222585011x1201462751/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072&hmpgID=115&
> bcd=Maystrongfooter51709NO115)
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

In a message dated 5/17/2009 9:25:06 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
slchapin@... writes:
 
<<OTOH, once you get comfortable with the 3800 I don't think  you'll ever 
want to go back to the 2200 >>
 
Actually, I am hoping this will be the  case!
 
Thanks to everyone for their sage advice on 2200  storage options.
 
Rob


**************A strong credit score is 700 or above.  See Yours in Just 2 
Easy Steps! 
(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1222585011x1201462751/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072&hmpgID=115&
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]