Refilling Easyfills

InkjetMall Customer Support Printer Maintenance & Cartridges
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1

When I refill an Easyfill cart, should the air hole be blocked as it is on a new cart, or just left open?

2

Hi Jeff~

The EasyFill carts are very easy- simply inject ink using the syringe with blunt tip needle, with air vent hole open (though it will work fine with the vent hole closed as well).

Best~ Dana

3

Thanks Dana, after my experience with small refillable carts, I prefer to ask first.

4

No problem, please feel free to ask if/when you have questions, we’re here to help :slight_smile:

5

Hi Dana, here I am again. I filled my Easyfills today. I thought that it had gone well until I noticed the puddle in the box where I had them before installing in the 1430. I discovered that there was ink coming out of the air hole on the C cart. I’m wondering what the next move is. Do I have to drain it or will it sort itself out?

6

I went ahead and installed the carts including the C that was losing ink from the vent hole. After a few inksep and purge patterns, I got a good nozzle check. After a little printing and leaving it alone, my latest nozzle check shows one piece missing on C and the rest all looking good. I just took out the C cart and the air path looks good with no ink. Should I expect the missing piece to sort itself out, or is there something else that I could try?

7

Hi Jeff, Dana or one of her compadres will chime in on this with definitive answers, but here are some tips/tricks I have discovered with Easyfills in my 1430:

[ol]
[li]When refilling spare carts, I bundle all refilled carts in a “brick” and put a single strip of transparent tape across all the vent holes to help prevent leakage during storage as well as to stabilize the brick. Then I add another strip of tape across the front of the brick, place the brick in a ziploc bag, seal it, and put it in a small box (upright!) for safe, humidity-controlled storage.
[/li][li]I sometimes get bad nozzle checks even though I suspect that I am good to print. I theorize that the Epson nozzle check utility pulls hard at the cartridges and can suck air into the heads past the seals, especially if the vents are partially clogged and/or the carts well-used. So I have created an image file with a row of small colored rectangles approximating the CMYKcm ink values. I print that image as an alternate nozzle check (on plain paper), with the printer set for the photo paper I plan to use, high speed off and Photo RPM on. This slows the ink draw rate way down, simulating that of your photo print and giving a good idea whether nozzles are blocked or merely starved at a high draw rate. If my alternative nozzle check looks good, I proceed with a small check print before going for a full size. This trick has saved me lots of time and head cleaning ink and frustration!
[/li][/ol]
Happy printing!
Don

8

[QUOTE=Don Eason;8480]So I have created an image file with a row of small colored rectangles approximating the CMYKcm ink values. I print that image as an alternate nozzle check (on plain paper), with the printer set for the photo paper I plan to use, high speed off and Photo RPM on.
Don[/QUOTE]

http://www.inkjetmall.com/tech/content.php?166-Flush-individual-channel-using-QTR-Calibration-Mode

If you want smaller, you can resize these.

9

Thanks Don. That’s a good idea for storing carts. For PZ inks, ink separation and purge patterns would be an equivalent. I haven’t heard that theory for the nozzle check before but it sounds quite plausible.

10

Very easily with Print Tool, Brian.

11

Hi Jeff~

Did you remove the vent tab before filling carts? With vent holes open, some ink can flow out of the air vent channel/hole, but I’ve only experienced a few small ink bubbles, not a puddle like you experienced. As long as ink isn’t draining from the exit valve when the cart is removed from the printer, and the thin side membrane isn’t damaged, then the capsule should be fine to use (but, please do let me know if you continue having any problems or strange experiences with it).

Yes, Don’s storage recommendations are good, and essentially what we do here (plug vent holes + store carts upright in a sealed zip lock bag).

Best regards~ Dana

12

Hi Dana,

How does one whisper on a forum?. The 1430 with Easyfills is working beautifully. I’m loathe to type this as I fear the cart gods will be offended. After my first 1430, I can’t tell you how relieved I am. The cart that leaked the ink sorted itself out. I’m really pleased with the results.

13

[QUOTE=Jeffg53;8589]Hi Dana,

How does one whisper on a forum?[/QUOTE]

with a really small font :cool:

14

shhhhh… that’s too loud… I’m about to venture into the 1430 too…

15

your secret’s safe with me!!!