Epson RX630 multifunction printer

  • Thread starter Thread starter ken gracia
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ken gracia

Hi, I have had this printer for only 3 weeks now and the ink levels
according to the software are all under half full.
I have used only slightly under 100 a4 pages. Made up of 70 txt and 28
photographs.

It seems to me to be quite exessive use of ink.

Any one else know whether this model is an excessive user of ink please?

ken
 
Hi, I have had this printer for only 3 weeks now and the ink levels
according to the software are all under half full.
I have used only slightly under 100 a4 pages. Made up of 70 txt and 28
photographs.

It seems to me to be quite exessive use of ink.

Any one else know whether this model is an excessive user of ink please?

ken
Click to expand...

Epsons do not come with 'starter cartridges', however, the initial set
of cartridges uses about 10-13 ml of ink in order to 'prime' the print
head (which is filled with blank liquid so it doesn't dry out) so they
won't go as far.

This comes to a rough estimate of about 2 ml per color, which is about
15% of each cartridge. However, my R340 only went down 1% each color
so I don't know how the software compensates for the extra spent ink
from first priming.

Epson /did/ lose a lawsuit stating that their printers force users to
replace tanks far too soon. It seems that you are not in the US so the
lawsuit, unfortunately, will not apply, but at least you know it's
'not just you'. But if the '28 photographs' you printed were A4 sized
as well, and not 4 x 6, then that would account for most of the ink
usage.

The Epson R-series printer is really not designed to be a large volume
document printer. Some of the older C-series had Large Capacity black
tanks but I think the new C88 only takes the standard size tank (about
13 ml).

I see many websites that estimate a page yield of 650 pages of text
for the black cartridge - I think this is a /huge/ overestimate. If I
was going to use the printer mainly for heavy text printing (i.e.
newsletters, etc), I would probably use refill kits. Since I use mine
only for photos with Epson paper and CD/DVD printing, I use OEM inks.

---

http://www.FenrirOnline.com

Computer services, custom metal etching,
arts, crafts, and much more.
 
Thanks to the replies.
The distributer has just replied to me from where I bought the printer from
with the following remark:

"all new printers are sold with demonstrator toners or cartridges"

If this is correct then we should get with our purchase a cash back or some
sort of discount from Epson.

cheers
ken
 
Thanks to the replies.
The distributer has just replied to me from where I bought the printer from
with the following remark:

"all new printers are sold with demonstrator toners or cartridges"

If this is correct then we should get with our purchase a cash back or some
sort of discount from Epson.

cheers
ken
Click to expand...

If you got the printer in a sealed box from Epson and the cartridges
look like genuine Epson cartridges, then I would just assume that your
distributor is wrong (Or he was trying to get you to buy more
cartridges from him). Epson simply does not make starter/half size
cartridges. There was a recent thread on here where Staples in the US
was telling customers that they had 'starter cartridges'. It's a
pretty common myth, especially since many other brands/printers /do/
come with starter cartridges so a seller might assume all of them do
the same thing.

However, if the printer came in nonstandard packaging or the
cartridges were not sealed up, then they might have been changed. I
doubt it though, as even remanufactured or alternative cartridges
usually have the same amount of ink as the OEM ones.

---

http://www.FenrirOnline.com

Computer services, custom metal etching,
arts, crafts, and much more.
 
This comes to a rough estimate of about 2 ml per color, which is about
15% of each cartridge. However, my R340 only went down 1% each color so
I don't know how the software compensates for the extra spent ink from
first priming.
Click to expand...

Priming is compensated - the printer has an internal "first use" flag. So
after installing the first set of cartridges you see 100%, but indicated
ink level drops faster.

Question is, what would confuse users more - 100% level dropping faster,
or 85% level dropping normally ;)? Epson uses the first method.
 
I have since spoke with a Technition at Epson NZ and I believe that the
Epson cartridges are properly full. all was sealed in the box. Yes the next
lot of cartridges I install will be a lot better and last longer. I have
been asured that the first cartridges are exactly the same as the bought
ones and all will be honk dory.
Thanks one and all for your feedback.
cheers
ken
 
I have since spoke with a Technition at Epson NZ and I believe that the
Epson cartridges are properly full. all was sealed in the box. Yes the next
lot of cartridges I install will be a lot better and last longer. I have
been asured that the first cartridges are exactly the same as the bought
ones and all will be honk dory.
Thanks one and all for your feedback.
cheers
ken
Click to expand...

One way to save some ink is to never turn the printer off unless you
know you're not going to use it for a long period of time. The printer
does a cleaning cycle every time it's turned on. The C-series with
Durabrite ink need this otherwise the heads will clog, but the
R-series has 'regular' dyebased inks that don't dry fast and are not
waterproof, so it should be fine. I only print photos about 2-3 x a
week (I have a separate printer for everyday printing) and while the
feed rollers on the original R340 I had broke, the head never clogged
up or showed signs of banding in three months of leaving it on nearly
all the time. My warranty replacement printer has been the same.

---

http://www.FenrirOnline.com

Computer services, custom metal etching,
arts, crafts, and much more.
 
Thanks to the replies.
The distributer has just replied to me from where I bought the
printer from with the following remark:

"all new printers are sold with demonstrator toners or cartridges"

If this is correct then we should get with our purchase a cash back or
some sort of discount from Epson.

cheers
ken
Click to expand...

Not true. It is apparently typical amongst lower end Lasers, and HP does
have low and high capacity inkjet carts,surely supplying the lower capacity
ones with printers.
 
Gary said:
Not true. It is apparently typical amongst lower end Lasers, and HP does
have low and high capacity inkjet carts,surely supplying the lower capacity
ones with printers.
Click to expand...
it is apparently true. hp has differenct capacity ink carts.
 
That sounds relatively normal usage, especially if you are printing
photographic images (what size are the images?)

The ink yield numbers provided by more inkjet companies are based upon
5% coverage or less per color. Most photos use 35-70% coverage per
image per color, so if you print a full letter size photo, you are using
the equivalent of 7-14 or more text pages as the specs the manufacturer
uses goes.

Also, each time you turn the printer on, or run a cleaning cycle between
1-5% of the ink is used up for each color, and each time a cartridge is
replaced another 3-5% is used up for each color (not just the one you
replaced).

Art
 
No, it is not true of Epson printers. In fact, in the inkjet business I
don't think anyone does this anymore, after a few lost lawsuits.

What some companies did is begin to offer the smaller cartridges for
sale as an after purchase option in order to make them no longer a
"starter" cartridge, but instead an option for those on a tight budget.
Of course, they actually end up costing much more per volume of ink,
and most retailers won't even carry them. It is still occurring with
laser printers, although they too are beginning to "offer" these
partially filled toner cartridges as a retail option, again to offset
any potential law suits.

In the US Epson has agreed to pay a fee per printer to settle a class
action lawsuit as a result of there being ink leftover in the cartridges
when they read empty. So far, only the US owners are being offered
these payments.

Art
 
Konica Minolta often offer this "option" also. The color laser printer
will come with a 1500 print (at 5% coverage) toner cartridge for each
color. The unit "can also accommodate" a 4500 page at 5% coverage
cartridge.

You get the 1500 page cartridges when you buy it, however, continuing to
buy them is poor economy. The 1500 sheet cartridges costs $70 US list,
the 4500 sheet cartridge is $130 US list, less than double the price for
3 times the toner. I presume refilling is cheaper still, but knowing
Konica Minolta, they have something burn out when the cartridge gets
empty, or nearly so.

The model (in this case the 2400W) also comes with a black 1500 sheet
cartridge, which is not sold other than in a kit of all four cartridges
at 1500 sheet yield.

Art
 
Re-cleaning heads every time the computer is turned on.
Okay well my Epson RX 630 does that but also does some form of head cleaning
every few hours and apparently it is programed into the printer to do this.

ken
 
Gary said:
.... and HP does have low and high capacity inkjet carts,surely
supplying the lower capacity ones with printers.
Click to expand...

Not true. Most of the HP inkjets do support two or three different size
cartridges. Some of these ship with the larger cartridge in the box,
others ship with the smaller version. It depends on the model, and in
some cases which geographical region the printer is sold. See
http://shopping.hp.com and look at the "What's in the box" section for
any printer you are interested in checking.

Regards,
Bob Headrick
 
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