EPSON STYLUS R200: if one cartridge is low you can't print at all.

  • Thread starter Thread starter donflores503
  • Start date Start date
D

donflores503

The main issue is this: I have a good amount of black ink but low on
light cyan. I try to print a word document or an image that is a gray
scale image and the printer stops the print job and says 'no ink' !!!

I have enough black and other colors to print other specific things.
Once one cartridge is low the printer recognizes that the printer is
low on ink and you won't be able to print anything until you replace
that single cartridge. It is driving me crazy!!!

Are there any options/software that can adjust this issue??!?!?!

Does anyone know anything about this!????!!!??!


Thanks!
 
The main issue is this: I have a good amount of black ink but low on
light cyan. I try to print a word document or an image that is a gray
scale image and the printer stops the print job and says 'no ink' !!!

I have enough black and other colors to print other specific things.
Once one cartridge is low the printer recognizes that the printer is
low on ink and you won't be able to print anything until you replace
that single cartridge. It is driving me crazy!!!

Are there any options/software that can adjust this issue??!?!?!

Does anyone know anything about this!????!!!??!


Thanks!
Click to expand...

The quick answer is no you can't do anything about it.
The longer answer is that assuming the printer is posting the cartridge as
empty then it will not allow you to print because otherwise the printhead will
dry out and the printer will need servicing so that it can produce quality
prints once more. This is not an underhand way of making you buy more ink, it
is a requirement of the technology that the printhead is kept in good condition
at all times. This applies to all inkjet printers although the technology may
be different. The only ones that suffer less are the ones with integrated heads
in the cartridge, but they have different issues.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging
 
Teranews said:
http://www.ssclg.com/epsone.shtml
Click to expand...

The ssclg utility will probably work to reset and fooling the software to
thinking the cartridge is full again. However, as Tony thoughtfully warned,
you risk the cyan portion of the printhead drying out by introducing air
into the chamber and necessitating servicing, which is close to equaling the
cost of the printer, and time consuming.

Jan Alter
(e-mail address removed)
 
There rae a number of "fixes" for this problem, but you need to
understand something about Epson printer heads. While some printers
have the head and ink supply incorporated in one unit which is replaced
when you change the ink cartridge (older Canon, some/most HP models
until recently, most Lexmark) where the head is considered disposable
and when the ink runs out, the head is considered (by the manufacturer)
as waste, Epson printers use a piezo head system which uses permanent
heads. When the ink runs low, the cartridge of ink is replaced, but the
head remains in the printer.

If an ink cartridge runs out of ink on an Epson printer, the head can
dry out and clog with dried ink. For this (and other) reason(s) the
printer will not run with very low ink for any ink color.

There are a few "solutions" in software and hardware.

1) Get a chip resetter that will reprogram you cartridge to read "full".
These sell on the internet for $5-10, although on the most recent
Epson printers (since April 1, 2007) use a new system. This can still
leave you with a dried out cartridge and head. If you don't need the
specific ink color, you can add something else to the cartridge to keep
the head damp, like a mixture of isopropyl alcohol, ethylene glycol,
water and a small amount of ammoniated window cleaner. That will help
keep the heads clear.

You see, each time you call up a cleaning cycle or the printer is turned
on after a certain time gap, the cleaning process extracts ink from all
the heads, so even if you are not printing with a color, ink is still lost.

2) One other option is to use a free software program which will freeze
the ink levels of a cartridge with some printer models. You will find
this program here:

http://www.ssclg.com/epsone.shtml

Either way I suggest yo fill the cartridges with something to keep the
heads from clogging.

Art
 
That's a bunch of #$%^. This printer is about making more money to the
expense of the consumer. If the problem is about technology issues,
than this printer's manufacturer would have found a way to keep the
head from clogging when emptied. I have the same problem. Can't print
anything because I'm out of yellow... I need to print a black only
document... Makes me want to sue Epson to court! But he, I'm only a
small guy!
 
The facts are indisputable.
All current inkjet printers use printheads that require lubrication and/or
cooling. In all cases these requirements are provided by the ink. If the ink is
not present the printhead will be either temporarily or permanently damaged.
You could design a printer that does not have this requirement but probably at
a cost that would price you out of the market.
Do you have the ability to design such a printer that would be competitively
priced? If you do then I suggest that you do so.
If I had that ability then I would be wealthy beyond compare, do you really
believe that a manufacturer that had that ability would not deliver such a
printer? Of course they would.
This is not a conspiracy it is a technological reality!
Of course you can buy a laser or dye sub printer, a much bigger initial
investment and both come with their own issues. Perhaps an offset printer will
provide you with the perfection you need; they are readily available, produce
superb quality and cost an absolute fortune.
Tony
 
The technology used in inkjet printers requires the heads have a fluid
in them to keep them from either overheating and burning out, or
clogging, or both.

Epson's head design actually is the least damaged by lack of ink, but
they still can clog badly from it.

You may wish to look into another technology like laser printing if you
wish to avoid this problem.

Art
 
That's a bunch of #$%^. This printer is about making more money to the
expense of the consumer. If the problem is about technology issues,
than this printer's manufacturer would have found a way to keep the
head from clogging when emptied. I have the same problem. Can't print
anything because I'm out of yellow... I need to print a black only
document... Makes me want to sue Epson to court! But he, I'm only a
small guy!
Click to expand...

Believe what you want, but Tony is correct. The manufacturer *did* find a
way to keep the head from clogging when empty - they stop printing when the
ink level is too low. Since the printheads could not be replaced by the
user (although they could possibly be cleaned with Art's procedures) this is
a reasonable engineering tradeoff. You could probably find a reset
procedure somewhere to trick the printer into thinking the cartridges were
OK to allow printing, but it would be a poor decision.

- Bob Headrick, MS MVP Printing/Imaging
 
Back
Top