Invisible Ink?

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Guest

Any document I send to the printer (Epson Stylus C82) is communicated to the
printer and it "acts" as though it is printing. But the page comes out blank
.... no matter which program it is sent from. I've gone through all the
troubleshooting steps and checked the ink cartridges for improper
installation and I cannot come up with the right answer. Does anyone have any
thoughts or suggestions?
 
Does the test page work?

Start > Prints and Faxes.
Right-click > Properties
Print Test Page

On the Advanced page of this same dialog, what does it say for driver?

Paul
 
Does self test also produce the same symptom? If so, you may have a hardware
problem.
Generally, this symptom (if hardware) matches that of a clogged head, or
possibly an air lock in the head.
Are there any flashing lights on the printer?
Are you using Epson ink cartridges?
Does the problem also exist when you try to print a picture?

If Self test (from the printer driver) works, it's likely that the hardware
is ok, and a problem exists that may require proper removal and
re-installation of the printer driver. Assuming that this is a USB
interfaced printer, there is also a remote possibility that the USB
subsystem and port drivers may also need to be properly removed and
replaced.
You should check the Epson web site for any specific information pertaining
to your printer model. (Problems and solutions, uninstall/cleanup utilities,
updated drivers, etc.)
 
no ... it goes through the process. looks and sounds like it's printing. but
all i get is a blank page
 
it says "Epson Stylus C82 Series"

Paul Baker said:
Does the test page work?

Start > Prints and Faxes.
Right-click > Properties
Print Test Page

On the Advanced page of this same dialog, what does it say for driver?

Paul
Click to expand...
 
The driver name mentioned in another message sounds reasonable.

I would click Printing Defaults and check every one of the properties.

I would check the physical ink again ;)

Paul
 
thanks anyway

Paul Baker said:
The driver name mentioned in another message sounds reasonable.

I would click Printing Defaults and check every one of the properties.

I would check the physical ink again ;)

Paul
Click to expand...
 
If you haven't printed for a while (even as short as a week) it's likely the
print cartridge(s) is clogged. Replace it.
 
Excuse me for piggy-backing on this topic but I'm having the
exact same problem as BlondeMoment, except that my Epson
printer is an Epson CX4600 (selected as default printer) four-color
printer. It ran out of black on Saturday and was virtually empty
on all other inks by Sunday morning.

My apologies in advance for being verbose but I'm frustrated,
weary, and PO'ed with Epson and my CX4600 printer. Havde
been dealing with the blank pages issue for 28 hours now.

Properties reveal the following data: EPSON Stylus CX4600 Series.
Epson driver and Epson Color Stylus printing software 5.52.

Replaced the four ink cartridges (total cost $75) Sunday, and from
that point on, the printer only prints blank pages. When I send print
matter to the printer, it acts as if its printing but no ink appears on
the pages. Have verified that printer is getting USB1 signals from
PC (Win XP Home SP2) and that ink cartridges are well-seated.
They install with a positive, audible click. Even removed and reseated
all four ink cartridges. No change. Still prints blank pages.

My printer driver is version 5.52. In an attempt to isolate the problem,
I uninstalled all Epson software (including latest version of driver: 5.53)
and reinstalled all Epson software from the CD-ROM that came with
the printer. That placed driver 5.52 back in control of the printer.

All Epson printer FAQ support pages on Epson site start off with a
FAQ topic concerning printing blank pages. That's telling in its own
right. Something is not quite right in EpsonLand.

Contacted Epson support and asked for help. They suggested cleaning
the heads three times in a row and printing nozzle checks. Had already
done this twice. After cleaning the heads five times, a review of the printer
cartridges levels reveal that I've already consumed 50% of the ink in the
cartridges just installed yesterday! Can't afford more suggestions like theirs.

Epson then suggested I replace my four ink cartridges--the very ones
I installed yesterday at a cost of $75. (No skin off Epson's back,
right?) So, I wonder if new cartridges (another $75) will print.
What if they don't? I'm out another $75 bucks and may still
be printing blank pages. I'm not prepared to cope with this scenario.

This whole blank print scenario is so odd. I ran a wide variety of
antivirus (Norton AV and AVG antivirus) and spyware (Spyware
Doctor, MS antispyware, SpyBot Search & Destroy, Ad-Aware,
CWS Shredder) checks this afternoon. Zero infections!! My system
is as clean as I can make it.

If none of you folks can suggest an approach, I'm considering going
to BestBuy tomorrow and buying an Epson CX4800 (same specs
as my CX4600 except it uses different ink cartridges, natch? I bet
they are the same cartridges with different part numbers. The printers
are otherwise identical.) Can get one $129.99 - $30 rebate. And it
would include four new cartridges--the greatest expense in printing.)
The new printer should print fine. If not, I can return it.
 
Cari,

I just installed four new cartridges yestersay (Sunday.)
Those things are too expensive to just toss aside without
first trying to unclog the heads. In my case, the heads
were new and fresh.
 
All of you may be interested in reviewing an Epson web site link
obtained by Google searching for "printing blank pages with Epson."

http://www.google.com/search?source...-34,GGLD:en&q=printing+blank+pages+with+Epson

Based on the frequency and Epson printer models listed on the page,
that something is seriously wrong with Epson printers or software,
or both. There's too many printer models experiencing the same
problem of printing blank pages for it to be a coincidence.
 
Well, did you check every one of the properties? Look in particular for
things like printable area and default paper size.

Look at Start | Printers and Faxes | Server Properties | Drivers and make
sure that Epson Stylus C82 Series is listed with Version shown as Windows
XP. You could try downloading and installing the most recent version of the
driver from epson.com.

Perhaps the most important question is - if it worked at some point, what
changed that could make it stop working? Something had to! Like:
Hardware
- You ran out of ink?
- You did not print for a long time?
- You changed the printer cable?
Software
- You got a new computer?
- You reinstalled Windows?
- You installed new software?

Let us know how it goes :)

Paul
 
I do not understand WHY you consider purchasing another Epson
printer, although a different model, after all the problems you have
encountered on your present Epson. Haven't you learned anything?
Consider a HP or Canon model, many excellent trouble-free models
even all-in-one units are under $100. Ignore Epson and especially
Lexmark, their current models have been proven to be a pain in
where the sun don't shine.
 
Yes, I have learned several things. Worked as a salesman at a
local CompUSA store for two years. HP, Canon, and Lexmark
printers were crap and overpriced. Customers were always
bringing them back. Canon used tiny cartridges that required
one to constantly buy new cartridges. I resent the fact that HP
provides starter cartridges in their boxes, therefore forcing its
customers to return shortly thereafter to purchase expensive
standard cartridges. And I don't like the way HP printers feed
paper in the bottom front, thereby curling the paper as it goes
through the print cycle. When one factors in the cost of buying
all new cartridges for HP printers within two months, the
already high acquisition prices of HP printers increases too
greatly for my tastes.

I like everything about Epson except the propensity of its printers
to clog. And I just discovered that fact yesterday. I thought it was
isolated to my printer at first. Not so. It's a common thing since
Epson dropped its drop resolution from 5 picoliters to 3 picoliters.
Had been considering replacing my CX4600 with a CX4800.

Now I'm in a quandary. I don't like the other printer brands, and I
don't like the prospect of having to dig into the mechanical aspects
of a printer to unclog its print heads. Overall, I'm going to take my
chances with unclogging the CX4600's print heads rather than to
add other printers to my configuration.

From what I've read, the key elements in preventing the clogging
is to (1) turn off the printer when not in use (I never did this), and
(2) print a small colorful image every day or two to exercise each
of the ink cartridges and print heads. We'll see.
 
Uncle Joe, your info is partially correct. It must have been several years
since you worked for CompUSA. Since HP obtained Compaq, it no longer
manufactures "starter" ink cartridges and now ships will full standard
ones. In the "old" days of printing there was a term used for printers,
that was "Epson compatible", well that term is no longer being used. The
latest top 10 printers are listed in Novembers issue of PCWorld magazine,
and they are: Canon Pixma, HP has 6 out of the 10, and Epson is in last
place! Hey, happy putering and printing. :~)
 
Byte,

That's good information. I left CompUSA in Mid-2001. Never
heard of the "Epson compatible" term. Hmmmm. I'm very glad for
HP purchasers that starter cartridges are no longer included in the
box. Just don't like HP printers. I print artistic prints on watercolor
paper and the HP feed mechanism hangs on such paper.

Toured my local CompUSA store tonight and was amazed by all
the printers: they must have at least sixty printers. During my time
there, Canon never had more than three printers. Now they have
a slew of them. Nice but their all-in-one printers are so expensive
and big.
 
I think "Epson compatible" refers to printers that were traditionally dot
matrix and that supported the Epson ESC/P 2 language for graphics and other
escape sequences. Like the Epson FX Series and a lot of Okidata printers.
This used to be the gold standard of printers in the days where fancier
printers were more expensive and many types of places had these things.
Airports and travel agents still do.

Paul
 
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