Is there a way to setup a 'scheduled' print to keep the jets unblocked??

[jon.p.weaver]

I am struggling to get my MP360 heads unblocked. The printer was left
unused for a few months and all of the jets were completely blocked.

I am convinced that this down to using 'cheap' inks.. Whilst the print
quality is comparible to Canon inks, I wonder if they co-agulate much
quicker, which is why my jets are now blocked!

I have tried everything to unblock it, even going as far as out of
desperation, soaking the head in windolene, but to date have only
managed to unblock 50% of the jets.

Fortunatly, I have a spare head, so if worse comes to worse, I am going
to swap it out and learn from my mistakes.

I am wondering if there is a utility available to do a 'test print'
every week or so, to keep the printer 'clean'.

I have searched and havn't come up with anything, but I would imagine
that this is the only way to ensure that the printer keeps unblocked
(other than remembering to use it ever so often).

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can do this

Jon

 

[Kennedy McEwen]

I am struggling to get my MP360 heads unblocked. The printer was left
unused for a few months and all of the jets were completely blocked.

I am convinced that this down to using 'cheap' inks.. Whilst the print
quality is comparible to Canon inks, I wonder if they co-agulate much
quicker, which is why my jets are now blocked!

I have tried everything to unblock it, even going as far as out of
desperation, soaking the head in windolene, but to date have only
managed to unblock 50% of the jets.

Fortunatly, I have a spare head, so if worse comes to worse, I am going
to swap it out and learn from my mistakes.

I am wondering if there is a utility available to do a 'test print'
every week or so, to keep the printer 'clean'.

I have searched and havn't come up with anything, but I would imagine
that this is the only way to ensure that the printer keeps unblocked
(other than remembering to use it ever so often).

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can do this

Jon

Can't you just record a macro, using AutoIt or something similar, to run
a nozzle check and then call that from the Task Scheduler at the
required intervals?

I wouldn't recommend it though - you will need to leave your printer on
all the time and keep it charged up with paper.

 

[jon.p.weaver]

Can't you just record a macro, using AutoIt or something similar, to run
a nozzle check and then call that from the Task Scheduler at the
required intervals?

I wouldn't recommend it though - you will need to leave your printer on
all the time and keep it charged up with paper.

So, if I understand your comment, "AutoIt" will actually record a Makro
of mouse movement and button presses so I could make it do a nozzle
check? I will look into that, as its a good idea.

Leaving the printer on isn't a problem, as its on all the time anyway..
And the paper isn't a major concern, as I would rather waste a sheet of
paper every week, than go to the expense of replacing the inks and/or
head, everytime I want to use the printer.

I never did manage to unblock the head.. I have no gone through several
carts, trying to 'deep clean' it, but have had no luck.. Going to
replace the head and see what happens.

Cheers

Jon

 

[Kennedy McEwen]

So, if I understand your comment, "AutoIt" will actually record a Makro
of mouse movement and button presses so I could make it do a nozzle
check?

Yes - there used to be an applet that shipped with Windows itself,
called Recorder, that did this too, but it wasn't included with Win95 or
subsequent versions. If you have some old Win3.1 disks though you might
still find it on there and I believe it still works under current
versions of Windows.

Leaving the printer on isn't a problem, as its on all the time anyway..
And the paper isn't a major concern, as I would rather waste a sheet of
paper every week, than go to the expense of replacing the inks and/or
head, everytime I want to use the printer.

There is something perverse about leaving the printer on all the time
and printing less than once a week.

No wonder your printer head is blocked! When the printer is switched
off at the front panel button the heads are capped to prevent them from
drying out and blocking. If you leave it on or switch off at the mains
lead then the head can remain uncapped, resulting in severe blockages.
When left on you also have power being dissipated inside the printer,
raising the internal temperature by a few degrees and increasing the
rate that ink dries and the blockages occur.

I never did manage to unblock the head.. I have no gone through several
carts, trying to 'deep clean' it, but have had no luck.. Going to
replace the head and see what happens.

If you operate the same use strategy then you will just get the same
results. Switch the printer OFF if it will not be used for extended
periods!

 

[jon.p.weaver]

Hmmm.. Interesting.

I never thought of it that way before.. But to some extent I am
sceptical.. Surely when the printer goes into 'standby', it effectivly
shuts itself down.. And goes to sleep.. Would it really leave the print
head in a different condition as it would if you turned it off?

The heat, I buy.. But the 'uncapped head'.. I am not so sure. Having
the printer on Standby is something that I like.. I like the fact that
at any time, I can scan/print something, without switching it on.. I
know this is lazy, but its just one of those things that I like.

But I will take the advice on board and learn from it when I replace
the head.

Jon

 

[Kennedy McEwen]

Hmmm.. Interesting.

I never thought of it that way before.. But to some extent I am
sceptical.. Surely when the printer goes into 'standby', it effectivly
shuts itself down.. And goes to sleep.. Would it really leave the print
head in a different condition as it would if you turned it off?

Yes. Switch it off from the front panel after it has gone into standby
and it still takes a few seconds to cap the head first.

The heat, I buy.. But the 'uncapped head'.. I am not so sure.

Having
the printer on Standby is something that I like.. I like the fact that
at any time, I can scan/print something, without switching it on.. I
know this is lazy, but its just one of those things that I like.

Learn to like the expense of new heads and carts every time you use it
then - the two go hand in hand.

But I will take the advice on board and learn from it when I replace
the head.

Given that the head probably hasn't been capped since you got the
printer, changing the head will probably be insufficient to prevent the
problem reoccurring. You will almost certainly have encrusted dried ink
residue around the cap area which will prevent it from sealing at all
now. You will need to open the printer up and thoroughly clean this
entire area of dried ink before the printer will operate as intended.

 

[Bob Headrick]

There is something perverse about leaving the printer on all the time and
printing less than once a week.

No wonder your printer head is blocked! When the printer is switched off at
the front panel button the heads are capped to prevent them from drying out
and blocking. If you leave it on or switch off at the mains lead then the
head can remain uncapped, resulting in severe blockages.

It would be a very poor design that did what you describe. The printers I am
familiar with will automatically cap the printheads shortly after a print job
finishes. The printer may do an extra service (some spitting and wiping) when
the power is turned off and this service may sound like the printer is capping.
I would be very very surprised if any printer leaves cartridges out in the open
air for any appreciable length of time after a print job is completed.

Switching a printer off at the mains is a bad idea, as the printer may not have
had a chance to properly cap. Additionally, most printers have an internal
clock to determine how long it has been since the last print job. This
information is used to determine how much servicing is appropriate. If you do
not keep the printer plugged into a live outlet the printer may lose track of
time and use more ink unnecessarily as it cannot tell how long since the last
print.

Regards,
Bob Headrick

 

[Bill 2]

I am struggling to get my MP360 heads unblocked. The printer was left
unused for a few months and all of the jets were completely blocked.

I am convinced that this down to using 'cheap' inks.. Whilst the print
quality is comparible to Canon inks, I wonder if they co-agulate much
quicker, which is why my jets are now blocked!

I have tried everything to unblock it, even going as far as out of
desperation, soaking the head in windolene, but to date have only
managed to unblock 50% of the jets.

Fortunatly, I have a spare head, so if worse comes to worse, I am going
to swap it out and learn from my mistakes.

I am wondering if there is a utility available to do a 'test print'
every week or so, to keep the printer 'clean'.

I have searched and havn't come up with anything, but I would imagine
that this is the only way to ensure that the printer keeps unblocked
(other than remembering to use it ever so often).

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can do this

Assuming you have Windows:


Easiest if your printer is connected by a parallel port, or printer is
mapped to a parallel port (for DOS compatability).

Create a "c:\printer" subdirectory / folder

Prepare your "test" printout in whatever application you want. Go to print,
select the printer and select the "print to file" option.

When asked where to save it, save as "c:\printer\test.prn"

next open up notepad. In it type these two lines:
"

print /d:LPT1 c:\printer\test.prn
cls

"

save as c:\printer\testprint.bat

Use shedualing software of your choice, select the time of your choice, and
get it to run "c:\printer\testprint.bat"

I don't know about using USB printers, but syntax for the PRINT command is

"print /d:device [path\file]"

If you can figure out the device name for a USB printer it would work. A
parallel printer's name is "LPT1" (or LPT2 or LPT3). I know it works for
networked printers:

"print /d:\\computer\share [path\file]"

 

[PC Medic]

Yes. Switch it off from the front panel after it has gone into standby and
it still takes a few seconds to cap the head first.

Well sort of. The head is actually already capped in StandBy mode.
However when you power off it cycles slightly (cleaning) before shutting
down and then recaps the head

Learn to like the expense of new heads and carts every time you use it
then - the two go hand in hand.

Given that the head probably hasn't been capped since you got the printer,
changing the head will probably be insufficient to prevent the problem
reoccurring. You will almost certainly have encrusted dried ink residue
around the cap area which will prevent it from sealing at all now. You
will need to open the printer up and thoroughly clean this entire area of
dried ink before the printer will operate as intended.
--

Given that the head should cap automatically after every use (provided power
is not removed indirectly),
I doubt this would be needed.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

I noticed that the first several of generations of Epson printers,
although they returned the head to the parking position (where the
cleaning station/capping mechanism was located) did not complete the
full positional shut down until they printer was shut off. Upon shut
down, the heads would move an additional part of an inch further right.
Upon studying the design of the capping system, I determined that this
addition head motion did two things. 1) It brought the cleaning
station/capping collar higher to press the rubberized edge more firmly
on the head surface, and 2) there was an air valve that was spring
loaded and was pressed against a wall which sealed the hole which
otherwise would allow for air to have access to the head through the
cleaning station.

Eventually, Epson both removed the air valve mechanism, redesigning the
cleaning station to no longer require it, and the printers went through
a more complete capping process after a certain amount of time elapsed
since the printer head was last used.

I am not absolutely sure, but it would appear that most modern Epson
printers do an adequate if not complete capping process even if not
fully turned off at the front on/off button via a timed capping.
However, I would agree that there is likely both additional heat
dissipation and wasted electricity (although minimal, and wearing of
components by leaving the unit on long term. Since most inkjet printer
seems to have a timer built in, leaving them on probably doesn't avoid
any start up cleaning cycles.

Art