Looking to schedule print jobs

[Torpedo]

Hi,

I have an Epson 9900 printer.  Around 5 months old.  I use it fairly infrequently.  I'll use it for 2 weeks straight, then it might sit unused for 3 weeks, etc.  When I'm not using it, I try to print nozzle checks once a day to prevent clogging.  However, when I go away, I can't perform the nozzle checks.

I wrote Epson about implementing an auto nozzle check.  ie. Set it up with a cheap roll of paper to print a nozzle check every 12 hours, every 24 hours, etc.  They said they'd forward it to the appropriate people, but I'm not counting on anything happening. 

I was wondering if there is any MAC software to allow me to schedule routine print jobs while my printer isn't in use?

I have a few different Macs, running different operating systems.  I realize that Lion got rid of scheduler as a print option.  This would be perfect, IF I could schedule printing for subsequent days.  Ex.  "Print at 9am on Sept 8th, 9am on Sept 9th," etc.  Or, simply..."print this image every 12 hours" and I could have it print an image which utilizes all of the colours.

Are there any applications that can do this?  Photoshop, Lightroom or anything else?

Or, any other tips for preventing nozzle clogs when I'm not using my printer?  Without having to babysit it (manually print a few 8x10's a day).  Epson support told me to leave the printer on, in standby.  I've found this helps a bit, but still getting clogs when it sits unused.

Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

[Ken Doo]

www.harveyheadcleaner.com works, but it's for PC only, not Mac.  An inexpensive pc laptop might be your workaround solution here....  HHC allows you to schedule printer nozzle checks daily or as scheduled and at designated times.  There are multiple versions, and you'll need to select the version that is appropriate for your printer.

ken

[francois]

Hi,

I have an Epson 9900 printer.  Around 5 months old.  I use it fairly infrequently.  I'll use it for 2 weeks straight, then it might sit unused for 3 weeks, etc.  When I'm not using it, I try to print nozzle checks once a day to prevent clogging.  However, when I go away, I can't perform the nozzle checks.

I wrote Epson about implementing an auto nozzle check.  ie. Set it up with a cheap roll of paper to print a nozzle check every 12 hours, every 24 hours, etc.  They said they'd forward it to the appropriate people, but I'm not counting on anything happening. 

I was wondering if there is any MAC software to allow me to schedule routine print jobs while my printer isn't in use?

I have a few different Macs, running different operating systems.  I realize that Lion got rid of scheduler as a print option.  This would be perfect, IF I could schedule printing for subsequent days.  Ex.  "Print at 9am on Sept 8th, 9am on Sept 9th," etc.  Or, simply..."print this image every 12 hours" and I could have it print an image which utilizes all of the colours.

Are there any applications that can do this?  Photoshop, Lightroom or anything else?

Or, any other tips for preventing nozzle clogs when I'm not using my printer?  Without having to babysit it (manually print a few 8x10's a day).  Epson support told me to leave the printer on, in standby.  I've found this helps a bit, but still getting clogs when it sits unused.

Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

I don't know of any application that would do that specifically but as last & quick resort I would use something like Automator and/or a shell script (or iCal via open file option).

[Torpedo]

Thanks so much for the quick replies!

Harvey Head Cleaner is exactly what i'm looking for...however, it would be great if there was something like this for Mac.  I do have an OLD PC.  I could see if that will run it. 

I will look into automator too.  I don't really use this, so might take some time figuring it out.

Thanks so much!

[howardm]

I'd be willing to bet that if you have a specific test image/jpg/tiff that you want to print, you could do that w/ the built-in 'cron' scheduler and the 'lp' printer command line utility.

[francois]

Thanks so much for the quick replies!

Harvey Head Cleaner is exactly what i'm looking for...however, it would be great if there was something like this for Mac.  I do have an OLD PC.  I could see if that will run it.  

I will look into automator too.  I don't really use this, so might take some time figuring it out.

Thanks so much!

OK, I tried to do something in less than a couple of minutes. I haven't really tested much. Consider this as an idea using Automator & iCal.

I'm assuming that your printer will be the default printer in the Print Center. The image you want to print every day is named test_image.png and the Automator application is Print_image.app.

Automator

• First open Automator and create a new Application.
• See print_image_automator.jpg... you'll need to drag the Get Specified Finder Items into the right pane and then add the image you want to be printed.
• See print_image_automator.jpg...  then drag Print Finder Items, again into the right pane, just below the previous action.
• Save the application.

iCal (or Calendar in ML)

• See iCal_Stuff.jpg screenshot… Create a new Event (set the date/time:  point 1), make it repeating (point 2) and as alert, open your automator created application (point 3).

• Test the setup.

Now, this isn't perfect or optimal but it uses applications that are on your Mac and doesn't require shell scripting.

[Torpedo]

Thanks for the info!

Good idea on the Automator and ical.  I played around with it for a good deal of time and am having a hard time printing straight from automater.  The printing has to run through PREVIEW which defaults to roll paper and photo black.  I'll try it again when I get an inexpensive roll.

That leads me to my next question.  Can anyone recommend an inexpensive small roll that I can use strictly for nozzle checks?  Can you get an 8" roll of regular computer paper that fits on my core?  I'm in Canada, but can order from the states too.

What I've found is working for the nozzle check is the Harvey Head Cleaner program.  I downloaded a trial and am having pretty good luck with it on an old PC.  I might just dedicate this old PC to my nozzle checking and let that fix the issue.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

[Ken Doo]

I use a 10" roll of Epson lustre with HHC.  The printer nozzle check only uses about four inches of media, so a rather nominal cost of insurance to keep a minute amount of ink flowing through the heads and keeping the capping station moist when not using the printer often.  You can use a single license of HHC to do scheduled nozzle checks on multiple printers (assuming compatibility).  I use my 9900 frequently, so haven't hooked it up to HHC, but do use HHC and a dedicated laptop for my 4800 and 9800 piezography printer.

[Torpedo]

Thanks.  I found an inexpensive roll of BOND paper, Canon makes one.  Is this ok to use for the nozzle checks? 

[hugowolf]

Thanks.  I found an inexpensive roll of BOND paper, Canon makes one.  Is this ok to use for the nozzle checks? 

Yes, It will be fine for nozzzle checks.

Toilet roll would be cheaper, but the 9900 has an 8.3 inch minimum limit, and I think the perforations would be a problem.

Brian A

[francois]

Thanks for the info!

Good idea on the Automator and ical.  I played around with it for a good deal of time and am having a hard time printing straight from automater.  The printing has to run through PREVIEW which defaults to roll paper and photo black.  I'll try it again when I get an inexpensive roll.

With my Epson 3800, it goes directly to the printer without Preview… I'm running 10.8.1 but I don't know whether it plays a role or not.

That leads me to my next question.  Can anyone recommend an inexpensive small roll that I can use strictly for nozzle checks?  Can you get an 8" roll of regular computer paper that fits on my core?  I'm in Canada, but can order from the states too.

What I've found is working for the nozzle check is the Harvey Head Cleaner program.  I downloaded a trial and am having pretty good luck with it on an old PC.  I might just dedicate this old PC to my nozzle checking and let that fix the issue.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

If you have that old PC laying around and found a working application that does the trick then use it. It's probably 100 x better than the Automator/iCal combo.

Good luck!

[Ernst Dinkla]

MIS ...... www,inksupply.com used to have a tool like that for Epsons and PCs.
>Support >downloads, or something like that.


--
Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

Dinkla Grafische Techniek
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