Good afternoon
My printer Epson s21 won't print in magenta color even if I cleaned the head so many times.
Could someone tell me what should I do, if it is a common problem orwhich printer should I get who works perfectly with sublimation ink.
Thanks very much for your help.
have a read through some of the printer posts, this has come up before i am sure, and the question about which printer, is also on here several times
[h=A dictionary is the only place where success comes before work]5[/h]Laura
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The S21 isn't a supported printer for sublimation printing.If you are looking for a hassle free sublimation printing experience then go for the Ricoh GXe3300 http://www.printerowners.co.uk/subli...n-printers.htm
Apparently my post isn't constructive so I'll add more. The S21 printer isn't a supported printer by Sawgrass so there are no colour profiles specifically made for this printer.I, as well as any other sublimation supplier would not recommend this printer for sublimation printing as it is more likely than not that users would experience problems. This is based on numerous dealings with customers who have experienced problems with the non-supported printers.
The post went on to suggest that the Ricoh printers provide hassle free printing, which experience suggests they do. Of course such printers are available from other suppliers and a google search, reference to the 'suppliers' list wil search these out - the link was for information about such a printer to make life easier for members to find out such information which gives details of costs per page print as well as pricing details. The post was to provide information which I thought was constructive rather than saying 'search the forum for information'.
Other (unsuported) printers DO work for dye sub work... I've oft-cited the SX415 that we use. Yesterday I bought a second one which I hope to set up with a monochrome inkset for gicleé work. Epson printers in general are often quite flexible and usable for various non-standard purposes...
BUT if you're going to get involved in that world - Be it dyesub or more general gicleé or photographic work, you'll need to face the fact that it's not a straightdforward 'turnkey' job. And you will need to become familiar with concepts such as colour profiling and deep-cleaning printheads. - Including making up and using the varous 'witches brews' and 'rituals' used for clearing seriously blocked heads.
It's rather like 'tuning' your car for increased performance. Yes; you CAN get a Mini-Metro to eat Porsches for breakfast - but in the process will create a 'needy' delicate beast that requires much in the way of 'constant care and feeding'. - To make it practical to own and use you need to invest in knowledge and skill.
Dyesub work seems particularly challenging as the inksets appear to be fairly crude in many respects.
- The bottom line is that when using an Epson for any kind of advanced work, coming to grips with deep cleaning is fairly far down the learning curve. A little time searching various photographic, gicleé and indeed dyesub fora quickly reveals a raft of posts and discussions on the subject. And indeed in the few short weeks I've been a member of this forum it has been touched on in some detail here a couple of times...
So I'm going to suggest that this is such a basic and well-covered topic as to suggest the O/P's knowledge and understanding is such that they may well benefit from a more 'turnkey' solution - which is what was suggested. Especially appropriate since the O/P actually wrote -
I can't see how the response received from Martin was in any way 'not constructive'....which printer should I get who works perfectly with sublimation ink.
- I naturally assume that the O/P is not one of those people who just couldn't be bothered searching the forum and expected to be spoon-fed answers - But would point out that simply reading the second thread down in the 'Printers' section of this forum accesses a discussion from which could be gleaned many of the answers that might solve the O/P's problem.
Last edited by Matt Quinn; 07-07-2011 at 12:29 AM.
I don't know what post was deemed "unconstructive" but there are basically two paths open to you.
Either go the easy route, in which a supplier will guide you through any trouble spots, in which case you'll use one of the few "supported" printers that the patent-holder of desktop dye-sublimation ink allows you to use. For a quick start-up, this option is probably the most appropriate.
Or get your sleeves rolled up and use a printer you want to use, taking into account that a supplier won't necessarily be able to help you when things go wrong. You should expect to learn about your printer along the way, fix your own issues, and be prepared to run into a cul-de-sac if you can't handle it without assistance. If you intend to be around in the long-term, then this may be the better option (there's no substitute for knowledge, and we learn by doing).
I was in the first camp for a good few years, and it's where anyone should probably be if they're going to be flummoxed by a troublesome headclean. While in this camp, you can talk to the supplier of your set-up and get any help/advice that's available. They can help replace things like a dodgy CISS, a faulty chip on a cartridge, or whatever. In some instances it has been known for the ink manufacturer to assist when a supported printer bought from a licensed supplier has failed within the first 12 months (probably best not to rely on this, though, because there's nothing written in black & white saying that they will do it).
These days I'm in the second camp and I use printers of my own chosing (which happen to be Brother printers right now). I do this through my own choice fully in the knowledge that if I was to ask a question of a supplier, the best I could hope for would be a blank stare followed quickly by a "huh?"
At the end of the day, and as Matt says, no printer will work "perfectly" for dye-sub ink. The reason you will always run into a problem of some kind is that these printers were not designed for dye-sublimation ink. In the case of Epson printers, they were designed for Epson ink with tiny droplet sizes down to 1.5pl for best photo quality. Dye-sub ink is thicker than regular dye ink and cartridges are mounted practically on top of the printhead, and so we're asking for trouble really.
Some people have had more success with the Ricoh printers. These were designed to print with "gel" ink which, naturally, must be thicker than regular dye ink and so the printers probably have larger droplet size. In addition, I believe the ink is pushed through the nozzles with greater force to help avoid clogging. The cartridges are mounted remote from the printhead which also helps avoid air bubbles causing a nozzle-block. However, there have been some reports of motherboard failures in Ricoh printers, and Ricoh won't lift a finger to help if you've used someone else's ink - so, if you go for a Ricoh, always go to a licensed supplier for your set-up for the best chance of someone helping if things go wrong.
Ultimately, until someone develops a printer designed for dye-sub ink, we're all forever going to be trapped in a world of "square peg in round hole" - problems are, therefore, more a case of "when" they happen rather than "if".
It is not perfect printer for the sublimation. i think you have to choose Ricoh GX7000 printer for better quality.
As mentioned before, I along with other members have tested the S21 over long periods and it has proved to be more than suitable, better than many supported printers I've used in the past. Personally I disagree with regards to quality as my experience with the Ricohs was not positive.
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I have to support what Matt, Jonathan & Justin say from my own experience. My first sub printer which was a D88 had a blockage which I just couldn't clear so bought a D120 which was one of the worst printers I have ever owned due various problems such as a colour refusing to print. The D88 & D120 were both supported printers & I used Sawgrass inks in both. I bought a S21 & have used non Sawgrass ink from day one & have never had a single problem since.
i still use the epson s21 and have been using it for 2 years works well with sublimation ink np :)
i do my own icc profiles for the printer. ok back to the question ask? about your magenta colour not printing out even after so many head cleaning! it sound to me you have an air lock in your magenta cart its best to take your magenta cart out and prime it as you don't want the printhead to have an air-lock as this would be more serious or next best thing is to replace the magenta cart. hope thats helps
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