Epson

[Chewie]

They make right junk, now eh?

In June, I bought an Espon RX425 all-in-one because I had broken my C42+ while trying to clean ink from the rollers (long story - lost a spring!). I got it from PC World, because they had it on offer for £85.

In July, I phoned Espon's Tech desk to complain that the jets constantly needed cleaning, sometimes three times during the life of the cart. They told me that I should clean the heads.
WTF?

I resolved to buy only cheap ink because it couldn't be any worse that the Epson stuff, but they still needed cleaning, and eventually got to the point where no amount of cleaning would restore quality.
This was in August.
I spent another £30 on a set of original carts and proceeded to run the whole fucking lot through the printer in cleaning processes.
This is when I drove to the local Espon Approved Repair Centre and dumped it left it with them.
They phoned me half an hour later to tell me it was out of ink. "No shit." I told them, "That's because I've been running the cleaning process since putting the carts in."
They put their own carts in and printed off 50 flawless prints of the old PS head-dress thing.
They gave me the printer back and told me it just needed cleaning.

OK, I went and bout another £30 worth of Epson ink.
Less than a fortnight later, the heas needed cleaning again on the same carts.
This time Espon agreed to give me another printer... and a set of new carts as a 'goodwill gesture'.
The carts never turned up.

Right now, I am really pissed off because I changed the carts again last Sunday (Epson, of course) and the heads need cleaning again.
Not just one clean, though, it's had three and there are still gaps on the print quality test.

This is the very last Epson product I shall buy, and I will no longer recommend them.
I have previously been repsonsible for my brother, brother-in-law,two workmates, three customers and two family friends buying Epson.
I should have guessed they were going off the rails when my brother complained his CX3200 wasn't cleaning it's heads properly.


OK, rant over.

Just wanted to get that off my chest.
Now all I have to do is save up for a Brother a-i-o and dump this thing on PC World's counter with a kindly note.

[zapjb]

Sorry for your experience. My cheapo Epson C62 is the best printer I've had.

[lynx]

The problem is probably that the heads need cleaning. No, I'm not joking.

What you've been doing up to now is putting ink through dirty jets, but that doesn't always clean them.

I may be wrong, but I suspect that at some point you may have used so-called compatible cartridges in your printer. These work well if used on a "clean" printer but mixing these inks with epson originals can often cause blockages.

See if you can find a cleaning cart (or carts if necessary) to fit your printer. Once flushed out with solvents Epson heads are usually as good as new. Of course, once you've got rid oft the nasty epson deposits you can use the cheaper compatibles without problems.

[Darth Sushi]

I too bought an Epson and six months later I bought a Canon IP3000 due to the same problems you are having. I bought the Canon because during a major clog, you can actually remove the print head and spray canned air to clear it. Also, the cartridges does not have a circuit board so you can refill them without any problems! Also, the cartridge design goes so far back that generic cartridges only cost me only $2.00 per color! The retail price of one set of Epson cartridges ($65.00) was enough to cover the cost of my Canon. My solution may sound radical for some folks but the cartridge savings alone caused me to jump ship.

[zapjb]

Yesterday 11:53 PM
Darth Sushi
....My solution may sound radical for some folks but the cartridge savings alone caused me to jump ship.

This I understand. The carts for my Epson are $4.50 for the black & the same for color.

[Chewie]

The problem is probably that the heads need cleaning. No, I'm not joking.

What you've been doing up to now is putting ink through dirty jets, but that doesn't always clean them.

I may be wrong, but I suspect that at some point you may have used so-called compatible cartridges in your printer. These work well if used on a "clean" printer but mixing these inks with epson originals can often cause blockages.

See if you can find a cleaning cart (or carts if necessary) to fit your printer. Once flushed out with solvents Epson heads are usually as good as new. Of course, once you've got rid oft the nasty epson deposits you can use the cheaper compatibles without problems.

That's exactly what I would suggest to someone else!
Unfortunately, I have here a three month old printer that is on its third set of Epson carts and now won't clean itself. For Epson to claim unbranded inks are inferior and cause blocking is ludicrous... unless the printer is at fault.

The first one I had needed at least two head cleans during the life of each set of Epson carts. I was living with my family then, and it was printing homework every day as well as my own stuff so lack of use could not be the cause of the blockages.

When I can get a set of compatible carts for £5, it's not funny having to waste such expensive original product, and even worse when the process doesn't work.

Don't get me wrong, I don't expect the heads to not need a clean every now and again, but once a fortnight is too much for me, when it's in use almost daily.


Normally I will have calmed down a little having had sleep, but every time I look over at this printer I want to angrily slam it down on PC World's CS desk and demand my money back... and that makes me feel even worse because I cannot find the purchase receipt.
What an arsehole I am, at times.