Sick printer

[mussels]

I have a printer Epson stylus color 600 that refuses to print. It has been sitting for a while. I have cleaned the heads a hundred times (with the program) and no luck. I have put in a new cartridge (black) and still nothing, finally I have taken the printer apart, cleaned the heads and put it together and still no luck. Could it be that the head is no good? I have installed the latest drivers and when I print a testpage it goes through the motions and you can hear the sound of the head against the paper, but the end result is a blank page. Is there any site out there which shows you how to change the printer head?
Please help. Thanks to all those that will reply.

[Whyzman]

Hmmm, the printer head is usually part of the print cartridge. So, when you replace the print cartridge, viola, you should have a new printer head.

If you take a moistened napkin and touch the bottom of the cartridge...do you see any ink? This question would be especially noteworthy if using the cartridge you recently purchased.

You could also try with the old cartridge running the print head (foil part) under warm water for a little bit...then try the napkin to see if any ink comes out. The inks on the ink jet printers are pretty much all water soluble.

If you've ever gotten any ink on your fingers you will know that precautions are necessary to avoid this.

You might then try some rubbing alcohol on the contacts both on the printer and on the cartridge. A Q-tip works wonderfully.

Good luck, and please post back if these suggestions don't work. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

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May all your dealings in life be win/win!

Whyzman

[Vic 970]

I re-fill my cartridges, and a blocked print head is quite commonplace, I get the impression that once the ink runs out, the air gets to it from the inside, which causes the ink to dry at the tip. I usually soak the cartridge overnight in a wine glass (with just the head immersed) then re-fit in the printer (or storage container) for an hour or so before use, which does the trick.

If the cartridge has been standing for some time, it may require longer, leave it until there is a good flow of ink into the wine glass (3 distinct streams)

Also make sure that the cartridge makes good contact when fitted to the printer. I once spent days trying to figure out why my graphics had shrunk to half size, only to find that the cartridge hadn't fully located.

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for every question there's an answer. Then a load more questions.

Regards..,
Vic.

[mussels]

Thanks for replying Whyzman and Vic 970. This cartridge is not like the HP cartridges that come with its own print head. This is just a little container of ink with a plastic seal at the bottom. When the cartridge is put in place, the seal gets punctured and the ink is supposed to flow to the head.

[Vic 970]

Well in that case, if you can remove the print head, try cleaning it as mentioned, ie: swabs or soaking etc. (be careful not to submerge crucial parts though)

Or is there a cleaning cartridge available?

Maybe you could use an old empty cartidge & fill it with cleaning fluid (available from inky fingers)! they also supply syringes to do it with.

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for every question there's an answer. Then a load more questions.

Regards..,
Vic.

[iisbob]

Methinks this sounds a lot like a bubble jet printer-GOD have mercy on your soul! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

Honestly i don't know of any good way to clean these things once the head has been clogged, usually the best way to service these types is to send it to an authorized service center. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/frown.gif

You can see why they didn't get very popular.



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iisbob
"Bachelors should be heavily taxed. It's not fair that some men should be happier than others."
-- Oscar Wilde

[MARKBLACK]

Hi mussels, I had the 740 its also known for this type of problem I was told the epsons are a good machine as long as they are used on a regular basis, anyway getting back to your problem there are cartridges out there with cleaning solutions in them so I would have a look around the net or computer fayres near where you live. Try places like the cartridge club do a search for there web address good luck.



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MB

If we can't find the answer we keep on trying....never afraid to ask again.