blobs of PK ink on print. 3800 ink system assembly?

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1

Hello there! We have an Epson 3800 that seems to be leaking PK ink, leaving blobs of ink on the print and the cart was empty even though the display shows a mostly full cart. After digging through various forums it seems that perhaps the ink system assembly may need replacing. Since this is an old printer the part is no longer available from most sources. I did find an “ink cartridge holder assembly” on eBay (INK CARTRIDGE HOLDER PIPE ASSEMBLY fits FOR EPSON PRO 3800 3880 3850 3890 3800C | eBay)

Does anyone know if this is the same as the ink system assembly? The eBay site does not list a part number although the photo looks similar to the ink system assembly.

Since the new epson printers can’t use the InkjetMall inks I really don’t like the idea of replacing the 3800 with one of those.
Thanks so much for you help : )

2

Yep, that’s what you need

best
Walker

3

Note that the part in the Ebay link you posted is “seller refurbished”, which doesn’t mean it’s bad, just be aware that you would be buying a used part.

It looks like Compass Micro has the the ink supply assembly in stock. I’m fairly sure that the 3800 and 3880 use the same part even though they have different part numbers and Compass shows the 3800 part number as being out-of-stock.

Keith

4

Thanks very much! Regarding the 3880 / 3800 compatibility I thought I read a thread in the last couple of days that mentioned something about the difference being the vivid magenta ink and how that raised some difficulty in using it with the 3800. Perhaps the dampers? I’ll see if I can find that.

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Check this thread if you haven’t already found it: 3800 LC channel completely missing - #11 by DanaC

Here’s another: Epson 3800 ink selector assembly, disassemble!

Here’s another good source for parts especially if you are comfortable buying directly from China: EPSON Pro 3880 Ink System - 1607156/1518586
This listing confirms that the ink supply assembly is the same for the 3800 and the 3880.

If you plug Epson 3800 into the search box on the Sdott site, you will find everything from the complete assembly to individual dampers and other separate components. What I don’t see is the black ink switch separate from the assembly.

It’s been a while, but I have ordered parts directly from Chinese suppliers in the past, and they have always arrived as fast or faster than ordering from suppliers in the US. I don’t know if that is still the case given current conditions.

Keith

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That’s great, thank you! I’ll check out all the links!