Hi Dana–I will be ordering ink on Monday to refill my carts for the Epson 4800. Do I need to remove the existing ink or just add the new to the old using the original funnels? The original instructions seem to imply the latter. Also, will the ink that I will be ordering have a recent date on them. My last order varied by as much as 8 months. My 4800 is a very frustrating printer since it will not give an excellent nozzle check even if I did not print for 4 days–so I clean the capping station etc.and eventually I can print again. I am thinking of trashing the 4800 and get the 3880 but will probably have the same problem. When working, the 4800 prints beautifully and is built so much better than the 3880.
I see you last purchased ConeColor ink and refillable carts for your Epson 4800 in July 2012.
Typically, you refill cartridges by agitating ink bottles and pouring more ink into the carts (without emptying them first)- as long as the ink in the carts is the same as the ink your refilling the carts with, and the ink in the carts isn’t extremely old or contaminated.
About how often have you been using this printer vs. how long does it sit unused?
How often have you been agitating the ink carts?
How much ink remains in the carts?
Have you closed the air vent holes when the printer isn’t being used to prevent evaporation and stuff getting inside?
Have you cleaned the printer’s capping station, wiper blade, flushing box and/or bottom of the print head? If not, I recommend you clean your printer by following our instructions, here: http://www.inkjetmall.com/tech/content.php?133-Printer-Cleaning-and-Preventative-Maintenance
Has this printer ever been serviced with new parts, such as dampers, wiper blade, capping station, flushing box, etc…?
Please let me know so I can help you get back to happily printing.
Best regards~ Dana
HI DANA-Thanks for the quick reply. Answers to your questions: At the most the printer sits unused for 1-2 weeks but I try to run at least a nozzle check.I have not been agitating the carts on a routine basis- maybe every 2nd or 3rd printing session.My ink is very low -less than 1" from the bottom. I routinely close the air vent holes except the vent hole on the matte black is too small to close- the plunger will not go into the hole - how would you recommend opening up the hole without contaminating the ink- which is almost gone due to evaporation.I clean the capping station routinely using plain water as recommended by Epson but not the wiper blade, flushing box and/or the bottom of the print head. I never knew how.The printer has never been serviced with new parts since it never has been used that much. Am I waiting too long before reordering ink? Also, can I be sent the most recent product date on each ink-as I mentioned before, there was a large discrepancy from one bottle to the next. Also, my # 6,7 and 8 cartridges constantly are being asked to be reset. I move the lever up, pull out the cartridge and gently reinsert the cartridge and hold it in when I release the lever and continue to apply inward pressure and this seems to move the printer to ready position. Talk about “happy printing”.
Regards–Frank
Based on your use history, and the amount of ink remaining in your carts, I would recommend emptying the carts and refilling them with fresh ink (but, no need to rinse out the carts- just drain and refill with fresh ink).
Regular agitation of ink carts (always agitate ink bottles before filling/refilling carts), regular use and maintenance (manual cleaning and replacing parts as needed) of the printer, along with proper humidity and temperature in your printing environment will help you get the best quality output, with less issues, and lengthen the life of your printer.
Infrequent use of a printer, paired with infrequent agitation of inks can actually cause flow problems due to thicker ink from the bottom of the carts being drawn into the ink lines, and lead to particle build up in the dampers. This, along with infrequent or no cleaning of internal parts will cause poor ink flow and other headaches. The capping station, wiper blade and flushing box should be cleaned every few weeks (keeping these parts clean will help keep the print head clean and working well), and the bottom of the print head should be cleaned as needed (following our instructions). The dampers and wiper blade should be replaced every 1-3 years.
We are constantly filling ink bottles to keep inventory numbers up, so I’m sure the ink you receive in your new order will be very fresh.
What is the exact message displayed on the printer’s LCD screen when the #6, 7 + 8 carts are “being asked to be reset”? Do you reset the cartridge chips, or simply remove and reinsert the carts to get the printer “ready”?
I’ve never experienced or heard of any cartridge vent hole being too small for the plug to fit, though I usually push down and wiggle slightly to insert the plug into the vent hole (it’s supposed to be a snug fit).
I hope this helps, please let me know if you have further questions or there’s anything else I can help you with.
Best regards~ Dana
Hi Dana- I will empty the carts and refill–I assume the best way is through the top filler hole.I ordered a set of dampers and will replace those using the instructions on U-TUBE site. I will clean the flushing box and wiper blade per the instructions on U-Tube as well as the bottom of the print head.The message displayed on the LCD screen says"SET INK CRTG".I have not only reset the chips but also removed and reinserted the carts and either procedure may or may not work right away. I had the best luck with pressing the carts inward. I also replaced the chips on #6 and#7 carts with the Epson chips and they still need resetting as does #8.#1 thru #5 never need resetting.I think something is wrong with the #6 thru 8 carts.They are not setting properly in the printer unless I apply inward pressure. I placed and awl carefully in the vent hole of the matte black cartridge and made it slightly looser and now the plunger goes in but still with a little pressure- it fits snug.
I hope the above gives you some useful info on my life with the 4800.I really appreciate your help.
Regards–Frank
Yes, you should only refill carts using a funnel thru the large fill hole at the top.
How long have you been experiencing the “set ink cartg” message with the three carts? You purchased the carts nearly two years ago, and I haven’t received reports from you or other customers regarding issues with these carts.
If you have good results after pushing the carts into your printer, then it may be your printer isn’t holding them in tight enough to maintain a good connection between the chips and chip sensors. Comparing the three carts in question to any of the 1-5 that you’re not having issues with, do you notice any differences with the exit valve or plastic nub on top (which is how the printer holds and locks the carts in)? If the carts don’t have obvious differences (and all carts have the plastic nub on top), then I wonder if you may have better results by placing a few thin pieces of tape to the back of the plastic nub on top of these three carts so the printer holds them in tighter.
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