Epson R800 ink clogging concerns

  • Thread starter Thread starter Michael Christie
  • Start date Start date
M

Michael Christie

Hi,

I am looking to buy a good quality photo printer and am considering
the Epson R800. My main concern about this printer is that I have
read about issues with ink clogging in Epsons if they aren't used for
a period of time. Obviously it's hard to judge how big of issue this
is overall (afterall, people generally only post about problems, not
lack of problems.) My concern is that there may be times when the
printer will not be used for quite a while (ie. several weeks),
especially for anything that isn't just black and white documents
(which in itself could be infrequent.) I would think that these
periods of time without use would be considered above average for this
class of printer.

So far, I have only ever owned HP printers (for inkjets anyway) and
have never had any issues with ink clogging. Should I be concerned
about this issue with an Epson? Should I consider going for
comparable printers from other manufacturers on the basis of this
issue?

Thanks,

Michael Christie
 
Michael Christie said:
Hi,

I am looking to buy a good quality photo printer and am considering
the Epson R800. My main concern about this printer is that I have
read about issues with ink clogging in Epsons if they aren't used for
a period of time. Obviously it's hard to judge how big of issue this
is overall (afterall, people generally only post about problems, not
lack of problems.) My concern is that there may be times when the
printer will not be used for quite a while (ie. several weeks),
especially for anything that isn't just black and white documents
(which in itself could be infrequent.) I would think that these
periods of time without use would be considered above average for this
class of printer.

So far, I have only ever owned HP printers (for inkjets anyway) and
have never had any issues with ink clogging. Should I be concerned
about this issue with an Epson? Should I consider going for
comparable printers from other manufacturers on the basis of this
issue?

Thanks,

Michael Christie
Click to expand...

Over the years I have owned a number of Epson Printers

A 600, the original stylus photo two 1270's and 2 1290's and a 1200

Of these printers the only ones that had any blockage problem was one of the
1290's that had a misfiring head which was cleaned using the paper towel
method, and the 1200 which was left un used for about 3 to 4 years, although
even this was cleared with about 6 cleaning cycles using a Windex filled
cartridge..

Epson are no better or worse than any of the others and the vast majority of
all printers perform faultlessly throughout their life.

Paul
 
I don't agree Epsons are no worse! The printers you mention are older models
using standard inks and have 4pl or better drop size.The newer,long-life
inks use 2pl drop size,and are of a different formulation! I used Epsons for
years,but my 960 and 2200,both had severe clogging problems.The low end
Epsons "might" still be ok.I would NOT buy the R800,and leave it unused for
days,let alone weeks at a time!
 
Douglas said:
I don't agree Epsons are no worse! The printers you mention are older models
using standard inks and have 4pl or better drop size.The newer,long-life
inks use 2pl drop size,and are of a different formulation! I used Epsons for
years,but my 960 and 2200,both had severe clogging problems.The low end
Epsons "might" still be ok.I would NOT buy the R800,and leave it unused for
days,let alone weeks at a time!
Click to expand...

You missed the obvious one here.

All my printers that have had no real problem with clogging use dye based
ink. the R800 and 2200 both use pigment based ink.

What probably happens with a pigment printer is the pigment settles in the
carrier if it is not used for some time.

Paul
 
Paul said:
All my printers that have had no real problem with clogging use dye based
ink. the R800 and 2200 both use pigment based ink.

What probably happens with a pigment printer is the pigment settles in the
carrier if it is not used for some time.
Click to expand...

So, from that, it looks like I could have problems with the R800.

With that in mind, I have two questions:

1) What would I need to do to keep the printer "alive"? I mean, how
often would I need to print to ensure there is no clogging? Also, not
knowing the finer details of the technology behind modern inkjets and
not knowing exactly where the clogging occurs, would printing the odd
black and white document suffice or do I need to ensure that all of
the colours are printed regularly?
Any other pointers on avoiding clogging would be much appreciated.

2) Seeing as the type of ink used seems to be another factor (along
with possibly the printer manufacturer), is there any specific printer
that I should look at in this sort of range that is particularly
unsuceptable to clogging?

I don't want to compromise the print quality too much and so, if all
of the printers in this class will be somewhat succeptable to
clogging, I may just have to resort to making a point of printing
regularly with the printer.


Thanks,

Michael Christie
 
I have owned a R800 for several months now with no problems. Just be sure
to turn the printer off using the power button not the surge strip. Leave
it off until you need it and you will be fine. Also lots of people report
problems with aftermarket ink. I use OEM inks and haven't had any problems
with any of my Epsons.
 
Back
Top