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View Full Version : Major print problem with Epson 1400 on artanium CIS ink



whitesquizzel
13-11-2011, 10:33 PM
Hi there all does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get my Epson to print without lines and ink missing I am currently sitting on a rather large and expensive white elephant and dont have a replacement as cant afford one at present.

I have tried all the usual routes- print head cleans, leaving it to rest,etc etc but am getting no where and all I am getting now are unusable prints with a magenta hue and loads of lines which looks to me like some of the nozzles are blocked but print head cleaning is just not shifting it.

Any suggestions (other than the obvious buy a Ricoh) most gratefully received!

Paul
13-11-2011, 10:40 PM
hmm.. contact your supplier if still under warranty.
if not. did you try to use some head slean fluids?? they great! I had very good success rate with them. I used ZAP of ebay. cheap and rescued my printer in 24h ;)

all the best

whitesquizzel
13-11-2011, 10:46 PM
Thanks I will contact them although I thought with Sublimation the warranty was void as soon as you put the CIS ink system into the machine as Epson wont cover it? I will look up the Zap as well as not sure when the Warranty is up so that could be an option.

Paul
13-11-2011, 10:55 PM
yes its true. I was talking about your sublimation supplier who sold you ink, ciss and printer. (if you g it from supplier afcors :) )

whitesquizzel
13-11-2011, 11:14 PM
Just looked and its over 12 months old now but Yes I did get from a supplier on here who have been helpful over the phone offering suggestions to fix problem but unfortunately none of them seem to be working - I think part of the problem is I dont use the printer as frequently as I should as I am only a small enterprise and in hindsight I think the Ricoh would be a much better option - trouble is I am tight for funds at the moment so really want to try and get this one working so I can make some funds towards the Ricoh if that makes sense.

Paul
13-11-2011, 11:18 PM
ZAP then ;) you cant go wrong for this price.

whitesquizzel
13-11-2011, 11:34 PM
Zap purchased - lets hope it's as succesful as it was for you - I have nothing to lose at that price and the printer is not producing anything usable anyway so may as well give it a go. Thanks for the suggestion I now eagerly await the postman!

Paul
13-11-2011, 11:37 PM
Is there any magneta coming out? Or is fully blocked?

whitesquizzel
13-11-2011, 11:44 PM
Well there was - i was just getting white lines / lines in the print and then I took entire CIS cartridge out and when I put it back in the whole print now has the lines as well as eveything having a bright pink hue every where so I think magenta is OK but probably the other colours are blocked and only the pink is coming out - I will leave it to have a rest overnight and see what tommorow brings.

purpledragon
14-11-2011, 12:43 AM
have you tried the original carts in it ? if so are you getting a good nozzle check if the answer is yes to these questions then its your cis system if you buy a new pre primed cart sytem im betting it will work i doubt youd need to buy the tank bit just the carts n tubes id ring bms see how much they are.

sarahjayne
14-11-2011, 01:35 AM
Apologies for jumping in but I have a blocked nozzle on a black on my B1100 (have changed back to dye carts and it has gone from no print to fuzzy print, so there must be a clog) - I have some of the unblocking solution, got it with the refillable carts from coralgraph but where do I actually put it?!
thanks

Ian M
14-11-2011, 03:21 AM
Sarah-Jayne, you might find watching this video will help you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKcEbE8yn5E

Ian :biggrin:

sarahjayne
14-11-2011, 11:59 AM
Thanks a million - I'd googled B1100 to death and was just going around in circles.

Sarah-Jayne, you might find watching this video will help you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKcEbE8yn5E

Ian :biggrin:

mrs maggot
14-11-2011, 06:53 PM
Ian - have you used the magic bullet they are selling ??

Paul
14-11-2011, 07:55 PM
Sarah-Jayne, you might find watching this video will help you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKcEbE8yn5E

Ian :biggrin:

good video! same way as zap.

Ian M
14-11-2011, 09:00 PM
Ian - have you used the magic bullet they are selling ??

Yes I have Laura & it worked just as in the video. The hardest bit is getting the tube onto the nozzles but, once you get the hang of it it becomes pretty easy. You just can't believe how much old ink comes out onto the kitchen towel under the print head.

whitesquizzel
14-11-2011, 11:21 PM
have you tried the original carts in it ? if so are you getting a good nozzle check if the answer is yes to these questions then its your cis system if you buy a new pre primed cart sytem im betting it will work i doubt youd need to buy the tank bit just the carts n tubes id ring bms see how much they are.

no i dont have original carts as thought it was a major no no to allow standard ink and Sublimation ink to mix inside the printer so I didn't keep them. Cis system was new with the printer are these often problematic ?

purpledragon
15-11-2011, 12:39 AM
. Cis system was new with the printer are these often problematic ?
when they are working they're great but im afraid they are very tempramental which is why many opt for the ricoh i use a 1400 and b1100 now but then ive been through most the woes that come with them

JSR
15-11-2011, 05:09 PM
Cis system was new with the printer are these often problematic ?
Putting third-party ink into a printer that wasn't designed for it is always going to be potentially problematic. Sad to say that despite the high cost of the ink, there is still no printer designed to take our type of dye-sublimation ink. You would have thought that the ink manufacturer might commission a printer manufacturer to design such a machine by now, but I guess they don't want to invest their profits back into the industry even after all this time.

As printers get smaller and smaller nozzles in the printhead, a "thick" ink like dye-sub ink is always going to be a potential problem. Nine times out of ten, any "blocked nozzle syndrome" issue will sort itself out by just leaving the printer idle. The blocked nozzle is invariably caused by an air bubble locked in the printhead. No amount of headcleans can shift an air lock, but leaving it be gives the air time to migrate out of the printhead on its own.

That's why you should always factor in having at least one extra printer available for backup - particularly at this time of the year - so that any printer that won't sort itself with normal headcleans can be left for an extended period. I posted in another thread that I had a problem with a B40W in which the cyan wouldn't print. I thought the printer was a goner, but it was during a busy period (last Christmas) and I had backup printers so I just left it to one side until I could be bothered to deal with it. I finally got around to looking at it about seven months later - at which point, a quick cartridge change and a headclean had it working as good as new.

These days, though, I don't tend to use CISS - I use refillable cartridges. Unfortunately, the thimble-size nature of Epson cartridges kind of precludes them from any serious dye-sublimation work with refillables. I don't use Ricoh printers because I don't want the manufacturer of the ink to dictate which printer I should use (they only support one A4 and one A3 Ricoh printer). Instead I use Brother printers, of which I can use larger refillable cartridges and I can select which printer I want to use from a whole range.

Imme
15-11-2011, 05:52 PM
These days, though, I don't tend to use CISS - I use refillable cartridges.

Hi I also use an Epson 1400 and had similar problems that did not improve even after many, many cleaning cycles (always fit a waste ink kit). It turned out to be the CISS I was using had failed I switched to refillable cartridges that I had and that enabled me to keep going while I ordered a new (different) CISS. I guess I was just unlucky with the first one but everything seems OK now. Fingers crossed.

whitesquizzel
15-11-2011, 09:32 PM
These days, though, I don't tend to use CISS - I use refillable cartridges. Unfortunately, the thimble-size nature of Epson cartridges kind of precludes them from any serious dye-sublimation work with refillables. I don't use Ricoh printers because I don't want the manufacturer of the ink to dictate which printer I should use (they only support one A4 and one A3 Ricoh printer). Instead I use Brother printers, of which I can use larger refillable cartridges and I can select which printer I want to use from a whole range.

Thanks I have come to the conclusion that I do need to build up a "spare" of all things dye sub eg printer and presses as the very nature of the process seems to require it so will start saving the pennies now.

Re printers I was looking at a Ricoh for the next one as I thought these were the only other option to the Epson so its interesting to hear you use a Brother - what model and where do you get the sub ink from?

Do you think I can switch to refillables from CIS in my current Epson without much trouble - am just thinking if its the CIS thats at fault then that may work and at the moment I am not a big user (hence why I think I have this blocking issue anyway) so it probably wouldnt be too pricey for me.

Have had a Zap kit arrive am now deciding whether to use it (am a bit scared of doing more harm than good) or just try some more head cleans again.

whitesquizzel
15-11-2011, 09:35 PM
Thanks everyone for the replies as well - all have been useful in helping me work through the problem one way or another!

Paul
15-11-2011, 09:55 PM
Have had a Zap kit arrive am now deciding whether to use it (am a bit scared of doing more harm than good) or just try some more head cleans again. head cleans will do wors then good :)
this is the wors you can doo actualy. if ink not flowing then clean your head once or twice. if nothing then STOP cleaning as you may flood your printer or damage your head.


Re printers I was looking at a Ricoh for the next one as I thought these were the only other option to the Epson so its interesting to hear you use a Brother - what model and where do you get the sub ink from?
any inkjet model and any supplier will sell you ink. I think it come in 125ml bottles. worth to have a go. carts are giantic :D

bms
15-11-2011, 10:02 PM
Thanks I have come to the conclusion that I do need to build up a "spare" of all things dye sub eg printer and presses as the very nature of the process seems to require it so will start saving the pennies now.

Re printers I was looking at a Ricoh for the next one as I thought these were the only other option to the Epson so its interesting to hear you use a Brother - what model and where do you get the sub ink from?

Do you think I can switch to refillables from CIS in my current Epson without much trouble - am just thinking if its the CIS thats at fault then that may work and at the moment I am not a big user (hence why I think I have this blocking issue anyway) so it probably wouldnt be too pricey for me.

Have had a Zap kit arrive am now deciding whether to use it (am a bit scared of doing more harm than good) or just try some more head cleans again.

Just be aware if you go down the Brother route then support will have to come from the one or two people using Brother printers on this forum. This isn't supported widely or by any sublimation dealers.

Paul
15-11-2011, 10:06 PM
Just be aware if you go down the Brother route then support will have to come from the one or two people using Brother printers on this forum. This isn't supported widely or by any sublimation dealers.

so where is epson support then?? :cool:

JSR
15-11-2011, 11:17 PM
Re printers I was looking at a Ricoh for the next one as I thought these were the only other option to the Epson so its interesting to hear you use a Brother - what model and where do you get the sub ink from?
You can read about my experiences, including pros and cons, in my review thread here: http://www.dyesubforum.co.uk/vbforum/showthread.php?1525-Brother-printers-for-sublimation-use.

I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have after you've read that.

I would mention here, though, that I went down this path due to the "authorised" offerings being so restrictive. Having the ink manufacturer dictate which printer we can use is like the tail wagging the dog. We should be able to choose our own printer, ones that may be better suited to our own particular situation. For many people an Epson with a CISS is ideal; for others, the simplicity of a Ricoh set-up is perfection. For me, though, I've always been one to push the envelope and see if there are alternatives that suit me better.

Going down the Brother path may not be suited to you. As has been said, you won't get support from a supplier (not that you get much when Epson/Ricoh go wrong, or when an authorised system is over 12 months old, but you do at least get some support when you buy the complete kit from a Sawgrass approved reseller), and you'll need to find a solution for obtaining your ICC profile(s). Paul offers one such solution on this forum.

But have a read of my review and you'll get an understanding of why I chose Brother.

whitesquizzel
15-11-2011, 11:47 PM
Thanks I will read and review all the options again in light of everyones comments.

bms
16-11-2011, 08:37 PM
so where is epson support then?? :cool:

Rhetorical?