Epson Inkjet plugged?

[BoomerD]

I have an Epson CX5400 ink jet that appears to have some plugged ink lines. I've used ONLY Epson ink, so that's not the issue. I've tried and tried using their cleaning utility with no success. Several different cartridges appear to be involved. Other than throwing it away, (out of warranty) does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Lemon law]

To BoomerD,

Sadly Epsons tend to clog when not used frequently---and unlike Canons, the Epson printhead where the clog is likely located is not made easily user removable. But one poster here--Zepper is his user name and he has had sucess
in removing Epson printheads. With some luck Zepper or someone else will come to offer you specific advice in that area.

You can also get cleaning cartridges on the internet that will basically send solvent into the printhead---or alternately seek advice on steves dgicams or the nifty stuff forums.

But if you can do it your self and on the cheap---it may well be worth the hassle to save rather than throw away.---I suspect any commercial repair place may well charge more in repairs than the printer is worth.

 

[Zepper]

De-clogging kits just for this purpose are out there (maybe Epson has one - they should!) as it is a problem of long standing with Epsons. The root cause is the "Not Invented Here" syndrome. Which means that they invented a piezo technology head which runs relatively cool and allows them to use a faster drying ink. Both of which contribute to clogging problems...

I have removed the print head from the one I had but I don't recommend it for those with little technical experience. There are Epson clog clearing ideas all over the web.

Due to the fast drying property of the Epson inks and the fact that black and color inks are all pigmented, you have to be VERY fast when changing ink to prevent clogs from starting.
Unless yours is still under warranty, I'd send it to Epson and have them fix it. Here's hoping there is a local service center near to you.

Otherwise, I hate to say it, but I'd recommend looking at the Brother MFC-640 that's on sale at Office Depot this week ($125. after $75. rebate). Thermal head for little or no clogging problem. Passive indivudual ink tanks for which clones are available (my favorite ink supplier, swiftink.com, and others sell them) and are easily refillable for low operating costs over the long term. Some of the best networking features out there. Mixed reports on print quality. Or just about any other All-in-one (except for Lexmark)...

.bh.

 

[Jolt2]

Check out these sites for more info:

SSC Service Utility for Epson Printers
With this program you should be able to clean just the ink colors you need, which will save you ink. It has a "Powerful Cleaning" option and makes it easy to test print page.

http://www.inkjetprinterhelp.us/epson.html
This site has info with all kinds of stuff about the Epson printers. Links to more info too.

http://www.fixyourownprinter.com/forums
http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_forum.php?id=40
A couple more forums to check about printer problems and info.

And last, my brother had his Epson C82 plug up. He took the old empty cartridge and drilled a hole in the top of it. He then filled it with Windex window cleaner and put the cartridge back in the printer. After running a couple of heavy cleaning cycles and leaving the printer sit over night, the clog dissolved and the printer started working fine again. He did this because he figured that the printer is not worth taking to a service center, so in other words the printer was junk at the point, and that it would be worth a try if he could fix it.

I have had a Epson 880 for years now and have had little trouble with it. I think a big part of that is due to me running a least one color print about every week or two through the printer. I do this just to keep the ink head clean and the ink flowing. The other thing I do is leave the printer powered on all the time and that way it does not waste a lot of ink doing cleaning cycles at start up. I have always used cheap after market ink in this printer and from different suppliers. I figure that with the cost of the cheap ink, I can afford to run some extra junk/cleaning prints through the printer to keep it running good.

 

[BoomerD]

Thanks for the replies. I've owned several Epson's over the years, and while I've had a few become nothing more than technological door stops, (2 just quit communicating) this is the first one I've ever had an ink problem with. I'll check the assorted links provided.
Thanks again.