Luminous Landscape Forum
Raw & Post Processing, Printing => Printing: Printers, Papers and Inks => Topic started by: weberpoint on July 28, 2011, 03:21:48 am
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I keep my 3880 covered with a large black plastic garbage bag when not in use. To keep it from getting too dry (and hopefully avoid clogging), I also place a glass which contains water and a kitchen sponge under the plastic, next to the printer. After just a couple of days, I noticed that the sponge has collected a black residue that appears to be ink. I have washed the sponge out a couple of times, but the residue always returns within a couple of days. Possibly it is out-gassing from the ink cartridges?
I'm curious if anyone knows the source of this or has experienced anything similar. I'm not thinking of changing my 'setup' as I have not had any head clogs in a year, even though I do not print often.
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possible fungus? ???
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Highly unlikely that it is the ink since the pigments are not volatile (otherwise you would see ink jumping off your prints onto cover sheets right after printing). Outgassing comes from the glycols and other solvents in the ink mixture but not the pigments, otherwise you would also see a black film (or any other color for that matter) on your glazing if you framed it too soon after printing. It could be mold (fungus) since the conditions within the plastic bag are pretty decent to promote fungal growth (no air flow). Is the relative humidity of the room where you have your printer really that low? I have my 3880 on the lower level of our house and it experiences pretty dramatic seasonal changes (Washington DC area) in terms of both humidity and temperature. I keep a decorative cloth shower curtain over it to keep the dust out (which is a prime culprit in causing clogs and other issues). My suggestion is to replace the plastic bag with a cloth cover and correct the room humidity with a humidifier (only if you live in the desert southwest or use lots of AC during summer months.
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probably mold. I'd honestly doubt that the sponge is doing anything vs. just letting the water glass do some surface evaporation. Like Alan said, a humidifier would probably be best.
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I've been answering questions about outgassing for years but your title caught my eye :)
I checked around with colleagues and we came to the same conclusion, as the other posts, that its most likely mildew/fungus/mold caused by the water/sponge in a sealed environment and/or possibly outgassing from the plastic bag itself.
Epson makes a cover for the 3880 which is designed to keep dust off of the printer.
Because it fits over the top, air can circulate underneath and there has never been a report of what you are experiencing.
And of course any cover will work to prevent dust getting into the printer.
Dan (Dano) Steinhardt
Marketing Manager, Professional Imaging
Epson America, Inc.
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+1 for the Tumi cover. I use one on my 3800 and it works great. My cat likes it too. It keeps my printer pristine and dust free.
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Thanks for all the responses. Mold is also what I finally came up with, as well, after thinking about it more. I'm going to take a look at the Tumi.
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+1 for the Tumi cover. I use one on my 3800 and it works great. My cat likes it too. It keeps my printer pristine and dust free.
I got a cover for about half the price of Tumi, from digitaldeckcovers.com, heavy nylon fabric, no padding, works fine. Just barely fits with the rear sheet feeder in place, not perfect, but works. It's actually designed for the printer w/o the feeder, is a tad loose in that configuration. (Just a satisfied customer.)
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My cover cost about $9 at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Nice earth tones go well in my work area.
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My cover cost about $9 at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Nice earth tones go well in my work area.
Curious about the stand for your printer. How big is it(is it big enough to hold 17x22 paper?) and where did you get it from?
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Curious about the stand for your printer. How big is it(is it big enough to hold 17x22 paper?) and where did you get it from?
Bought it at Ikea; they are the Alex drawer unit (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40196241). This particular unit will hold 13x19 paper but not 17x22. The depth of the drawers are only 16 inches. The 3880 fits on the top just fine. At the time I looked there was not an Ikea unit with greater depth than this on.
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To keep it from getting too dry (and hopefully avoid clogging)
Have you had clogging problems? 3800/3880's rarely clog (too bad epson can't duplicate that feat with their larger printers). I've had mine sit for months, no cover and no clogs.
As far as humidity, unless you are putting the printer in the bag and cinching it shut, any humidity from the sponge will dissipate far too quickly to benefit the heads. Covers are fine for dust, but that's about it.
( and I also believe you have either algae or mold growing on your sponge).
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Bought it at Ikea; they are the Alex drawer unit (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40196241). This particular unit will hold 13x19 paper but not 17x22. The depth of the drawers are only 16 inches. The 3880 fits on the top just fine. At the time I looked there was not an Ikea unit with greater depth than this on.
To get greater depth you need to buy Ikea kitchen base cabinets and slap a top on them. They work wonderfully for the larger printers and give you tons of storage underneath.
Neil
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To get greater depth you need to buy Ikea kitchen base cabinets and slap a top on them. They work wonderfully for the larger printers and give you tons of storage underneath.
Neil
Ditto. IKEA is amazing.
The kitchen unit is the FAKTUM Base cabinet Frame Only FA105 80cm width. For shelves you can get RATIONELL 80x58cm units of 2.
For this one I've slapped on a base reinforcement made from GORM shelf posts and some BESTA castor wheels.
And best of all the whole thing costs less than the ALEX drawer unit.
(http://www.lateral-i.com/stuffs/photof.jpg)
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I re-posted a tour through my print studio on my blog so you can get a better view of the cabinets I'm using: http://www.danecreek.com/blog/2011/07/30/a-tour-through-the-print-studio-2.html.
Neil
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In general the countertop is enough. The only time I've found I need more is if I'm framing, and for that I use the dining room table :)
Neil
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gutsy move if you're married :D
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gutsy move if you're married :D
Not if you routinely eat in the kitchen like we do! My wife uses the dining room table to do 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles so I have no problems in using it to cut mat and foam board!