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  1. It seems my cyan is pretty clogged. At first the cyan wasn't coming out at all during the nozzle check. After one "powerful" head cleaning using the ssc utility it was able to print broken up lines. I ran the "powerful" head cleaning again but I didn't see an improvement. Should I keep on doing this until I get the prefect nozzle pattern? I hear this wastes alot of ink. Any advice would be appreciated.

    Update: I think I've ran the head cleaning thing like a dozen times with no improvement beyond the few broken lines of cyan I see. Is there any hope left. I don't want to trash a barely used printer just because of one half clogged nozzle.
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  2. Genuine Epson INK?

    Warranty yet?

    Is wasting the Cyan more expensive then wasting all the inks on bad prints?

    Called Epson yet? You might need a new print head and as one of the B & M stores has the new R220 for $49 after a $50 mail-in rebate This week until saturday... Cheaper than a set of genuine epson inks is it worth playing around with?

    I've been thinking of getting the R220 rather than replacement inks as it is supposed to also have the new improved CD/DVD tray for printing on the discs.

    Hope this helps?

    Cheers
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  3. Member
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    As you already have the ssc utility just use this to clean only the problem colour only (in your case cyan) this will not waste the other colour inks and wont use much cyan either (it cant use the ink if the nozzle is blocked) you may have to run the clean several times but it will clear it eventually ... i've had to do this a few times with my R200 (and other epson printers that i have owned) ... i find that the nozzles may become clogged if the printer is not used for several weeks ... to avoid this i now print out a test page (start>printers and faxes>epsonr200>printer (tab)>properties>print test page) at least once a week if i havent used the printer.
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  4. Member
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    Originally Posted by psx_pirate
    As you already have the ssc utility just use this to clean only the problem colour only (in your case cyan) this will not waste the other colour inks
    How do you clean a specific colour? I have SSC Utility, and I can only see options for cleaning the black by itself, or the coloured inks all at once.

    I buy generic inks, and the very few times this has happened to me (clogged heads that won't clean), I just chuck it & replace.
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    oops .... sorry i was looking at the wrong thing ... (only individual colour counters can be reset) .... you can't clean individual colours, only all colours at once ... looks like you're gonna waste some ink while unblocking the nozzle
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  6. Mod Neophyte Super Moderator redwudz's Avatar
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    Not sure how your ink cartridges are set up, but when I get a bad clog, I set them in a bowl of warm water, enough to just cover the nozzles, with some dish soap added, for about an hour. It softens the surface ink enough for the cleaning utilities to do a better job.
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  7. Well I don't want to take apart the printer just to unclog one nozzle. I'm using a cis btw. I haven't used this printer in months.
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  8. Originally Posted by redwudz
    Not sure how your ink cartridges are set up, but when I get a bad clog, I set them in a bowl of warm water, enough to just cover the nozzles, with some dish soap added, for about an hour. It softens the surface ink enough for the cleaning utilities to do a better job.


    Good idea, but sadly Epson's don't have the nozzles on the cartridge like HP do, for example. They have a permanent head that stays in-situ for the life of the printer.

    When you install a cartridge into these beasts you break a seal on the cartridge and the printer uses a delivery system between the cartridge and the head. If you remove the cartridge to soak it very little would happen, as the cartridges reseal when you remove them so you don't get drenched if you change a cartridge before it's dry.

    You can get "cleaner cartridges" that are supposed to clear blockages, but the performance of these is variable and depends on whether or not the solvent in them is compatible with the ink you've been using. It also can take a very long time to actually get to the blockage as the contaminants tend to settle and the nozzle in the print head is unbelievably small.

    During the head cleaning cycle, the printer will dump a small amount of ink onto a pad under the head, which should in theory soften any blockage from the paper side of the head itself and is more efficient that trying to get a solvent in from the back. I would suggest stick with the regular cleaning process as this does work - it might take a good few goes but so long as the head isn't shot it should clear eventually.

    This is definately work a go in your case as I'm pretty sure if Epson even suspect you've been using a continuous ink system they'll reject the printer and any form of warranty you may still think you have on it should you try and get it repaired.
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  9. Member mikesbytes's Avatar
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    In Australia using after market cartrides does not validate the warrenty. CIS is probably a different issue.
    Have a nice Day
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  10. the epson printers are second rate compared to canons pixmas. and YES all pixmas can print cd's even american models. http://pixma.web1000.com/ ive done it to mine and it works perfect. this isnt a comparison to the r200, im ready to smash mine with sledge for all the frustration it caused me.
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  11. Speaking of R200 head cleaning, unless I use my R200 EVERY DAY to print (it always is ON, by the way) it goes into a head cleaning cycle when given the initial print command upon each usage! Is there a way to prevent this apparent waste of good ink? Is there a mini app that can be run to prevent this head cleaning cycle if the printer is only used every 3 to 5 days? This is driving me nuts!!
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  12. Member
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    Just my .02 here. The SSC utility is not all it's cracked up to be. I found several functions to not work with the R200 series. Some do, but I found I can do the same functions with the installed driver package, so I scrapped it.

    I believe they sell special cleaning carts for that printer. You might investigate that.

    Check this site out: h**p://www.inkco.us/t0t0t0t0t0t01.html

    I put the stars in there just in case URLs are not favored here. Replace them with t's
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