Luminous Landscape Forum
Raw & Post Processing, Printing => Printing: Printers, Papers and Inks => Topic started by: john milich on August 06, 2009, 08:14:49 am
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am just setting up my 9900 and thought it might be a good idea to collect responses to faq in one thread:
is it best to leave the printer on, in general, or off? certainly I would turn it off if idle for a few days...
how well does the print basket cloth gizmo work? do you front collect of back collect?
I'm will be using hasselblad with Phocus...not sure if Phocus will offer proRGB when processing? am also using C1, where proRGB is a choice
if printing from photoshop C4, do you let C4 color manage or the printer?
anybody make a dust cover for the printer?
any hope epson will produce exhibition fiber in rolls?
thanks
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am just setting up my 9900 and thought it might be a good idea to collect responses to faq in one thread:
is it best to leave the printer on, in general, or off? certainly I would turn it off if idle for a few days...
how well does the print basket cloth gizmo work? do you front collect of back collect?
I'm will be using hasselblad with Phocus...not sure if Phocus will offer proRGB when processing? am also using C1, where proRGB is a choice
if printing from photoshop C4, do you let C4 color manage or the printer?
anybody make a dust cover for the printer?
any hope epson will produce exhibition fiber in rolls?
thanks
Hi,
some say on, other off. if you don't mind the power then on but you can get damage from spikes if you do
it works well for both. i normally collect from the printer as and when
i don't know this software
let photoshop manage if you're using the normal epson driver and ICCs. Turn colour managment off in the driver (for colour prints)
no idea, i don't really see the point
already do (in the UK)
http://www.epson.co.uk/Store/Paper-and-Med...nal-photo-paper (http://www.epson.co.uk/Store/Paper-and-Media/Graphic-Arts/Photographic-Paper/Traditional-photo-paper)
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i was unable to find epson exhibition fiber paper in rolls on tht UK site linked above.'
here is the US epson link:
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/Product...Paper+%26+Media (http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/ProductMediaSpec.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes?infoType=Overview&oid=-14902&category=Paper+%26+Media)
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am just setting up my 9900 and thought it might be a good idea to collect responses to faq in one thread:
is it best to leave the printer on, in general, or off? certainly I would turn it off if idle for a few days...
how well does the print basket cloth gizmo work? do you front collect of back collect?
I'm will be using hasselblad with Phocus...not sure if Phocus will offer proRGB when processing? am also using C1, where proRGB is a choice
if printing from photoshop C4, do you let C4 color manage or the printer?
anybody make a dust cover for the printer?
any hope epson will produce exhibition fiber in rolls?
thanks
Don't have the 9900, but do have the 7900:
I leave the printer on at all times; no particular reason, just what I do. I do have the printer isolated with a surge protector, both for the line power and the ethernet, but will turn it off and unplug it if there are heavy thunderstorms in the area or we are going away for a long period.
I use the back basket for large prints; front for narrow panoramas, job information sheets, nozzle checks, etc.
All my images are in prophotoRGB; I print mostly from Photoshop (CS4) always with Photoshop managing color.
Look here (http://www.digitaldeckcovers.com/) for covers. I have two (in the black nylon double quilted), one for the 2200 and one for the 7900. Their standard measure cover for the 7900 fits perfectly; both are good quality. They have a cover for the 9900.
Good luck, Randy
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I keep my printers off when not in use. Keeping them on not only opens you up to potential spikes, brownouts, and other power-related damage but is wasteful, IMHO.
No idea on the rolls, but my guess would be it has something to do with the surface - perhaps it is more susceptible to scratches? I honestly don't know.
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i was unable to find epson exhibition fiber paper in rolls on tht UK site linked above.'
AFAIK, Epson exhibition fiber paper (USA) = Traditional photo paper (UK).
Traditional photo paper rolls are listed on the UK site linked above (and elsewhere in the UK).
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am just setting up my 9900 and thought it might be a good idea to collect responses to faq in one thread:
is it best to leave the printer on, in general, or off? certainly I would turn it off if idle for a few days...
Turn the printer off when not in use for extended hours ... such as overnight. This seals the heads and will help with clogging. Canon and HP printers constantly prime the nozzles with minute amounts of ink to prevent clogs so they are better left on, but the Epson head will seal when you power it down so this is the recommended procedure.
how well does the print basket cloth gizmo work? do you front collect of back collect?
It works well. I use it in all 3 positions depending on what I'm printing. It is a tremendous improvement over previous Epsons.
I'm will be using hasselblad with Phocus...not sure if Phocus will offer proRGB when processing? am also using C1, where proRGB is a choice
I don't use Phocus, but if you can't get your images out in a wide RGB space then I would recommend you forget using it. I can't image this isn't possible, guessing a quick google would find you some answers.
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AFAIK, Epson exhibition fiber paper (USA) = Traditional photo paper (UK).
Traditional photo paper rolls are listed on the UK site linked above (and elsewhere in the UK).
I have checked the paper specs for the UK version vs the US.
UK is 300 gsm and US 325 gsm, besides the UK in A sizes and US in inches. Never the less I see that the rolls in UK have width in inches. Rolls came out in February in the UK, so I guess soon it will be available in the US, as well as in South America, which goes along with the US.
I will be next week with the Epson representative and will check this.
Gonzalo
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finally had some time to continue with set-up.
last time out, hooked up to my network, loaded the included 44" roll of matte paper and after a bit of fussing, printed the windows test page. got very busy with work until today. turned on the printer and figured out how to use single sheet...after 2 hours, could not get the printer to be seen on the network. found the network/enable/disable seems to default to disable on power off. had to manually change the IP address in the printer and in my computer TCP/IP port. that got them talking, but no print. found i had to manually select the PK black ink on the printer since i was using a semi-gloss single sheet. that initiated an ink fill and a clean cycle for about 20 minutes... finally got a print of the test page.
next to try a photoshop feed.
quirky as far as network setup, esp if it defaults to disable!
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finally had some time to continue with set-up.
last time out, hooked up to my network, loaded the included 44" roll of matte paper and after a bit of fussing, printed the windows test page. got very busy with work until today. turned on the printer and figured out how to use single sheet...after 2 hours, could not get the printer to be seen on the network. found the network/enable/disable seems to default to disable on power off. had to manually change the IP address in the printer and in my computer TCP/IP port. that got them talking, but no print. found i had to manually select the PK black ink on the printer since i was using a semi-gloss single sheet. that initiated an ink fill and a clean cycle for about 20 minutes... finally got a print of the test page.
next to try a photoshop feed.
quirky as far as network setup, esp if it defaults to disable!
It default to "disable editing network settings" - that's what the disable on that menu means. By default, it will look for DHCP to obtain a network address and if there is not DHCP server available to assign an automatic address that won't match with your local network. You can use the Epson NetConfig utility to find any printer on the network and then set it up without having to use the panel. Or, as you did, you can enable editing the network details through the panel and then do so in order to find it on the network.
The reason for defaulting to disable is to prevent someone changing the details by just randomly musing through the menus.
I recommend updating your firmware if you haven't already, and be on the lookout for another update "soon".
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The printer head rests on a sealed pad when NOT printing whether or not the printer is on or off. Nothing dries out more if you leave the printer on and idle, as opposed to if it were to be off. This is a persistant misconception. That being said I turn mine off if not using it to prevent any possible stuff happening as far as power spikes and to be saving on the electricity for enviormental reasons.
My 9900 is on a shelf 55 inches off the floor and the prints drop down on a 44 inch by 7 foot long table. No cloth basket things at all.
For dust, I run four portable electrostatic air filters, set on medium low, which benefits every aspect of my workflow. They do need to be cleaned out often.
Paul
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tried to update my firmware, no joy. )printer is showing HWO 2995,1.12,A000
ran epson LPF remote, chose update firmware, it searched the internet and loaded a second copy of the printer into my installed printers list, then hung up
i deleted the second copy. the epson viewer keep showing the blinking red button in front of the printer, I can stop the blinking, but can't seem to make it green
went to the epson site found there is a new fw version, downloaded it and unzipped it. the site also says you need a new version of the updater, so I dl that and tried to install it but the install wizard fails
???
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tried to update my firmware, no joy. )printer is showing HWO 2995,1.12,A000
ran epson LPF remote, chose update firmware, it searched the internet and loaded a second copy of the printer into my installed printers list, then hung up
i deleted the second copy. the epson viewer keep showing the blinking red button in front of the printer, I can stop the blinking, but can't seem to make it green
went to the epson site found there is a new fw version, downloaded it and unzipped it. the site also says you need a new version of the updater, so I dl that and tried to install it but the install wizard fails
???
In what way does the install wizard fail? What happens?
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i start LPF remote panel, choose firmware updater, it pauses thena sks to acuire lateste fw version from internet (even though i had downloaded it to epson./epson 13174). i say OK, it says cannot find latest FW info, leavin me with HW02995.
when i try to run the LPF remote update, i hit setup.exe in the epson/epson12828_lfp_remote _panel 2. insatll wiard briefly comes up, the quickly the messge overlays to operation cancelled
i don't think a new lpf got installed, or even was needed. definitely I not getting the new FW installed
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i start LPF remote panel, choose firmware updater, it pauses thena sks to acuire lateste fw version from internet (even though i had downloaded it to epson./epson 13174). i say OK, it says cannot find latest FW info, leavin me with HW02995.
when i try to run the LPF remote update, i hit setup.exe in the epson/epson12828_lfp_remote _panel 2. insatll wiard briefly comes up, the quickly the messge overlays to operation cancelled
i don't think a new lpf got installed, or even was needed. definitely I not getting the new FW installed
Are you using Vista? Right click the setup.exe and click "Run as Administrator" and see if that helps.
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windows XP pro
made one step forward, one step back!
in the fw updater, selected browse, located the downloaded ...hw0090630, checked the printer box and the firmware upload proceeded! printer took it, recycled its power but came back up with the same earlier hw002995 version!
will try again
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tried it again, same thing. this is BS
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tried it again, same thing. this is BS
Sorry I haven't read through the entire thread but are you trying to install the firmware update over a network connection? In talking to Epson support about a slightly different issue I was told that updating over a network is spotty at best. I can't recall but does the manual say anything about this?
Also you might want to call Epson, when I was given a special firmware they also sent a different program to install it. You might want to call them as they may have a solution for you.
Mike
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thanks for that, yes network.
i will try the usb connection tomorrow and if that fails...on to epson support
jm
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hooked up the printer via usb (had to move some things around to get it close enough).
it was not plug and play, after several attempts had to use the epson disc and install from scratch.
was still not able to get the LPF to install the updated firmware; this time it did not find the printer, (though i was able to print from CS4, and the printer watcher is showing the 9900)
had an odd problem there: had uprezzed an image to print at 24 x 24 on a 24 roll, made a nice print while still hooked up to the network.
after the usb change when i tried to print from CS4, got a PS message saying I had to first install a printer. but only with that image, when i selected other tif files, no problem???
downlaaded .icc profiles from ilford for the galerie silk, put them in windows/system32/spool/drivers/color, but CS4 did not find them when i was selecting paper. had to use an epson photo glossy paper profile. seems like epson profiles are somewhere else
also:
how do you select the paper length when roll printing? the only way i could do it was to select roll and 24x30 (I wanted to print 24x24) under "user" i expected to be able to make my own sizes, but no
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hooked up the printer via usb (had to move some things around to get it close enough).
it was not plug and play, after several attempts had to use the epson disc and install from scratch.
was still not able to get the LPF to install the updated firmware; this time it did not find the printer, (though i was able to print from CS4, and the printer watcher is showing the 9900)
Same thing here.
also:
how do you select the paper length when roll printing? the only way i could do it was to select roll and 24x30 (I wanted to print 24x24) under "user" i expected to be able to make my own sizes, but no
You need to define a custom size in page set up in CS4 with a width matching precisely that of the roll paper being loaded.
Cheers,
Bernard
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Same thing here.
You need to define a custom size in page set up in CS4 with a width matching precisely that of the roll paper being loaded.
Cheers,
Bernard
I define paper settings in the Epson driver, 'Paper Settings > Size > User Defined'; I set Paper Width to the size of the roll being used and Paper Height to what I need it to be taking into account margins, etc.; you can then give the size a 'name' in the "Paper Size Name" dialogue box and then Save. This way it's available for future use.
I am also having a similar issue with the automatic firmware update. Everytime I run it, it reports the version installed on the printer, but it then tells me it can not find the latest firmware info from the internet. I don't know if this is meant to be Epson's cryptic message that the firmware is up to date, or if there is another problem. My dealer's tech support doesn't know either, so later today I'm going to try Epson support and will post back if I get an answer.
Randy
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so far, I've spent about an hour on the phone with epson, no joy.
first we uninstalled everything re. the 9900, then installed the 6.60 driver from the epson site, then LPF viewer also from the site.
printer installed (usb port) but could not make a print! kept getting g mismatch between the driver and printer paper settings, the printer seemed to take teh setting on it's menus, but the driver was reporting the wrong setting for the printer. no matter what. so no dice.
am awaiting a call back as epson tries to figure it out. if not will ask for an on-site tech visit
eventually am expecting to install the new FW as well
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if you like Epson Exhibition Fiber and want it in rolls, try Innova Fiba Print Ultra Smooth Glossy (IFA49).
its very very similar.
very similar.
hint.
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guess what...epson never called back as promised. so i called them, got a new tech, went through the entire drama again with him. got disconnected after 1/2 hour, called hem back (third time!) got jimmy. Jimmy was able to get it going a bit. could print from MS word, but still could not print a test page! epson LPF could now see the printer, and tried a fw update...printer did an update cycle, re-booted and guess what? it still had the original FW, 02995. gave up. jimmy is going to research the problem and get back to me. we shall see
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I am also having a similar issue with the automatic firmware update. Everytime I run it, it reports the version installed on the printer, but it then tells me it can not find the latest firmware info from the internet. I don't know if this is meant to be Epson's cryptic message that the firmware is up to date, or if there is another problem. My dealer's tech support doesn't know either, so later today I'm going to try Epson support and will post back if I get an answer.
Randy
I know this is how the printer responded after I updated the firmware ... it said in couldn't find the latest firmware from the internet. I know the firmware update worked because menus changed in service mode, so why the error I do not know, (I would assume it would say your firmware is up to date).
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from epson, the latest FW is HW00906300
my machine keeps stalling on the update and retaining the HW02995 it came with
btw, I cannot print from CS4. i keep getting a paper and driver papers do not match error. cannot get teh driver to realize the printer has been set to aparticular paper.
as a side, if i am choosing an Ilford profile in CS4, what paper type would I select on the printer panel?
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"how do you select the paper length when roll printing? the only way i could do it was to select roll and 24x30 (I wanted to print 24x24) under "user" i expected to be able to make my own sizes, but no.."
You should be able (under Win XP) go to the printer driver: Start - Setting - Printers & Faxes; select printer, Right-click, scroll down to Printing Preferences, go to Paper, Paper Size and configure and save a page size under User Defined.
cvt
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"For dust I run four portable electrostic air filters set on medium low which benefits everyy aspect of my workflow. They do need to be cleaned out often."
What general area are you in? US? East? North? where? We tried electrostatic air filters (aka "dust precipitators") in the past and didn't see any great improvement. Which have you got?
Paul
[/quote]
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from epson, the latest FW is HW00906300
my machine keeps stalling on the update and retaining the HW02995 it came with
QUOTE (rvestal @ Aug 17 2009, 02:45 AM) *
I am also having a similar issue with the automatic firmware update. Everytime I run it, it reports the version installed on the printer, but it then tells me it can not find the latest firmware info from the internet. I don't know if this is meant to be Epson's cryptic message that the firmware is up to date, or if there is another problem. My dealer's tech support doesn't know either, so later today I'm going to try Epson support and will post back if I get an answer.
Randy
I know this is how the printer responded after I updated the firmware ... it said in couldn't find the latest firmware from the internet. I know the firmware update worked because menus changed in service mode, so why the error I do not know, (I would assume it would say your firmware is up to date).
\quote
I think I have gotten to the bottom of this after spending time yesterday with Epson support (who, BTW, don't seem to know much of anything in the UK) and working things out for myself.
The Epson web site does indeed say that the current firmware version is HW00906300. But I found out yesterday by trial and error, this is the 'packed' version. When you manually download this file and then load this file into the firmware updater, it seems to 'unpack' it, and it reports PRINTER firmware update version HW02995, NIC firmware version 1.12 and the firmware versions for the spectro and paper uptake device (I don't remember those as I didn't pay attention).
Since I already have PRINTER version HW02995 and NIC version 1.12 installed, the 'update' button was grayed out.
Based upon this I think (but don't know) that the cryptic message from the automatic update means that the firmware is up to date.
Randy
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i got the same story from epson; so HW02995 is the newest version, the numbers simpley do not match the "packaged upgrade" number
also got CS4 to print with the Ilford Galerie gold fiber silk profile and the paper type set to "no paper selected" on the printer; i had a paper source mixup, resolved by setting the page setup source properly.
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purchased a 50" roll of Ilford gold fiber silk and cut it on my panel saw to 34" and 16" rolls. now I can make a 34" sq print, my fave format. cut was perfect, I blew off any dust and the edges are flawless
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I think I may have cracked the automatic firmware update problem. At least, I did for me. Epson does not really bother to tell you, but you need to have paper loaded in the printer. When I first tried it, the printer was empty. I followed the instructions in the manual to the letter, and the firmware updater said, "cannot find printer information". I noticed somewhere in one of the instructions that the printer needs to say "ready" before you update the firmware. The only way to get this to happen is to load paper. So I loaded a sheet, let it say, "ready". Then I opened up LFP panel, clicked firmware updater, it received the full printer information. I clicked automatic firmware update and it worked fine. It takes awhile though, and during the process it will say ready on the printer and look like it is done. It is not. You just have to wait for it do finish. It took about 20 minutes or so, then it finally said firmware update complete, and the printer rebooted.
Hopefully this is it! At least it worked for me.
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i just changed computers from PC to a new MacPro with os10.6, snow leopard.
downloaded the Mac driver for the 9900 from epson and...
IT WORKS
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what is the current thinking about cleaning cycles and how to set the printer accordingly
jm
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I too am interested in peoples opinions RE best auto cleaning settings on the 9900.
Along with the many people, we were experiencing too many auto head cleans. We updated the firmware, but are still having issues.
It seems to want to do a head check / nozzle check near the end of some prints... about 1 inch from the end of a solid print area. This tends to leave a line where the ink is drying a bit before the printer finishes the job.
It has been suggested on another list that we turn off the auto nozzle check completely... but this seems a bit extreme.
We are using a colorburst RIP on OSX.
Epson UK not much help really.
BTW - this is out second 9900 printer in 12 months. The first one had an error 17 msg that after 6 weeks of engineer visits, we got a replacement machine.
Graeme
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windows XP pro
made one step forward, one step back!
in the fw updater, selected browse, located the downloaded ...hw0090630, checked the printer box and the firmware upload proceeded! printer took it, recycled its power but came back up with the same earlier hw002995 version!
will try again
Regarding Epson (weird) Firmware numbering:
MMMddym > Model, day, year, month
e.g.: HW02995 > 29 May 2009
This the format: HN0 = 7900, HW0 = 9900 , 29= Day, 9 = Year, 5 = Month
BUT! the container file format is different:
HW0090630: Epson 9900, 30 June 2009 > Model, Year, Month, Day, revision #
So it appears Epson posted the HW0090630 on June 30st containing a May 29th F/W.
Hope this helps,
Luc
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what is the current thinking about cleaning cycles and how to set the printer accordingly
jm
I think this depends on each individual printer. Many (most) are having no issues at all ... their printer doesn't frequently clog, and their AID/ANC systems work very well. If this is the case I recommend leaving ANC set to occasionally. There isn't much point to checking between every print. In addition, if you have the new firmware you may want to consider setting the new Auto Cleaning Times to 3, restoring the original functionality. It doesn't make much sense for the printer to continue printing when it is detecting nozzle problems without at least an opportunity for the user to understand what colors and how many nozzles are affected, which is what happens if set to 1 or 2 (1 being the default). Personally I don't see any real use in the new menu and its options.
For those fighting unnecessary cleans (the printer cleans even though nozzle checks show no clogs), I recommend turning all nozzle checks off, and in this case the Auto Cleaning Times choice doesn't apply. I would use printed nozzle checks and manual cleans to avoid unnecessary cleaning, and consider calling for support. The AID function can be quite helpful and reliable once it is working properly and in my case Epson USA has been very responsive to remedy this..
For those whose printer seems to be affected by frequent clogging (this is my circumstance ... one or two colors missing some nozzles most of the time when I start it up), I still recommend disabling nozzle checks and manually controlling the process as well. In addition, I personally still start the printer in service mode and use the CL1 setting, usually cleaning individual channels. This uses very little ink. This isn't quite as necessary now that you can disable ANC and actually prevent the printer from cleaning itself repeatedly. I am still trying to find out exactly how much ink the printer uses when cleaning a channel in normal mode. It may not be much more than a CL1, but until I can verify this, using the service mode CL1 cleans means I'm using the least amount of ink possible to resolve problems.
I am still amazed at the quality of this printer on high quality glossy media. I printed some images from my trip to Death Valley today and between the quality of the files from the p65 back and the quality of the printer, they are fabulous.
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I have the ANC disabled, and have done the nozzle checks and cleans in the service mode. I have only had to use the CL2 cleaning occassionally. So far as I can see, using the service mode pair cleaning is the only way to clean just one pair, regardless of the state of the other channels (even with the latest firmware).
Recently, however, I have had significant issues with the CYAN and PHOTO-BLACK channels just dropping out. The entire channel would just quit, sometimes in the middle of a print, sometimes after a print was completed. I called Epson warranty service and they were here today. The service guy replaced several parts and left with the printer in working order. Hopefully it stays that way...this is one of those cases where we won't know for probably a week or two.
I'd be curious if anyone else has had problems with a complete channel going out on a regular basis; and if they found the cause.
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I have the ANC disabled, and have done the nozzle checks and cleans in the service mode. I have only had to use the CL2 cleaning occassionally. So far as I can see, using the service mode pair cleaning is the only way to clean just one pair, regardless of the state of the other channels (even with the latest firmware).
Recently, however, I have had significant issues with the CYAN and PHOTO-BLACK channels just dropping out. The entire channel would just quit, sometimes in the middle of a print, sometimes after a print was completed. I called Epson warranty service and they were here today. The service guy replaced several parts and left with the printer in working order. Hopefully it stays that way...this is one of those cases where we won't know for probably a week or two.
I'd be curious if anyone else has had problems with a complete channel going out on a regular basis; and if they found the cause.
Yes, I have had full colors drop - once a color dropped while I was cleaning another channel. Epson service repaired the printer several weeks ago because of this. Since then I haven't seen entire channels drop.
As far as cleaning single channels in normal mode, if you have ANC disabled with the latest firmware this should work fine. I have confirmed it on a couple of occasions when colors from different channels had clogs. Not sure why it seems to be problematic for you.
One thing to be aware of, when Epson serviced my printer it was before the USA release of the new firmware, and the first thing he did was install his latest version of firmware - the version previous to the one I had on the printer. I had to update the firmware once he left to get the latest running again. Double check your firmware version.
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hooked up the printer via usb (had to move some things around to get it close enough).
it was not plug and play, after several attempts had to use the epson disc and install from scratch.
was still not able to get the LPF to install the updated firmware; this time it did not find the printer, (though i was able to print from CS4, and the printer watcher is showing the 9900)
had an odd problem there: had uprezzed an image to print at 24 x 24 on a 24 roll, made a nice print while still hooked up to the network.
after the usb change when i tried to print from CS4, got a PS message saying I had to first install a printer. but only with that image, when i selected other tif files, no problem???
downlaaded .icc profiles from ilford for the galerie silk, put them in windows/system32/spool/drivers/color, but CS4 did not find them when i was selecting paper. had to use an epson photo glossy paper profile. seems like epson profiles are somewhere else
also:
how do you select the paper length when roll printing? the only way i could do it was to select roll and 24x30 (I wanted to print 24x24) under "user" i expected to be able to make my own sizes, but no
John - PC or Mac? Makes a differance with your OS recognizing the ICC's. Also, you can create custom page sizes to accomodate shorter length - if you need any help you can give me a call at 415-382-8681