dry ink in Epson C42UX

[Stumpy]

I'm tired of cartridges going bad because I don't print very often. Epson
says that I must use OEM cartridges because they are better quality and
don't dry out so fast. The biggest problem is that the print head is
inaccessible and I don't think I can see what I'm doing with an ammonia and
alcohol Q-tip.

The printer is out of warrantee or I would take it in for service as
instructed. Any advice to clean and then prevent clogging of print head?
The odd thing was that the last black ink cart. worked perfectly until it
ran out, then the head acted plugged immediately after replacement of the
cartridge. 3 nozzle checks and 3 head cleanings have had no effect.

 

[Woody]

If you aren't going to use it buy a box of crayons. Seriously all ink jet
printers will dry out if never used. That is the nature of ink. Make sure
you use the printer power off so it will park correctly. Turn it on once or
twice a week and print a page. Too lazy to do that buy a printer with the
head in the cartridge and just throw in a new cartridge when it clogs or
soak it in a pan of windex until it works.....

 

[Gary]

Warm water is the best. Close up the printer when you are not using it.

 

[measekite]

I'm tired of cartridges going bad because I don't print very often. Epson
says that I must use OEM cartridges because they are better quality and
don't dry out so fast.

THAT IS CORRECT

The biggest problem is that the print head is
inaccessible and I don't think I can see what I'm doing with an ammonia and
alcohol Q-tip.

THAT IS WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE A CANON

The printer is out of warrantee or I would take it in for service as
instructed. Any advice to clean and then prevent clogging of print head?

IF YOU LIKE EPSON THEN DEPENDING ON THE MODEL YOU HAVE YOU CAN GET A NEW
ONE FOR THE PRICE OF A SET OF CARTS. BUT A CANON USING OEM CARTS IS
LESS OF A PROBLEM.

 

[Davy]

quote="measekite"]Stumpy wrote

I'm tired of cartridges going bad because I don't print very often. Epso
says that I must use OEM cartridges because they are better qualit an
don't dry out so fast

look at the expense and the number of nozzle cleans required

The biggest problem is that the print head i
inaccessible and I don't think I can see what I'm doing with a ammonia an
alcohol Q-tip

You need to be careful the bud don't come off exposing the nylon stic
that may scratch the head

Better is to get a kitchen towel fold it in a thin strip, put th
printer in cartridge change mode the move the head to one side whil
you lay the tissue flat and gently move the head over it a fe
times

THAT IS WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE A CANO

I'll second that my ip5000 is over 4 months old and not one singl
clog, the Epson I had clogged on the 2nd day and it's replacemen
clogged on the 4th day, all using Epson ink

The ink tanks are clear so you can see the ink inside, they'er no
chipped and theyer a darn sight more economical

The printer is out of warrantee or I would take it in for servic a
instructed. Any advice to clean and then prevent clogging of prin head

If you take it for service you need to think 'longterm', how long i
it going to last before clogging again and how much the bill is goin
to be..

Dav

 

[Arthur Entlich]

If you email me at:

e-printerhelp(at)mvps(dot)org

(at) = @
(dot) = .

I will send you a free manual of cleaning Epson print heads, which most
of the time resolves the problems. There is no cost for this service
and you will receive no spam or scam ;-)

Art

 

[Stumpy]

If you aren't going to use it buy a box of crayons. Seriously all ink jet

printers will dry out if never used. That is the nature of ink. Make sure
you use the printer power off so it will park correctly. Turn it on once
or twice a week and print a page. Too lazy to do that buy a printer with
the head in the cartridge and just throw in a new cartridge when it clogs
or soak it in a pan of windex until it works.....

You're right. If I had known that the ink would dry out so fast I would
have gotten a printer that provides access to the print head.

Simpler, cheaper cartridges seemed like an advantage at the time.

I've already got the crayons. Always pays to have a backup.

 

[Stumpy]

You need to be careful the bud don't come off exposing the nylon stick
that may scratch the head.

Better is to get a kitchen towel fold it in a thin strip, put the
printer in cartridge change mode the move the head to one side while
you lay the tissue flat and gently move the head over it a few
times.

I'll try it. Thanks.

 

[Stumpy]

It's in the mail. Thanks for the offer.

If you email me at:

e-printerhelp(at)mvps(dot)org

(at) = @
(dot) = .

I will send you a free manual of cleaning Epson print heads, which most of
the time resolves the problems. There is no cost for this service and you
will receive no spam or scam ;-)

Art

 

[Stumpy]

Warm water is the best. Close up the printer when you are not using it.
Thanks. I made up a solution of ~30% isopropyl, 30% vinegar, 20% peroxide,
20% water in a little squeeze bottle and took it to the office with a few
q-tips, tweezers, and a dental mirror. (would have used ammonia if I had
any) I wadded up a tissue and dripped the solution onto it, pushed the print
head over the tissue and let it soak for ~30 min. Then wet the q-tips and
held them w/ the tweezers and lightly "scrubbed" the head. It worked first
time off - really clean and clear.

The solution is probably too harsh to recommend as a frequent response, but
if this didn't work I would have tossed the printer. If I had old style
wrapped paper q-tips that stay bent, the tweezers would be unnecessary.
I'll keep the solution at hand just in case.

 

[measekite]

DO YOU MEAN (e-mail address removed)?

If you email me at:

e-printerhelp(at)mvps(dot)org

(at) = @
(dot) = .

I will send you a free manual of cleaning Epson print heads, which
most of the time resolves the problems. There is no cost for this
service and you will receive no spam or scam ;-)

Art

 

[measekite]

AND DAVY USES CANON OEM INKS

quote="measekite"]Stumpy wrote:

I'm tired of cartridges going bad because I don't print very often.

Epson


says that I must use OEM cartridges because they are better quality

and


don't dry out so fast.

look at the expense and the number of nozzle cleans required.

The biggest problem is that the print head is
inaccessible and I don't think I can see what I'm doing with an

ammonia and

alcohol Q-tip.

You need to be careful the bud don't come off exposing the nylon stick
that may scratch the head.

Better is to get a kitchen towel fold it in a thin strip, put the
printer in cartridge change mode the move the head to one side while
you lay the tissue flat and gently move the head over it a few
times.

THAT IS WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE A CANON

I'll second that my ip5000 is over 4 months old and not one single
clog, the Epson I had clogged on the 2nd day and it's replacement
clogged on the 4th day, all using Epson ink.

The ink tanks are clear so you can see the ink inside, they'er not
chipped and theyer a darn sight more economical.

The printer is out of warrantee or I would take it in for service

as


instructed. Any advice to clean and then prevent clogging of print

head?



If you take it for service you need to think 'longterm', how long is
it going to last before clogging again and how much the bill is going
to be..?

Davy

 

[Davy]

Stumpywrote
quote="Stumpy" I made up a solution of ~30% isopropyl, 30% vinegar
20% peroxide,

20% water in a little squeeze bottle and took it to the office

For goodness sake "don't shake that lot".... ya going nuclear...?
"and I only bury em"

Dav

 

[Davy]

measekitewrote

AND DAVY USES CANON OEM INK
Yeah, and it ain't clogged yet it's a big relief compared to th
"clogger" I had - sheer bliss

One day I'll join the ranks of the RASC (Refillers Association Socia
Club), whether I'll be elected as a member I don't know. Dav

 

[Stumpy]

Stumpywrote:

quote="Stumpy" I made up a solution of ~30% isopropyl, 30% vinegar,
20% peroxide,

For goodness sake "don't shake that lot".... ya going nuclear...?
"and I only bury em".

No. It's quite safe. I use it to clean and dry off the kids ears after
swimming. But the peroxide is probably not good for exposed metal. If I
had ammonia I would have tried that.

 

[Davy]

Stumpywrote
quote="Stumpy

No. It's quite safe.

Ignore us......Just my sense of humor, was refering to how I got ri
of my Epson

Dav

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Be careful about using vinegar as a cleaning agent with Epson inks.
They are pH alkaline and the vinegar may cause the ink to clot.
However, the other items are "interesting. The peroxide may introduce
air into the head, which may also not be a great idea. Isopropyl works
reasonably well, and ammonia does as well, in high dilution (about 1-2%).

Art