Is the 7890 a good work horse?

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1

I have a 9800 and am looking at picking up a 7890. It looks like the carts are the same as the 7900/9900. Do these machines have the same head clogging issue, or are they more like my old and reliable 9800?

2

We have a 9890 in a college setting, that I take care of, use, train and supervise a limited number of students to use. Don’t have a total print count for you at the moment. We’ve been using it for about a year, with long breaks in the summer and during a winter work term. During those times, I moth-ball it by installing IJM carts with Piezo-flush.

During the term, the printer is tested and exercised every day, at least with a nozzle-check, or with a standard reference image. Compared to a busy urban print center, our use is probably rather light, and a few days can pass without prints being made. Tests, however, are done like clockwork. Every couple of weeks, I remove and shake all the ink carts.

With that regimen, I can say that the printer has been flawless in operation. It’s almost unheard of to see a clogged nozzle, and the prints are fine. We are using only OEM inks so far.

I was quite apprehensive about this printer when we ordered it, worried that we’d see endless clogging trouble with it, as we did with a 4900. Didn’t happen. Given this experience, color me happy—I’d like to find a nice, lightly-used 7890 myself.

3

The 9890 tends to be more reliable than the 9900. I think this is due to a more robust pressure system keeping the dampers from starving due to the pressure pump only having to pressurize 9 carts instead of 11.

The head is not as robust as the 9880s (to abuse) but proper care of the printer as we practice at Cone Editions and on all of our literature (and which @Jonathan_Barber has certainly done in the field!) will ensure proper life.

All the best,
Walker

4

I love my 7890. I have had it for 4/5 years now and with regular basic maintenance, I don;t even have clogging issues. With that said, I am not a commercial printer and the use has been light. I’ve even managed the K7 GO overcoat with about 80% success, although with the new Pro set that won’t be a factor. If I let the printer set over a week without use or a nozzle check, I have had to do regular cleanings.

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