Epson Stylus Pro cartridges

[Lynn Williams]

I think I already know the answer to this question but here goes anyway. I recently sold two Epson 9600's and bought a used 7600. That's all I really need. Anyway, the 7600 was a good find as it has only 960 prints on the status page and perfect nozzle checks. Along with the printer I got a box full of brand new Epson 220 ML cartridges still in the wrappers and boxes. Problem is, they are dated 2006. The cartridges in the machine are dated the same. Here's the question, if the cartridges are sealed and in the original container, how long can they safely be used? As the nozzle checks are good, the ink in the machine appears to be OK.....truthfully, I'm quite hesitant to put a cartridge this old in a perfectly functioning machine. The last thing I want to do is gum up the ink delivery system trying to save money on ink.....

Thanks for any replies......

[BobShaw]

If they are still sealed then I expect they are probably fine.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I would remove the installed cartridges one at a time and shake them gently before reinserting, and then try a nozzle check.
Or replace the installed cartridges with the unopened one, but do shake them before trying.

In my 3800 I have successfully used many carts that were past the "use by" date by a few years and never had a problem. Yours are older than any I have used, but I doubt if a quick trial print would kill the whole printer, unless the printer itself is already badly clogged.