Epson SC P7000/9000 Timer Cleaning Function

[DeanChriss]

Per the manual this function "Performs an automatic nozzle check and head cleaning if the printer is turned on or woken from sleep mode and the printer has not printed within the set length of time." It can be set to between 6 and 60 hours.

I've read in several different places that this function will wake up the printer and do a nozzle check and cleaning (if needed) at the selected interval. That would be incredibly useful when I'm away for a few weeks but that's definitely not what the manual states if taken literally.

Last night I set the timer cleaning to 12 hours and left the printer turned on with the power off timer disabled and the sleep/standby timer at the default (15 minutes). This morning just before the appointed time the printer was in standby mode, and it did NOT wake up and do anything at the appointed time. It also did not do anything when I woke it up about 10 minutes later and loaded a piece of paper. I printed a nozzle check pattern and it did appear to check itself before printing that.

Does anyone know exactly how this timer cleaning function works and whether there is some way it can be used for unattended automatic nozzle checks/cleanings?

[Wayne Fox]

I don't believe the printer will wake itself up. If the printer has been asleep for more than the set length of time it will check nozzles and clean if necessary.

I think if I the printer is off it will check when turned on. If it has been asleep I think it checks when the next print job is sent. That's the behavior I'm seeing from my p9000.

[DeanChriss]

I don't believe the printer will wake itself up. If the printer has been asleep for more than the set length of time it will check nozzles and clean if necessary.

I think if I the printer is off it will check when turned on. If it has been asleep I think it checks when the next print job is sent. That's the behavior I'm seeing from my p9000.

Thanks for the reply, Wayne.

What you state is basically what the manual says it will do, which makes perfect sense. It's odd, though, that a few different reviews and blogs talk about this being useful when people go on vacations and such. My experiment confirmed the checking when the next print job is sent after being asleep.

I was hoping there would be some sort of periodic and unattended head maintenance since I'm away for several weeks a few times per year. Hopefully the P7000 will handle those extended idle periods as well as my 7900 (that recently died after 7.5 years) did.

[John Hollenberg]

I have an ipf6300 and Win 7/64.  When I am gone I use Windows Task Scheduler and Irfanview (free) to print a purge file that exercises all the colors (except matte black).  It can be set to print every X number of days on a cheap roll of paper.  Don't know your OS, but something like this might work for you.

[DeanChriss]

I have an ipf6300 and Win 7/64.  When I am gone I use Windows Task Scheduler and Irfanview (free) to print a purge file that exercises all the colors (except matte black).  It can be set to print every X number of days on a cheap roll of paper.  Don't know your OS, but something like this might work for you.

Thanks for the idea John!

I'm using Win 10/64 so this could work. I just gave Irfranview a quick look. Unless I'm missing something I'd just need to run a command line like the following in the task scheduler:

"C:\Program Files(x86)\IrFanView\i_view32.exe c:\testpics\printerfile.jpg /print"

(Assuming Irfanview is installed in "C:\Program Files(x86)\IrFanView" and the file I want to print per the schedule is "c:\testpics\printerfile.jpg")

[John Hollenberg]

Yes, all you have to do is:

1) Go to the General tab and give your task a name
2) Go to the Triggers tab and scheduled when and how often the action runs
3) Go to the Actions tab and specify what is to be done

I use Irfanview 64.  You may need to have the action in quotes as I did, not sure.

Just right click the task and disable it while you are home, then enable it before leaving on a trip.

Edit: not sure about the Epson printer, but for my Canon I have to make sure the printer driver is set to use roll rather than manual and set the media type.  Be sure to do a test run before you leave town.