I have an old Epson Stylus 740i color that was in the basement. I picked up ink for it (not cheap, probably not worth it in the long run) it's been down there a while. I've tried to clean the print heads, and at one point I got a bit of black on the nozzle check sheet, but now it's back to nothing. Done tons of cleaning, even tried a few tricks people suggested using windex on the feed needles and head cleaner pads. Doesn't say out of ink, but I can't get this thing to print! Anyone have any suggestions?
annoying epson printer
- Thread starter Nick R
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I just threw an Epson of the same era as yours, in the garbage recently for the same problem.
I tried everything to get it to print again after it had been sitting for a while and couldn't.
It's because the ink from the cartridges doesn't hit the page directly like most inkjet's today. These have a stupid ink feed system and it clogs up if not used regularly.
You could have Espon service it but it will be expensive and so I wouldn't bother.
I tried everything to get it to print again after it had been sitting for a while and couldn't.
It's because the ink from the cartridges doesn't hit the page directly like most inkjet's today. These have a stupid ink feed system and it clogs up if not used regularly.
You could have Espon service it but it will be expensive and so I wouldn't bother.
I've used steam from a tea kettle to loosen stuck HP ink jet cartridges. Immediately after steaming the print head, I'll press it onto a paper towel with moistened with cool water to blot off any exposed ink and cool the print head so it doesn't re-dry from the heat. As we say in work "heat if your friend". It took a few tries but I got it working.
If the cartridge is old and was run dry, the individual ink jet heads could be burnt out. As I understand it, the ink serves as a coolant and running them dry runs the risk of burning out the ink jet heating element.
Newer cartridges (probably not yours) have a chip in the cartridge. After the OEM charge of ink is gone, the printer shuts down the cartridge.
Some of the latest ink jet cartridges use RFI chips to control ink usage. Pretty sophisticated, but that's a whole 'nuther subject. Keep your old printer going.
If the cartridge is old and was run dry, the individual ink jet heads could be burnt out. As I understand it, the ink serves as a coolant and running them dry runs the risk of burning out the ink jet heating element.
Newer cartridges (probably not yours) have a chip in the cartridge. After the OEM charge of ink is gone, the printer shuts down the cartridge.
Some of the latest ink jet cartridges use RFI chips to control ink usage. Pretty sophisticated, but that's a whole 'nuther subject. Keep your old printer going.
Had a similar Epson.... last century they were one of the best. It got hincky in its old age. Eventually dumped it. And, the inks were really pricey.
Epsons are great printers , photo or general purpose, if you use them on a very regular basis. And, based on what a friend of mine had happen, they like to run only on Epson cartridges. I have two (2) HP 6 color printers and they can sit for months on end and print great when you fire them up. Same with a ancient Canon i860. A majority of pro photographers use Epson but blogs and reviews are full of head clogging issues whether the printer is a sub $100 combo printer or a plus $1K photo printer if it is not used at least on an every 10 day basis. I am going to be in the market for an A3 photo printer and will buy Canon. Also, use only OEM ink cartridges for best performance.
Are you using the printer control panel to do the cleaning or just the cleaning button on the printer?
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/suppo...&foid=43260
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/suppo...&foid=43260
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