Epson 4880

InkjetMall Customer Support Printer Maintenance & Cartridges
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1

Hi,
When I print on my epson 4880 not all of the colors are printing. The colors are inconsistent, meaning if I do a test some of the colors print, then when I do another test different colors will print. When the colors print most of them do not print the whole square. I received an email from you asking these questions:

  1. How old is the printer?
  2. Has the capping station, wiper blade, flushing box and/or bottom of the print head been cleaned following our instructions? If so, about how often are these manual cleaning procedures done?
  3. Have any parts in the printer been replaced, such as the dampers, wiper blade, capping station, flushing box, etc…? If so, what parts were replaced, and how long ago?
  4. How often is the printer used vs. how long does it sit unused?
  5. How often are the ink cartridges agitated?
  6. When did he install the refillable carts into his printer? Were all carts installed at the same time, or one at a time as Epson carts emptied?
  7. Were cartridge exit channels primed with ink using the priming syringe, prior to installing carts into the printer?
  8. Has this been happening since carts were installed, or was there good ink flow at first, then this problem start recently? If the later, about when did this begin?
  9. When the printer is not in use, are the cartridge air vent holes sealed closed to prevent evaporation, and contaminants from getting inside?
  10. What are the humidity and temperature levels in the printing environment?
  11. Opening the printer cover, and examining the internal ink lines- are they all filled with ink, or are there any air bubbles inside?
  12. Are cleaning cycles done between nozzle checks that show different results mentioned below, or just nozzle checks done without cleaning cycles between?

My reply was;

1- about 4tys old
2- nothing has been cleaned
3- nothing except for cartridges have been replaced
4- used about once month
5- Not agitated
6- refillable carts installed about 1-1 1/2 month ago
7- no
8- I think every time I’ve used it.
9- yes
10- NYC
11- no bubbles
12- both

Can you help?

Steven

2

Hi Steven~

Your responses to #1, 2, 3, 4 +5 are concerning… The fact that your printer is 4 yrs old, never been cleaned or had parts replaced, is only used about once a month, cartridges haven’t been agitated, and carts weren’t primed prior to instillation all contribute to a yucky situation…

My feedback after reading your responses, is that you have likely been dealing with the effects of air due to not priming the cartridge exit channels prior to installing (air in the ink system will interrupt ink flow when it reaches the damper and print head), a 4yr old printer that has never been cleaned, never had parts replaced, ink carts never agitated, and printer only used once a month will be very dirty inside from waste ink gunk, and have particle build up in the dampers (which should be replaced every 1-3 years)- resulting in restricted ink flow, clogged/mis-firing nozzles, and other printing problems. Your response of “NYC” to my question asking about temperature and humidity in your printing environment doesn’t tell me anything, as the outside environment is not the same as inside.

I recommend manually cleaning your printer following our instructions, which you can find here: http://www.inkjetmall.com/tech/content.php?133-Printer-Cleaning-and-Preventative-Maintenance
In addition to a thorough cleaning and cartridge agitation, your printer is minimally due for new dampers and wiper blade. Please read our 4800/4880 cartridge instructions (attached), and pay close attention to the information regarding priming cartridges, cartridge agitation, and printer use information to get the best results and most from your system.

I hope this helps, please keep me posted.
Thanks~ Dana :slight_smile:

4800 + 4880 Fill Instructions (insert# 101)-email.pdf (123 KB)