ITCL UV45 switch

inkthrift
#1

Hello,

I switched by mistake from MK to PK on my 3880 printer (used Epson LFP without enough attention).
MK has black InkThrift CL and PK has UV45 that I used only once some months ago.
I switched back to MK (ITCL) and ran a nozzle test: no K at all!
It fully came back after two cleanings (from Epson Printer Utility 4), but I now wonder if some interaction between ITCL and UV45 can happen and cause clogs, and further if I should replace the UV45 ink with Piezoflush since I don’t plan to use it soon.
In other words, can some UV45 ink in a PK cartridge sleeping for months be harmful in any way?

Thank you for your advices.

Stefan

#2

Hi Stefan~

It sounds like you may have experienced some air in the black ink change that interrupted the flow of your black ink. We recommend flushing a printer’s ink lines if it won’t be used for a long time, and the same goes for if you have a dual-black printer and only use one of the blacks (so the other sits unused in the cart, line + damper). This is mainly important when using pigment inks, as pigment settles over time and dries to a solid. UV45 is dye ink, so it doesn’t generally have the same issues as pigment inks, though I still recommend occasional agitation of the cart between use.

#3

Thank you Dana for those recommendations.
I have a last question, more about the machine than about the inks.
I red about issues with the K inks switching system, mostly leaks.
Is it reasonnable to hope that won’t happen if I never switch?
Would you have any maintenance advice about that particular aspect?

Stefan

#4

It’s normal to sometimes have some missing nozzles in the black channel after doing a black ink change, but the nozzles should come back after a cleaning cycle or two. I generally advise people to switch blacks occasionally so the unused one doesn’t dry out/clog.