R3000-PK ink blockages when switching back from MK

InkjetMall Customer Support Printer Maintenance & Cartridges
1

So now I have a new problem - whenever I switch from Matte black to Photo black, the PK channel always seems to be blocked and I have to do several head cleanings to get it going again. If I stay in the PK I don’t have any issues, but if I switch for even a few MK prints, when I go back I have a PK blockage.

Help please!!

Jamie

2

Hi Jamie~

I have experienced this with other printer models that have dual black inks, if I try to print immediately after doing a black ink change. Do you allow the printer any time after doing the black ink change, or do you immediately try printing?
Do you ever have this issue when switching from PK to MK, or does it only happen when switching from MK to PK?

Please let me know~ Dana

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[QUOTE=Dana-IJM;2952]Hi Jamie~

I have experienced this with other printer models that have dual black inks, if I try to print immediately after doing a black ink change. Do you allow the printer any time after doing the black ink change, or do you immediately try printing?
Do you ever have this issue when switching from PK to MK, or does it only happen when switching from MK to PK?

Please let me know~ Dana[/QUOTE]

I am always trying to print immediately after the change. Like last night I had printed several large newspaper articles on matte paper, and then I had a portrait restoration that needed to be printed on photo paper. I sent the image to the printer, the printer initiated the ink change and then printed the image. When it came out it was obvious that things were blocked, so I ran a nozzle check and the PK was nearly non-existent. It took three cleanings to get back to normal.

Should I be changing the inks manually and then letting some time elapse before I print?

This is a new behavior - I have not had this problem until recently.

It only happens when I go from matte to photo. Never any problems going the other way.

Thanks for your help!

Jamie

4

It can be straining on your printer to frequently change black inks, so it’s best if you can try to group your matte and glossy printing together to reduce the number of times you switch.
I always do the black ink change at the printer, wait a few minutes, then do a nozzle check and make sure everything looks good before I start printing.

If this wasn’t happening before and started recently, then here are a few thoughts: it may related to the age/condition of your PK damper, or could be your printer changing with age, or older carts can not have as good of ink flow (due to particle build up on the exit filter, drying in the air vent channel, worn out exit valve, etc… that could cause essentially ink starvation when doing cleaning cycles, etc… but still provide good ink flow for regular printing), or possibly temperature/humidity related?

I hope this helps, please keep me posted and let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with.
Best regards and happy printing~ Dana :slight_smile:

5

[QUOTE=Dana-IJM;2973]It can be straining on your printer to frequently change black inks, so it’s best if you can try to group your matte and glossy printing together to reduce the number of times you switch.
I always do the black ink change at the printer, wait a few minutes, then do a nozzle check and make sure everything looks good before I start printing.

If this wasn’t happening before and started recently, then here are a few thoughts: it may related to the age/condition of your PK damper, or could be your printer changing with age, or older carts can not have as good of ink flow (due to particle build up on the exit filter, drying in the air vent channel, worn out exit valve, etc… that could cause essentially ink starvation when doing cleaning cycles, etc… but still provide good ink flow for regular printing), or possibly temperature/humidity related?

I hope this helps, please keep me posted and let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with.
Best regards and happy printing~ Dana :)[/QUOTE]

I do try to group my prints, but sometimes you just have to print when you need to print. I often need to turn things around in a day or two, and I can’t always wait for a pile of things to amass.

I am past due to change the rest of my ink carts. Mine are nearly two years old, and have printed nearly 4000 prints. I do have an OEM PK cart - maybe I should pop it in and see if the problem still occurs.

Jamie

6

yes, of course you need to print when you need to print! :slight_smile:
It’s worth checking the Epson PK cart to see if it effects this problem. Keep me posted on your results.

All the best~ Dana :slight_smile: