CD/DVD Printer.

[Poppa_Meth]

I have an Epson R300, which IMO is a total piece of junk. I haven't used it in about a month and yesterday I tried to print with it and both magenta heads were dried up so badly that even taking it apart and cleaning with alcohol won't completely unclog them. I'd rather never buy another Epson again. Are there any other options stateside yet? I'm not coming up with much until you get closer to $1000 range.

[delius]

scapped epsom r200 after 1 yrs of grief leaking ink etc
bought hp photosmart d5160 79.00cad much better
only 2 ink cartridges use it for dvd/cd only cheap and works great

[Poppa_Meth]

Thanks, I thought either HP or Cannon made one but I didn't recall for sure. Do you use the HP software to print from it? I'm seeing that most people don't seem to like HPs software for the disk printing. Of course I make label separately and just do the actual print with Epson's software now, so it's not a huge concern.

[psx_pirate]

Epson (and many other) printers are prone to blockages if the printer isn't used for some time however it can be fixed .... get a bottle of flushing solution (or alcohol spirit) and a siringe (the type used to refill ink cartridges .... fill the syringe with the flush >>unplug the printer and manually move the print head to the cartridge change possition >> remove cartridges from printer and carefully squirt a small amount of flush into the small nozzles inside the printer (the ones that the cartridges would normally sit on) ... do not force the flush through as this may damage the inkjets >> next invert the ink catridges removed from the printer and squirt some flush solution into thr small hole where the ink normally comes out >> replace the cartriges in the printer >>> leave the printer to stand for 24 hours (do not replug the power) >> after 24 hours power up the printer and run a couple of print head clean cycles >> remove the cartidges (but don't throw away yet) and replace with new ones >> check that printer is now printing correctly >>if all is well dispose of old cartridges >> if not repeat above instructions (use the old cartridges .... keep the new ones but cover the holes in the bottom with pvc tape to prevent them drying out)

[rallynavvie]

After owning an R200 and then an R320 I've found ways to keep my newer one out of trouble. I had the heads dry up on the R200 after a month or so of not using it. I bought new carts and one of them gummed up pretty quick.

When I bought the R320 I heard the salesman saying that you absolutely need to turn the Epson printer off when it's not being used for even a day. Fortunately I had more work for the R320 so I went through the first few sets of carts pretty fast with no issues, but then I had a few weeks downtime so I shut off the machine. Powered it up about 4 weeks later and it picked up just where it left off. I've been doing the same thing ever since and have only needed to clean up the printhead cleaner the last time I swapped carts.

The reason this helps is because the Epson purges the printheads to prep them for downtime, getting ink out of the heads so it doesn't dry or gum up. The downside to this is it does bleed off a bit of ink everytime you do it so if you do a lot of little work with breaks between you're going to go through more ink than normal. Bottom line is it seems the R200/R300 series printers need to be used.

And unfortunately other CD/DVD printers are pricey, that's just the game. The Everest II on my Rimage replicator was a $3500 option. However for photo printing on disks I still use my Epson and do a laquer finish since the Everest's thermal prints get pretty grainy on photos. Line art and such comes out great on the Everest though.

[Poppa_Meth]

I've always shut my down completely when I'm done printing. I don't print a huge amount so leaving it on isn't an option. I did use Denatured Alcohol to clean the heads. I soak the whole array in it after removing it from the printer. It help but still didn't completely fix the problem. I'm more inclined to say the hell with it at this point and consider the HP. One thing I like about HP is that you change the print heads when you change a cartridge. No need to worry so much over clogging.

[rallynavvie]

One thing I like about HP is that you change the print heads when you change a cartridge. No need to worry so much over clogging.

Yeah, the HP5500 I use has a kit when the carts are replaces to change out printheads and waste containers all at once but I tend to leave the printheads in until they ask to be replaced.