Epson 2880/3880: Some ink cartridge exchange questions

[CDL]

3 questions relating to both the Epson 2880 and 3880:

1. In case an ink cartridge is nearing the end, do I have to make sure PRIOR to a print job that there is sufficient ink left to complete the job (i.e. replace the cartridge even if there is some – but insufficient - ink left yet [and if so, how do I know]) or may I change the cartridge DURING the print job when it actually comes to COMPLETE end? In case of the latter, will this be in any way noticeable in the final print?

2. If I COMPLETELY switch off the printer (i.e. pulling the power cord, also NOT leaving it in standby-mode), would the printer consider this as some kind of “long term storage” (don’t know a better expression), which would initiate a cleaning of the printing heads and thus additional waste of ink? Are there any other circumstances, which would lead to “unnecessary” printing head cleanings?

3. Once a new ink cartridge started, is there an “expiry” duration for this cartridge? If so, how long is this?

Thank you very much for your responses.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

3 questions relating to both the Epson 2880 and 3880:

1. In case an ink cartridge is nearing the end, do I have to make sure PRIOR to a print job that there is sufficient ink left to complete the job (i.e. replace the cartridge even if there is some – but insufficient - ink left yet [and if so, how do I know]) or may I change the cartridge DURING the print job when it actually comes to COMPLETE end? In case of the latter, will this be in any way noticeable in the final print?

2. If I COMPLETELY switch off the printer (i.e. pulling the power cord, also NOT leaving it in standby-mode), would the printer consider this as some kind of "long term storage" (don't know a better expression), which would initiate a cleaning of the printing heads and thus additional waste of ink? Are there any other circumstances, which would lead to "unnecessary" printing head cleanings?

3. Once a new ink cartridge started, is there an "expiry" duration for this cartridge? If so, how long is this?

Thank you very much for your responses.

Here's a partial response.

Re: #1. I have had cartridhges run out in the middle of a print on both my old 2200 and my current 3800, and swapping the new cartridge in in mid-stream seemed to work perfectly. Even with a loupe I can't tell where the cartridge change took place. I'm sure the 2880 and 3880 are at least as good. Just be sure you do have spare cartridges for any that are getting low. I've never tried leaving a print half-printed for several days before switching the cartridge, btu it doesn't seem advisable.


Re: #2. I have no idea. Haven't tried it. Perhaps Eric Chan can speak to this.


Re: #3. I have seen suggestions to the effect that if you don't print for a long time (several weeks), it is a good idea to take the cartridges out and shake them gently before printing again. But otherwise I wouldn't worry. Maybe if I was preparing an exhibit and a cartridge was over two years old, I might be concerned. But in that case I'd print a sample print on A4 or letter-size paper to see if things look OK.

I hope this helps.

Eric

[Alan Goldhammer]

3 questions relating to both the Epson 2880 and 3880:

1. In case an ink cartridge is nearing the end, do I have to make sure PRIOR to a print job that there is sufficient ink left to complete the job (i.e. replace the cartridge even if there is some – but insufficient - ink left yet [and if so, how do I know]) or may I change the cartridge DURING the print job when it actually comes to COMPLETE end? In case of the latter, will this be in any way noticeable in the final print?

2. If I COMPLETELY switch off the printer (i.e. pulling the power cord, also NOT leaving it in standby-mode), would the printer consider this as some kind of “long term storage” (don’t know a better expression), which would initiate a cleaning of the printing heads and thus additional waste of ink? Are there any other circumstances, which would lead to “unnecessary” printing head cleanings?

3. Once a new ink cartridge started, is there an “expiry” duration for this cartridge? If so, how long is this?

Thank you very much for your responses.

I have a 2880 and here are my answers:

#1.  I've never changed a cartridge until the "empty" sign comes up on the computer.  Maybe I've been lucky but I have never had a cartridge run out in the middle of a print job.  Usually the warning that a cartridge is running low comes on  with enough ink in it to do quite a bit more printing.  It's my understanding from others that one can replace a cartridge in the middle of a job and not encounter any problems.

#2.  the 2880 in my experience does not do unnecessary cleanings.  I don't worry about this and many times on startup there is no cleaning at all.  I do a nozzle check periodically and must say that my unit performs exemplary; I've not had a clog in the 14 months I've had the printer.

#3.  The cartridge box has a "use by" date on it.  With the 2880, this is really not as  big an issue because the cartridge size is much smaller than the 3880.  Because I am a "moderate" printer, I don't worry about this particular issue.

[Lisa Nikodym]

Regarding question (1), I can confirm what Eric said.  I always wait until it tells me it's empty, which is often in the middle of a print job, and there are no problems whatsoever.

Regarding question (3), I've used slightly expired (by a few months) ink cartridges without problem.  I wouldn't use one that's a whole year expired, but maybe even that would be OK most of the time; I don't know.  The ink doesn't suddenly go bad, it just gets a little more likely to have some age-related problem each month beyond the expiration date, and Epson is probably very conservative in when they set their expiration dates.

Lisa

[SteveDubloom]

3 questions relating to both the Epson 2880 and 3880:

1. In case an ink cartridge is nearing the end, do I have to make sure PRIOR to a print job that there is sufficient ink left to complete the job (i.e. replace the cartridge even if there is some – but insufficient - ink left yet [and if so, how do I know]) or may I change the cartridge DURING the print job when it actually comes to COMPLETE end? In case of the latter, will this be in any way noticeable in the final print?

2. If I COMPLETELY switch off the printer (i.e. pulling the power cord, also NOT leaving it in standby-mode), would the printer consider this as some kind of “long term storage” (don’t know a better expression), which would initiate a cleaning of the printing heads and thus additional waste of ink? Are there any other circumstances, which would lead to “unnecessary” printing head cleanings?

3. Once a new ink cartridge started, is there an “expiry” duration for this cartridge? If so, how long is this?

Thank you very much for your responses.

For number 3, the amount of time that you can continue to use the cartridge can partially depend on how often you use the cartridge.  If you don't use it for several months, it's possible that the ink could start to dry whereas if you use it once a week, it might not have.  Then again, the more often you use it, the faster you'll run out, so a balance is needed to make the ink last as long as possible.  If you're going to be using these printers long term, it might be worth experimenting a bit with how often you need to use them to keep the ink from drying up.  Though, even if some of the ink does dry up, you might be able to soak the tip of the ink cartridge in something that will loosen up the ink.

[Randy Carone]

Steve,
Have you had inks dry out or heard of it happening?

[na goodman]

I have never had or heard of Epson ink drying out. The wetting agent prevents that from ever happening as far as I know.

[colinm]

3. Once a new ink cartridge started, is there an “expiry” duration for this cartridge? If so, how long is this?

Per Epson, the ink is good for 6 months from installation.

As Lisa mentioned, though, this isn't a magical date at which point the ink suddenly turns black; the degradation is gradual and subtle, and in many cases you can probably push it out to a good year or so.

Unlike some HP printers, this "expiration" is in no way enforced—the printer's not going to stop you.

[Bill Koenig]

As I've said before, my cyan cartridge was the last to go on my 3800, I just replaced it a little over a month ago. It would have been 3 years old in March. About half of the original cartridges lasted over 2 years. Never had a problem.
I did gently shake all of the older cartridges as I replaced the empty ones.

[jjlphoto]

I run my 3800 until it stops and then I replace the cart, (cannot tell even when done in mid print, as others have mentioned.) I have had this unit three years, and only once did the particular color run totally dry while the low ink lite was flashing.

And don't worry about leaving it idle. When I first bought it, I was not doing much printing, was out of the office quite a bit, and it sat unused for nine months. No problems firing it up, no clogs at all. I turn mine off, but leave it plugged in. The six month ink change-out recommendation is a bit conservative IMO.

Stop worrying and start printing!