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06/01/2005 01:21:28 PM · #1 |
Do you suffer from clogged printer heads? Like:
- each time you turn on the printer you need to clean the heads
- when you clean the heads you need to do three or more cleaning cycles
- or annoyingly many times the heads are clogged
Yes/No? What make and model of printer?
Reason I'm asking is because I need a new printer as a result of throwing my old one on the ground out of pure frustration (not an anger problem, I've managed to control myself for at least two years).
It was a three years old Epson Stylus Photo 790 (also known as 780 and 785). I used original Epson inks all the time. The problem was a annoyingly regular clogging up of the black print head. At first it would clean up no problem. But over time it took more and more cycles, manual intervention (blowing trough the nozzle, trying to wipe underneath with a soft cloth).
Today I was running cleaning cycles for at least half an hour. I already had to replace the color ink and not long after that also the black ink. The ink was completely wasted on cleaning. So when it asked for a new black I got so mad that I trashed it on the floor. Did not make a lot of friends because the thing shattered in many pieces, including the waste ink foam landing on the carpet.....(got it clean, phewwww)
Despite Epson's reputation for clogged heads I'm again leaning towards Epson because I like the prints, the printers and I still got a load of expensive Epson papers. :)
Is it still such a problem with the newer Epsons, like the R300?
I have bad experiences with HP and Lexmark. Never tried Canon.
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06/01/2005 01:28:43 PM · #2 |
i have a lexmark x75 and i have actually printed a total of 16 coloring sheets for my girls. it is currently out of ink(seems to stay that way) because for every two sheets i need to print i end up having to clean the nozzles about 6 times. i use the ink so rarely i guess it dries up on the nozzles but its a waste. $70 for ink that i barely use and waste in cleaning just isnt worth the price for 16 coloring shees to me. I hope someone has a printer suggestion that doesnt have this problem.
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06/01/2005 01:31:46 PM · #3 |
Have you though of just changing the print head? It seems that it is what is causing the problem. Epson may be able to provide answers for you as well (you may have already tried that route).
On to your question. I use a Canon i950 and have never had a clogging problem (knock on wood) and I don't print that often. |
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06/01/2005 01:33:47 PM · #4 |
Originally posted by cpanaioti:
Have you though of just changing the print head? It seems that it is what is causing the problem. Epson may be able to provide answers for you as well (you may have already tried that route).
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A new head costs as much as a new printer. :(
Thanks for the info about the Canon.
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06/01/2005 01:35:43 PM · #5 |
I have an HP PSC 2355 all-in-one and have been very pleased with it. Only very recently (after owning it for almost a year) have a had any issues with the quality of the prints. I use it A LOT and clean it regularly, but have had to clean it about every other week lately because it's beginning to clog.
My experience with Lexmark was abyssmal.
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06/01/2005 01:40:27 PM · #6 |
I got my first printer in 1994. It was (is) a HP Laserjet 4P. Still works. Just fine. Never an issue of any kind.
I am on my 5 th inkjet in less than that amount of time.
I had a Canon, two HPs, a Zerox and an Epson.
The Epson (785) is the only one ihave ever had an issue with regarding clogged heads. if it sits a week thy clog, and it is worse in the winter (lower humidity i suspect).
If i had to buy another inkjet, i'd look closely at canon and hp.
I was very close to buying a color laser this year...still might, but apparently what they have done on most of them is to count pages, not toner used. SOOO, you print 1500 pages or 3000 pages and it will stop and tell you to replace the toner cartridge - it may be 1/2 full, but you have to replace it. This is a business model i cannot support.
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06/01/2005 01:49:31 PM · #7 |
I have a Canon i960 and Canon Pixma 4000. Also had a Canon i860. I've only used the Canon ink that came with the printer, after that I used aftermarket ink that was as cheap as I could get. There would be occasional cloging, usually nothing a cleaning wouldn't fix. However, the i860 ran out of ink and the user kept on printing without telling me. Couldn't get the printhead right after that; replaced it, then the printer died. On the other hand, by using cheap ink, I saved more than enough to replace the printer.
Things I've found out:
1. Canon has seperate inktanks for each color, so you'll save a little no matter what sort of ink you use (I think Epson and others have some printers with individual ink tanks also). Check the price of replacement cartridges before you buy (and consider how many prints you'll get out of a cartridge.)
2. Cheap ink has pretty good colors, which are fairly close to the Canon ink colors. But cheap ink has a very short life. It's great if you want to show a bunch of snapshots of your vacation to your friends, but if you want a print that will last for years, use the manufacturer's ink or get the photp printed at a photo lab (at $0.17 each in bulk at Costco, it may be cheaper than printing your own).
3. Don't let the printer run out of ink :-)
4. Sometimes the number of ink colors is more important than the dot size (or dpi). If photos are important, get at least six colors. Besides, smaller nozzles may clog more easily.
5. Some printers use replacement ink tanks with electronics in them. Some of these cartridges have expiration dates built-in, so if you buy an old one, it may not work.
Message edited by author 2005-06-01 13:51:03. |
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06/01/2005 01:58:10 PM · #8 |
I've had a few Epsons, the last was the 1200. It had to be cleaned every time I used it (every couple of weeks or so). It started head banging shortly after a year (just out of warranty). I found a workaround on the web, that gave me another 6 months of life, but then it drowned itself in ink from needing to be cleaned so often.
I bought a Canon s750, cheap <$100 printer, to replace it to see how Canons were before I was going to invest another $500 on a wide printer (at that time, the 9000).
I've only cleaned the heads once in the 1-2 years I've had the Canon. And it's never really clogged. My next printer will be a Canon as well.
(And I never bought the 9000 because this cheap printer is so good, it met most of my needs for color printing! For a three color + black printer, it's incredible). And I can't decide whether it's worth going to the trouble of buying one now, with one-hour online photographic process printing available at stores like Walmart (though they don't do bigger than 8x10). |
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06/01/2005 02:24:18 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by Azrifel:
Do you suffer from clogged printer heads? Like:
- each time you turn on the printer you need to clean the heads
- when you clean the heads you need to do three or more cleaning cycles
- or annoyingly many times the heads are clogged
Yes/No? What make and model of printer?
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I used to until I pulled the plug on the Epson 1280 and bought a i9900 Canon.
Never had a single problem since and it has been over 6 months.
Alice |
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06/01/2005 02:27:58 PM · #10 |
I have an HP 1220C (13âX19â) and an HP 880C which does most of my office printing. The 1220C has been around for 2 years, the 880C for almost 5 years. Both of them have been essentially flawless. The HP system practically never needs to do the head-cleaning routine unless it sits unused for a few months and, as a result, it wastes less ink than any of the others.
The only complaint I have is with the 1220 is that it is sometimes hard to manually feed paper and get it properly registered. Especially the larger sizes.
If I were ready to replace my 1220, I would seriously consider the PhotoSmart 8750 from HP. This machine is seriously tweaked for photography with nine-color long-life archival system and uses the same technologies that have made HP the leader for quite a few years. Downside is that it has a MSRP of $499 but if you look at some of the cameras and lenses we are buying, you ought to know that you gets what you pays for.
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06/01/2005 02:33:42 PM · #11 |
I've been told by Canon and HP that if you're not regularly using your printer (as in, every day, pretty heavy usage) then they'll clog and die regardless of the machine. Apparently they're like muscles, even as they age they work the best if you use them a lot.
Incidentally, HP is being sued for placing "timers" in their ink cartridges so that if they haven't been purchased or used by a certain date they simply didn't work anymore. Even though the ink is technically still viable. Sneaky bastards!!!!!! |
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06/01/2005 02:43:43 PM · #12 |
I have a Canon i960 and have rarely cleaned the heads in the two years I've owned it. I use cheap ink bought by the case on-line and do not print everyday, maybe only once a week for photos. Text gets printed every other day or so. Hope that helps.
P.S. - IMHO the qulity of the prints is very high compared with others I have used or seen.
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06/01/2005 02:44:21 PM · #13 |
I use the Epson C44UX, the cheapest I could find. I previously had a Lexmark and the cost of replacing the cartridges was almost as much as the cost of the printer.
I use eurojet refills in the Epson, they cost just a few pounds and don't clog. Look on eBay for replacement cartridges.
Steve |
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06/01/2005 02:50:15 PM · #14 |
Do you suffer from clogged printer heads, or not? Not.
I only use Canon, Canon paper.
I have been through several printers. They die after about 2.2 years for me.
I think I've just been lucky.
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06/01/2005 03:13:13 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by GoldBerry:
I've been told by Canon and HP that if you're not regularly using your printer (as in, every day, pretty heavy usage) then they'll clog and die regardless of the machine. Apparently they're like muscles, even as they age they work the best if you use them a lot.
Incidentally, HP is being sued for placing "timers" in their ink cartridges so that if they haven't been purchased or used by a certain date they simply didn't work anymore. Even though the ink is technically still viable. Sneaky bastards!!!!!! |
Just to test what "you have been told" I fired up my DeskJet 880 which has not printed in over 10 months. It took one test page to clear out any clogging and works fine now.
Regarding your "being sued" BS, I suggest that you get your facts straight before spreading that kind of misinformation. HP printers provide feedback to the computer as to the level of ink remaining in the cartridge. They do NOT time the cartridge. The only legal challenges I have heard of is from refillers who think that this capability should be able to be disabled once they reload the cartridge with their crap. So far it has been pretty much concluded that the HP-manufactured cartridge, as is, protects the owner from poor performance and warranty issues.
Again, as I said before, you gets what you pays for.
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06/01/2005 03:44:17 PM · #16 |
I've been running the big (13x19) Epson Stylus Photo 2000P archival printer for several years now and its never given me a moment's problem. It's now 2 generations out of date, though. They replaced it with the excellent 2200P, and now that's being superseded by an "R2400-something-or-other" that's supposed to be dynamite. List price is just under $900.00...
I can't recommend these printers too highly, the ability to print & control your own, large prints is beyond price to me.
Robt.
Message edited by author 2005-06-01 16:22:53.
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06/01/2005 03:48:04 PM · #17 |
Epsons & Lexmarks suck for the most part....(perhaps their higher end product lines are decent - but most printer problems I've dealt with are one of the two above).
Stick with Canon & HP... |
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06/01/2005 03:55:06 PM · #18 |
I will say that I had to chuck an epson after it sat for 2 months. Never could unclog it. But, I got another one and I am much happier that the squinted-faced inferior quality hp owners.
essentially the printers are free... (up to about $500) and the company is just banking on selling you the ink. Just like cell phones- they will give you whatever you want, just sign an extended (2+ year contract and you can have a camera/mp3/blueraspberry - or part ownership in Verizon or cingular.
Message edited by author 2005-06-01 15:57:51. |
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06/01/2005 04:02:57 PM · #19 |
I stick with HP because you get new print heads with every cartridge... I use refill kits, and I can refill usually 2 times before needing a new cartridge... they are in the ink business, by the way, not the printer business.... :)
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06/01/2005 04:03:24 PM · #20 |
I've had a canon i960 for a little over a year now, and never had a clogged print head. Don't think I've ever even run the cleaning routine...
Doug
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06/01/2005 04:03:55 PM · #21 |
My Epson 785epx clogged all the time. I replaced it with a Canon 960 and have not had any problems. Only problem I have with Canon is that I would like to try a monochrome ink set, but all the companies I have found focus on inks for the Epsons. I would, however, recommend the Canon without hesitation.
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06/01/2005 04:33:25 PM · #22 |
I used to, but I have added cranberry juice to my diet, and my urologist suggested a diuretic.
Message edited by author 2005-06-01 16:33:34. |
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06/01/2005 04:39:55 PM · #23 |
| I have 3 Epson printers hooked up and have never had a clog on any of them. I have a C86, R200 and an R800. No problems with any. |
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06/01/2005 06:58:04 PM · #24 |
Originally posted by fsteddy:
I have 3 Epson printers hooked up and have never had a clog on any of them. I have a C86, R200 and an R800. No problems with any. |
Maybe our definition of clogs are different. Are you saying you've never needed to do a head cleaning cycle? If not, I am surprised from what I've read (and my own experience) with Epsons. When I owned an Epson, I used to think cleaning was a normal part of printer ownership. But it seems not to be required for my "sample of one" Canon printer: and I'm glad, because it's wasteful of ink. With my Canon, I could let it sit for weeks, and still get a great printout without the need to clean.
Message edited by author 2005-06-01 18:58:33. |
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06/01/2005 07:02:08 PM · #25 |
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