Epson 900 Printer Questions

[golfnut]

I am planning on buying a used 900 on Ebay for the soul purpose of printing direct to CD/DVD's. Could someone please help answer a few questions about this printer before I buy it? Thank you very much for your help and advice.

1) Since I am buying a used printer I know that sooner or later I will probably have to clean the printer heads. Could someone please explain this process and also recommend the cleaning solution I should use.
2) Are the cartridges refillable, if so I plan on keeping 2 sets on hand. Should I fill the "spare set" prior to storing or leave it empty and fill when I am ready to use them. How should I store the spare set, zip lock bag?
3) What settings on the printer should I use for optimum results when printing directly to inkjet printable discs?
4) Is there a certain type of ink I should buy for refilling empty cartridges?

Thanks everyone for your help and advice.

[SLK001]

1) Never had to clean an Epson printer head (and I've had them for 7+ years).

2) The cartridges are officially NOT refillable, but unofficially, they are. You have to buy one of those UNIVERSAL CHIP RESETTERS (approx $10). Store your refilled carts in an airtight bag so that it doesn't dry out.

3) Depends on the image and your personal preferences. If I am printing a photo onto the disk, I use BEST PHOTO, and sometimes adjust the contrast darker.

4) Use an EPSON compatible ink. All resellers have inks for your particular printer (it has five ink colors).

[golfnut]

Thanks SLK001, can you recommend a scource for buying the chip resetter?

[SLK001]

eBay

[golfnut]

Thanks Slk001.

[iooi]

As the price of this printer is falling all the time the. Just check you are not paying over hte odds for a seconhand one.
Brand new in the UK £75 at that was a major street retailer...

[Roll Tide]

You may want to check out some of the aftermarket inkjet cartridges on meritline.com, supermediastore.com, shop4tech.com, etc. Both the black and color cartridges are about $6 each on these sites, and have new or reset chips in place already. Saves the trouble of refilling. I have only tried the color ones from meritline, but they work very well, same as the OEM cartridge.

[golfnut]

My sincere thanks to all those who replied, you have been a great help. Thank you.

[AlienRelics]

There are two models of Epson 900. One is only 4 colors, and will not print on CDs. The newer one is 6 colors and comes with a CD caddy. Make sure you are getting the one you think you are getting.

One is called Stylus 900, the other Stylus Photo 900.

What a pain.

[golfnut]

alienrelics thanks for the tip.