Vivid Magenta not working

The Vivid Magenta on my R3000 will not print even after repeated power cleaning with the piezoflush. I have used over a complete full cartridge in all lines and still have no luck clearing the head. Any suggestion would be appreciated.

Hi Ed~

When was the printer last used and Vivid Magenta ink printing well?
When happened from when it was last working well to when you discovered it wasn’t printing- did the printer sit unused for a while, did you print constantly, did you refill any carts, did any carts run empty, etc?
Please check the cart- is the exit chamber at least 1/2 filled with ink, and air vent hole open for proper ink flow?
Did the VM stop printing slowly, starting with a few missing nozzles and get progressively worse, or did it suddenly drop out?
Are any nozzles printing in the VM position of your nozzle check, or if the entire position blank?
What are the humidity and temperature levels in your printing environment?
Have you already tried cleaning the printer’s capping station, wiper blade and bottom of the print head?
Has the level of ink in the VM cartridge gone down after the power cleaning cycles you’ve done?

Please let me know so I can help you resolve this issue and get back to happily printing.
Best regards~ Dana :slight_smile:

Dana:
Thank you so much for the reply. The vivid magenta started with some missing nozzles but was still acceptable. I then ran dry my yellow and refilled all the cartridges and started the recharging. I watched your video on the cleaning of capping station and wiper blade. Nicely done by the way but it did not help the VM I have been running piezoflush through the machine for days now and the VM does not print anything. No Piezoflush moving through the line. Other cartridges go down but not the VM. Temp and humidity are good now in summer months. I am at wits end and am fearing the worst. “HELP”.

Dana:
Will add a little more since I might not have answered all the questions before. I was noticing before it quit all together that several of the nozzles were not printing and would not come clean after repeated cleanings. Then the yellow and I think one other color went empty and I started the Piezo flush treatment and the cleaning using the Bounty paper towel and then cleaned the capping station and wiper blade. The exit chamber is at least 1/2 full of piezo flush fluid. The VM was actually printing some nozzles before I started the piezo flush treatment. I have never seen the business end of a print head so I don’t know what we are actually dealing with physically. The repeated print test is perfect on every other color except the VM, that is 100% blank. Again no piezo flush is being drawn into the print head, the VM cartridge remains full. I tried putting a little piezo flush and leaving it in the capping station hoping the print head would soak in it and clear. Nothing doing with that idea either.
Is there another solvent that might work better than piezo flush for such a stubborn clog? I know that’s a loaded question but I have ran over 400ml through the system so far.

Hi Ed~

We have been working with artists in our studio over the past few weeks, therefore I haven’t been on my computer as much as usual, and apologize for not responding sooner.

Please verify the air vent hole of your VM refill cart is open to allow ink flow. You cleaned the capping station and wiper blade, but did you also clean the bottom of the print head?
If the level of PiezoFlush isn’t going down, and nothing is printing in the VM section of nozzle check prints after several cleaning cycles, then something is restricting ink flow from this channel. Things that could cause this are: the cartridge preventing ink flow for some reason (sealed vent hole, not enough ink in the exit chamber, not enough ink in the cartridge body, old/dried cartridge, poor connection with the printer, or damage/defect such as punctured side membrane, or something else effecting flow thru the cartridge areas), and clog/blockage or bad seal somewhere in the ink line, damper or print head. Particle build up in the dampers will restrict ink flow over time, often showing in the magenta and/or yellow channels first, since these are the thickest due to the natural pigments used (this is true for all pigment inks, including Epson).

Please let me know so I can try to help resolve this and get you back to happily printing.
Best regards~ Dana :slight_smile:

Dana:
Just getting back to you as I gave up on trying to clear this problem. I bought a new R3000 as I really like the quality of the prints, not sure what to think of this problem. The print pattern is using the Piezo flush and there is no fluid running through that VM channel, ( no fluid missing from that cartridge). I am presently letting the old printer set with the PF solution in the lines hoping that the clog will clear in the near future. If it does I will sell it with the new ink from the new R3000. If not I will tear it apart and try to figure what happened. Any new advice would be welcome.

Hi Ed~

Are you saying the new printer isn’t printing VM either?! Have you made sure the exit chamber is at least 1/2 full, and air vet hole is open for proper ink flow? Have you tried more than one cartridge? Was this a brand new printer- did you test it with Epson inks to make sure it worked well before installing the refill carts?

Please let me know so I can help you sort this out.
Best regards~ Dana :slight_smile: