Issues with Epson Stylus C80, refilling, etc.

[CharlliePFL]

I'm probably going to get some insolent replies, but I'll take a chance
anyway. My Epson C80 is about a year and a half old and apparently
has clogged nozzles. Black and red quit entirely, cleaning cycles did
nothing but make things worse apparently. Up to now, I've been ignorant
of the problems with Epson printers, after a lot of time doing google
research,
I'm much better informed.

First, DON'T plug the printer into the power
strip that turns all the peripherals off at the same time, turn the printer
off
via the button on the machine. I didn't read the manual, I know. I bought
a refill kit and refilled some of my cartridges, that may have been another
mistake. You can't fill the original C80 cartridges to full because of the
internal design, however I've found a company that sells special cartridges
for the C80, these cartridges are designed specifically to be refillable.
Anybody know anything about this?

The refilling issue is an important one, I print LOTS of 8x10 photos,
and the money I've spent on ink could have purchased at least a
half dozen new printers by now, ink is my primary expense, not
printers.

Second mistake was buying a couple of used Epson C80's via ebay,
one has already arrived, second is on the way, I'll now be the owner
of 3 C80's, figuring maybe one of them will work, that was before
I educated myself on the problems with the C80's and other Epson
models like it. I've invested a lot in C80's and ink refill kits, chip
resetter, etc. and the money and time I've already spent is luring
me in to spend even more. Am I just wasting resources?

Is there anyone out there succesfully refilling C80 ink cartridges
and printing successfully without clogging problems? If so,
I'd very much appreciate feedback. I'd really like to find a
way to refill cartridges without problems. What I like is the
archival qualities of the C80 pigmented inks, this is important.
I've been to a lot of company websites selling refill stuff for
the C80 as well as giving advice for nozzle clogs, etc. Some
people have suggested that the only satisfaction to be gained with
the C80 is to run it through a brush chipper, take a video of
the event and the results, and send the videos to Epson Inc.

Is the C80 junk and I need to look for another brand of
inkjet printer. Thanks in advance for any coherent replies.

Charles

 

[Don Davis]

Charlie,
Don't despair. Many people like to trash Epdon printers. You have learned
the reason people have problems with their Epson. They don't believe that
you HAVE to shut them down with the switch and not with a power strip, then
blame the printer when that have a problem. But it is wise to use the
printer every so often to keep the heads clear.
I don't know what ink company you ordered your cartridges from, but MIS
ink from www.inksupply.com sells refill friendly cartridges. They also have
cleaning cartridges. There is quite a bit of information on how to clean the
print heads on their web site.
I have been using their cartridges for a while now and if all goes well
with these cartridges, I will once again try my hand at refilling, although
my past experience trying to refill OEM C82 cartridges has been disastrous.
With all that said, I think you are on the right track. Do what you can
to get the heads cleared out and enjoy your printing.
Good luck.
Don D.

 

[buck]

Charlie...

The entire Epson line is problematic as far as clogging printheads..

You shouldn't let that stop you from using them.

Order a cleaning cartridge (from inksupply.com or some other source) and
you may well end up with 2 or more working C80s.

Some times the Epsons will clog "just because they can" but most clogs
that Ive had with them (or had to help others with) have been the result
of power-outages, or letting them sit un-used for more than a day or so.
It doesn't ALWAYS happen, it just happens more with the EPSONS.

Once you get them cleared, use only high quality ink (Epson or
inksupply.com et al) and do your best not to let the printers sit around
un-used for days or weeks.

I currenyly have 9 ink jet type printers, 2 of them are Epsons, and if I
have a clog today, it will in all likelyhood be one of those 2 Epsons,
even though all 9 will be working, but I have about 100 photos to print
before tomorrow morning, and those two printers will do the 40 out of
the 100 that need to be on 5x8 Heavy duty Matte paper.

Whenever I'm going to print on Matte Paper, the Epson Photo printers are
the ones I would prefer to use. For 8x10 or 5x7 (et al) Glossy, I prefer
my Canons.. For 4x6 I use (Mostly) the HPs with HP 4x6 Paper.

As you can see, I dont have any brand predjudice. I LOVE MY EPSON
PRINTERS, but it can, on any given day, be a love/hate relationship.


Larry Lynch
Mystic, Ct.

 

[CharliePFL]

Charlie,
Don't despair. Many people like to trash Epson printers.

So I've noticed. There's a lot of bad press out there about
them.

I don't know what ink company you ordered your cartridges from,

I was ignorant about refill problems with C80 cartridges, ordered
a refill kit from a company that claimed you could refill them.
The C80 cartridges are designed with a maze of interconnecting
chambers that makes refilling very problematic and messy.

but MIS
ink from www.inksupply.com sells refill friendly cartridges.

I've just ordered a refill kit from them that includes the refill
friendly cartridges. Thanks! This company seems to be
on the ball, and their website is loaded with information
and helpful advice.

They also have cleaning cartridges.

I couldn't find a cleaning cartridge for the C80 from
their website, so I ordered one from another company,
however, all they had was a cleaning cartridge for
black. So far, I've not found a cleaning cartridge
for C80 color carts, anybody seen any? I may try to put cleaning
fluid inside one of my own empty color cartridges
and see what happens. Looks like I've now got
a bunch of C80's to experiment with.

I have been using their cartridges for a while now and if all goes well
with these cartridges, I will once again try my hand at refilling, although
my past experience trying to refill OEM C82 cartridges has been disastrous.

So has mine with the OEM C80 cartridges, my printer failed
a few weeks after I tried refilling. A second used C80 I've
got also failed with a clog, however, with factory carts installed.

With all that said, I think you are on the right track. Do what you can
to get the heads cleared out and enjoy your printing.

Let's hope so. www.inksupply.com also is working on a
bulk feed setup for the C80, this eliminates all the refilling
hassles and the ink is pumped out of bottles right into the
printer.

I hope my brand loyalty isn't misplaced. Right now, I'm
printing with the new Epson C84 that I purchased a couple
days ago, I had to have a working printer. My C80's
are sitting on a shelf, waiting to be resurrected. With the
C84, I'm stuck for sure with buying Epson's high priced
carts.

 

[CharliePFL]

The entire Epson line is problematic as far as clogging printheads..

Yup. One website claims that doing more than 3 cleaning
cycles will smear ink all over the printhead and shut you
down fast. I've seen all sorts of wild suggestions and methods
for cleaning printheads, and some contradict each other,
claiming one or the other methods will destroy the
printhead and not to try it.

You shouldn't let that stop you from using them.

Order a cleaning cartridge (from inksupply.com or some other source) and
you may well end up with 2 or more working C80s.

inksupply.com apparently doesn't have cleaning cartridges for the C80,
they do for lots of other Epsons, however.

Some times the Epsons will clog "just because they can" but most clogs
that Ive had with them (or had to help others with) have been the result
of power-outages, or letting them sit un-used for more than a day or so.

Yikes, more than a day? What happens when you go on vacation for
a couple weeks? Do you need to have someone stop by your place
and "feed" your Epsons? Leave the 'puters on, have all the printers
hooked up, have Windows task scheduler make 'em all print something
every other day?

I currenyly have 9 ink jet type printers, 2 of them are Epsons, and if I
have a clog today, it will in all likelyhood be one of those 2 Epsons,
even though all 9 will be working, but I have about 100 photos to print
before tomorrow morning, and those two printers will do the 40 out of
the 100 that need to be on 5x8 Heavy duty Matte paper.

Yes, I've noticed that the Epson C80 does particularly well with
matte paper.

Thanks,
Charles

 

[buck]

Yikes, more than a day? What happens when you go on vacation for
a couple weeks? Do you need to have someone stop by your place
and "feed" your Epsons? Leave the 'puters on, have all the printers
hooked up, have Windows task scheduler make 'em all print something
every other day?

Leaving the Epsons plugged in and turned on goes a long way toward
keeping you from pulling out your hair.

That being said, I do plan on a head cleaning cycle or two before trying
to print if Ive been out of town ect.

 

[Safetymom123]

I haven't had any problems with my C82. You should turn it off when not
using it. The longer it sits there waiting to print the longer the cleaning
cycle will be when you do. That wastes ink. Turn it off using the power
button and you will love your printer. I buy my ink from www.atlex.com.
Great prices.

 

[buck]

Leaving the Epsons plugged in and turned on goes a long way toward
keeping you from pulling out your hair.

That being said, I do plan on a head cleaning cycle or two before trying
to print if Ive been out of town ect.

Have to follow up on my OWN post.

I meant KEEP THE POWER ON, not the printer...even when its off, its on,
to some extent, and thats what you want. POWER ON, printer switched off
ONLY by its own power switch.