Printer related intel : Well worth a read

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For those of you who don't know, there's something of a guru in the world of printers and printing by the name of Arthur (or "Art") Entlich.

My first encounter with the guy was some years back when I was trying to figure out how to revive a couple of C84's that had clogged solid over a summer holiday. At that time I came across his printhead cleaning manual which was an absolute deity-send.

Anyway... I digress... For anyone who has more than a passing interest in printers, the economics and ways to get more out of them then you could do worse to bookmark this blog

E-trashtalk: November, 2008

Whilst the November blog article may not be all that great in terms of practical intel, the follow ons promised for the future might..

In my next several blogs, I will provide some suggestions on ways to shop for your next printer to give yourself better value, ways to economize on consumables, and get around some manufacturer’s restrictions. I will also offer information on which printers allow for easier refilling, and other tips to keep your printer out of the landfill longer.

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Nice one, thanks


and a stunning point:

Clearly, from an economic and well as an environmental basis, for the consumer and the planet, the “razorblade” business model is not sustainable, and particularly so with something as large and complex as a printer.

It is also clear that since this business model works for the printer manufacturers and therefore isn’t likely to change (in fact, it has now been widened to include products like color laser printers) unless the manufacturers are pressured into change. Legislation in Europe has forced refillable printer consumables.

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Yep... it is rather interesting that they're still being allowed to get away with the printer unit waste itself though.

As an addendum one North American twist is that Epson got their way with inkjet cartridges because of a patent they hold but then lost it when they got smacked for their high servicing charges when the printer complains about the waste ink pads. They've had to provide a reset utility for the printer to allow folks to reset the waste ink counter (but not here in the UK) so folks there are making the most of the waste ink tube modification.

Call to Epson UK and they were saying it would never happen here.. Litigation, rather than customer relations seems to be the way they think.

Canon are no better with their 600 series.. (ie: iP4600, iP3600, MP620, etc...)... smaller cartridge, less capacity, more expensive and worse specification (less DPI resolution).. All because their vaunted "consumer protecting chip" was cracked.

[TechSupp]

trying to figure out how to revive a couple of C84's that had clogged solid over a summer holiday. .

What was the solution as I have had this before?

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What was the solution as I have had this before?

You need an ammoniated solution or better yet a solution from the ink manufacturer. You then liberally soak a lint free-ish pad with the stuff and pop it on the parking pad that the printhead usually sits on. Obviously you will have moved the printhead out of the way manually*.. Then move the printhead back to sit over the pad and allow the solution to whick into the printhead nozzles over a 2 day period.. Repeat as required.



*To get the printhead out of the locked position, just turn it on, then pull the power cord (or hit the socket switch) to power off the printer while the head is out of position... it can then be moved back and forth easily.


For myself I've revived every printer that didn't have physical damage to the head or mechanicals in it.


If you want the same stuff I use I sell it on OctoInkjet as ammoniated solution is incredibly difficult to get in the UK.